Sadist
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Movie Reviews of Sadist
Movie Review: Another overlooked entry in the psycho killer genre
Summary: 4 Stars
Normally a movie with a title such as The Sadist will get my horror glands salivating, but the prospect of watching Arch Hall, Jr., trying to act for an hour and a half inspired a morbid fear all its own in my soul; I think those who've seen Eegah! can understand my dilemma. Fear not, friends, for Arch Hall, Jr., does not - I repeat, does not - play the guitar or sing in this movie. He does try to act, unfortunately, but this is as close to a good performance as he would ever have. Hall plays Charles Tibbs, a blood-thirsty psycho enjoying the thrills of an interstate killing spree alongside his childlike girlfriend Judy (played by Marilyn Manning, yet another Eegah! alumnus). The character of Tibbs is loosely based on real-life killer Charles Starkweather. On this particular day, a trio of schoolteachers off to enjoy a day of baseball at Dodger Stadium end up rolling snake-eyes in the crap shoot of fate. Their car breaks down on the way, and they end up at the salvage yard of death, a place under new, albeit temporary management - one Charles Tibbs. So begins an afternoon of terror, horror, and silly-looking grimacing on the face of Arch Hall, Jr., obviously upset about the complete lack of Arch and his Archers performances in the film.Our three teachers are just normal people (although the female of the group is about the sweetest and most lovely little school marm I've ever seen); they continually prove their lack of heroism by the things they do and do not do. Nothing happens that would be considered sadistic in today's world, but I can see how this movie could have been somewhat shocking to the audiences of its day (1963). Arch Hall, Jr., was known for playing nice guys who also happened to sing (badly) in the movies, so The Sadist marked a 180 degree turn in his film-making career at this time. Hall puts a lot into his effort, perhaps too much. All of the grimacing and Ernest T. Bass-like diction seems a little silly after a while, but he does manage to look and act like a psycho killer. He also does some things that might catch viewers off guard. The Sadist does not explicitly follow the standard "psycho killer" cinematic formula, and this fact more than any other makes The Sadist a movie worth seeing. Excellent cinematography also plays a role in this film's success; this really is a stark and troubling film that has never gotten the attention it deserves. It is not the best of the genre, but it is a more than respectable entry in the canon.
Movie Review: 5 star B Flick ... Alpha Video = D rate video transfer
Summary: 4 Stars
This movie is surprisingly sharp and suspenseful and it is obviously the prototype for such movies as "In Cold Blood", "Badlands", "When Ya Comin' Back, Red Ryder" and "Natural Born Killers." The dialogue is intuitive and the situations are well thought out. Considering the social mores of the time there are no head-scratching set-ups. This is a cunning and evenly matched cat and mouse game that will keep you engaged from start to finish. It could also illustrate to the young "writers" of today that believable situations do not rely on people making stupid mistakes and that surprising developments are far more than a fortuitous log falling from the sky to create a stop-gap.
Sadly, the review from bt "CAT" is a bit misleading. It states there is "really nothing wrong" with the Alpha version. This DVD suffers not from a battered print but rather from video flagging that runs along the bottom of the frame throughout the film's duration. Video flagging was a defect seen in VHS tapes that became stretched out by overuse and caused bending of the picture to one side or the other. I have many DVDs with unrestored source materials and the defects work to recreate the Drive-In Experience. Video flagging was always an annoyance that took you out of the movie as the VCR tried to compensate for the error with tracking correction. With the muddiness of this print and the flagging at the bottom of the screen, I suspect that the source used for this DVD was not film...but a worn out video cassette. Based on reviews from trusted DVD critic sites the "Deluxe Widescreen Collector's Edition" released by All Day Entertainment (still offered on their website for $19.99) is a stellar treatment restored from a 35mm Master Print with a commentary by then 1st time cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond!
Movie Review: What a difference a film makes
Summary: 4 Stars
Arch Hall jr. and Marilyn Manning can act? Based on Eegah, who knew? Mind blowing that this was screened in 1963. Three school teachers on their way to a Dodgers game break down in a seemingly abandoned junkyard, only to be held hostage and systematically psychologically tortured by a vicious teenage couple, played by Hall and Manning. And yeah, they carry the parts well. The cinematography is great, and so is the pacing. The film never relents as the situation just gets worse and worse for our victims, and the ending is as twisted as the 85 minutes before it. No spoilers here, folks, as you deserve to see the film cold as I did. And see it you should! It's available on one of the Mill Creek Horror Classics packages, but a better buy is the single disc remastered version with tons of extras. Mine's already on order. Heavily recommended.Movie Review: Powerful viewing experience
Summary: 4 Stars
This obscure 1963 production will come as a surprise to even the most informed film scholar. The plot is simple: After they stop to have their car repaired at a roadside gas station, three teachers are terrorized and tortured by an escaped homicidal maniac (Arch Hall, Jr.). Even after all these years of films with similar themes, THE SADIST remains a powerful viewing experience, thanks to strong performances by a cast of relative unknowns, taut direction by James Landis, and sharp cinematography by Vilmos "William" Zsigmond (THE DEER HUNTER). The fact that the film drags a little toward the end doesn't diminish the overall impact of this riveting thriller.Movie Review: Very surprised!
Summary: 4 Stars
I'd heard about this movie many years ago from Sinister Cinema and wondered what it was like. Knowing that it starred Arch Hall from the laughably bad "Eegah", I didn't know how to accept its praises. After seeing it, I am still shocked that a "studio" responsible for something so awful, could also produce something this good within the same year! Arch Hall is everything the other reviewers claims he is, and the movie delivers suspence and tension from start to finish. The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars out of 5, is that I envisioned it to be more of a road-trip film... instead of ALL the action taking place in one central location.