Over the years I’ve grown jaded with the various promos that get sent to us here at Liar Society.  And yet, when a DVD of Albert Fish: In Sin He Found Salvation showed up on my doorstep, along with a DVD simply titled Child Murders, I was reminded that reviewing things here is a really, really weird gig.

Albert Fish: In Sin He Found Salvation is a documentary detailing the grisly life and crimes of a paraphiliac, cannibalistic, serial killer.  The documentary has average production values, about on par with the History Channel’s usual round of Halloween offerings.  Of course, the film dwells on the gruesome and grotesque, but the overall lurid impact is lessened a bit by the amateur dramatics of the overly-camp voice over acting.

The film does occasionally wander into some pretty weird territory.  At one point, Albert Fish is compared to Christ, which is sure to raise some eyebrows.  Also, outsider artist Joe Coleman’s almost reverential take on Fish and his crimes might be an example of taking one’s fascination with the dark side of human psychology too far.  Owning serial murderer memorabilia is one thing, but referring to Fish as an “American shaman” is serious whack-a-doo territory.

All in all, this just might be the DVD for a cold October night when there isn’t a special on Lizzy Borden to give you creeps of a decidedly historic variety.

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