In Herschell Gordon Lewis' masterpiece (with possible competition from "Blood Feast") "The Wizard of Gore", we peer into the world of Montag the Magnificent (Ray Sager). Montag has incredibly powers, being able to convince his audience that they are watching actual scenes of brutal torture. But after the show ends, the artificial victims become all too real. Will a reporter and a talk show host get to the bottom of these nasty murders?
Those who love blood and guts (and that Is me!) are going to savor every last drop of this splatter fiesta. Spikes impaled in the brain, chainsaws across the stomach... eyes gouged out... swords in the throat. A drill press! There is a 60s or 70s feel to this (as there should be, given when it was made), so if you do not like camp or kitsch, you might think something is amiss. Lewis has used some odd footage. The audience always seems out of sync with what is going on on-stage, for example.
And the focus here is clearly gore and not plot. Not only is the plot incredibly thin, but we are never really explained what is going on behind the scenes. Are the victims killed? If so, how do they walk away? Are they illusions? If so, how do they die later? The answer really is not that important.
Ray Sager, who plays Montag, is excellent, and it is a surprise to see he was a last minute addition (though the melodramatic delivery of lines may be because of this). A frequent collaborator with Lewis, I do not know if a better actor could have been chosen. In the remake, Crispin Glover fills this role, and Glover is quite the strange one. But there is only one Sager and it is great that we have him here.
We also have Lewis using the odd shot of focusing on the eyes of Montag (a similar shot is used in "Blood Feast" for Fuad Ramses). It is a cheap and easy gimmick, but works to set a creepy mood effectively.
Side thought: In "Juno", two of the main characters debate Herschell Gordon Lewis versus Dario Argento while watching "Wizard of Gore". Let me weigh in: Argento is the better director, by far. However, there is something in Lewis' work that cannot be denied, and even the great Agento owes him a debt for cracking open the door to let out the new genre of splatter horror.
I have seen the film twice now, but am still not sure if I can write an adequate review. But for now, I have to stress how fast a strong impression was left on me. Films like this just do not come by often. Joe Lynch, bless his heart, made a good gore film with "Wrong Turn 2", but there is something about this time period that cannot be duplicated today. "Wizard of Gore" is a must-see.
Arrow Video's Blu-ray of "Wizard of Gore" is excellent. Beyond an already classic film, they have an in-depth interview with star Ray Sager, where he reveals some stories that probably could not be previously told. We also have author Stephen Thrower's reflections on the film, and he sees the film as growing out of the Blood Shed, Lewis' theater in Chicago. That may well be true. More interestingly, Thrower compares Sager's acting technique to the hammy Vincent Price. That had not occurred to me, but he is spot on, and this may be why the film has such a broad appeal.
Those who love blood and guts (and that Is me!) are going to savor every last drop of this splatter fiesta. Spikes impaled in the brain, chainsaws across the stomach... eyes gouged out... swords in the throat. A drill press! There is a 60s or 70s feel to this (as there should be, given when it was made), so if you do not like camp or kitsch, you might think something is amiss. Lewis has used some odd footage. The audience always seems out of sync with what is going on on-stage, for example.
And the focus here is clearly gore and not plot. Not only is the plot incredibly thin, but we are never really explained what is going on behind the scenes. Are the victims killed? If so, how do they walk away? Are they illusions? If so, how do they die later? The answer really is not that important.
Ray Sager, who plays Montag, is excellent, and it is a surprise to see he was a last minute addition (though the melodramatic delivery of lines may be because of this). A frequent collaborator with Lewis, I do not know if a better actor could have been chosen. In the remake, Crispin Glover fills this role, and Glover is quite the strange one. But there is only one Sager and it is great that we have him here.
We also have Lewis using the odd shot of focusing on the eyes of Montag (a similar shot is used in "Blood Feast" for Fuad Ramses). It is a cheap and easy gimmick, but works to set a creepy mood effectively.
Side thought: In "Juno", two of the main characters debate Herschell Gordon Lewis versus Dario Argento while watching "Wizard of Gore". Let me weigh in: Argento is the better director, by far. However, there is something in Lewis' work that cannot be denied, and even the great Agento owes him a debt for cracking open the door to let out the new genre of splatter horror.
I have seen the film twice now, but am still not sure if I can write an adequate review. But for now, I have to stress how fast a strong impression was left on me. Films like this just do not come by often. Joe Lynch, bless his heart, made a good gore film with "Wrong Turn 2", but there is something about this time period that cannot be duplicated today. "Wizard of Gore" is a must-see.
Arrow Video's Blu-ray of "Wizard of Gore" is excellent. Beyond an already classic film, they have an in-depth interview with star Ray Sager, where he reveals some stories that probably could not be previously told. We also have author Stephen Thrower's reflections on the film, and he sees the film as growing out of the Blood Shed, Lewis' theater in Chicago. That may well be true. More interestingly, Thrower compares Sager's acting technique to the hammy Vincent Price. That had not occurred to me, but he is spot on, and this may be why the film has such a broad appeal.