Shudder Saturday: The Wizard Of Gore (1970)

 Ah, Herschell Gordon Lewis. He’s arguably THE most beloved director in the history of low-budget schlock horror. From Blood Feast to Two Thousand Maniacs! and beyond, his films provide wonderfully over the top gore and bloodshed in between moments that are, let’s not sugar-coat things here, often full of poor acting and risible dialogue. He knew what kind of movies he wanted to make and his fans knew what they would get from them.

The Wizard Of Gore is absolutely in line with many of his other outings. It’s a wonderful idea that is hampered by the many limitations, yet the gore gags are fun, and that’s the main draw.

Ray Sager plays Montag The Magnificent, an astonishing magician who specialises in tricks that put his volunteers through extreme acts of mutilation. Unfortunately, the volunteers then leave the show and end up dying in grisly ways that replicate the trick they have just survived. A local talk show hostess, Sherry Carson (Judy Cler), wants to get Montag on her show. That might not end well.

Let's start with the obvious bad stuff on display here. Sager just isn't very good in the main role. Lacking any major talent or charisma, it damages the film to have him unable to make Montag The Magnificent the memorable character that he should have been. Cler does a bit better, as does Wayne Ratay (portraying Jack, her boyfriend and reporter). This isn't down to their acting chops, but more to do with the fact that they're playing people who aren't supposed to be captivating a large crowd. The same can be said of Phil Laurenson (playing Greg, Jack's colleague) and the very limited selection of supporting actors.

The script, by Allen Kahn, is poor, although it is far from the worst that Lewis has worked with. The strength of the central idea lifts everything up slightly, but your overall enjoyment will depend on a) your goodwill towards Lewis and b) your ability to laugh at a lot of the dialogue.

It also builds to a very silly ending, but that is as much a plus as it is a minus. It's SO ridiculous, on a par with the kind of story ending a child might come up with when they are bored and wanting to make a twist ending that wraps it all up, that it should also make you shake your head and smile as the end credits roll.

Lewis directs with his usual skill (feel free to read that as earnestly or sarcastically as your opinion of the man wishes it to seem), and the gory set-pieces make up for the rough finish and the pacing issues; the film runs for 95 minutes when it would have been better at about 65-75 minutes. The sense of gleeful devilry running throughout also helps immensely, and if you disagree then I urge you to check out the 2007 remake, with a typically wonderful Crispin Glover in the main role, that perfectly illustrates how being more polished and more technically competent doesn't necessarily make something more fun.

If you're new to the work of Lewis then I suggest starting with one of the two titles mentioned in the first paragraph. If you've seen those, however, and are ready to continue exploring the rest of his filmography then The Wizard Of Gore is one certainly worth checking out. Just be willing to overlook or embrace the flaws (a general rule of thumb for every Lewis film).

6/10

This is obviously the best way to buy the movie.
Americans can get the same set here.