The Wizard of Gore (1970)

Director:

Herschell Gordon Lewis

Writer:

Allen Kahn (writer)

Release Date:

23 October 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

The Maniac Magician Whose Tricks Really Work!

Plot:

A TV talk-show hostess and her boyfriend investigate a shady magician whom has the ability to hypnotize and control the thoughts of people in order to stage gory on-stage illusions using his powers of mind bending.

Plot Keywords:

Magician | Magic | Illusion | Hypnosis | Cult Favorite

Cast

Ray Sager	...	Montag the Magnificent
Judy Cler	...	Sherry Carson
Wayne Ratay	...	Jack
Phil Laurenson	...	Greg
Jim Rau	...	Steve
Don Alexander	...	Det. Kramer
John Elliot	...	Det. Harlan
Karin Alexana	...	Stage Girl #1
Jack Gilbreth	...	Maitre d'Hotel
Corinne Kirkin	...	Stage Girl #2
Monica Blackwell	...	Stage Girl #3
Sally Brody	...	Stage Girl #4
Karen Burke	...	Stage Girl #5
Eric Kelner Raynard	...	Coroner
Sheldon Reis	...	Audience Member

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:R | New Zealand:R16 | USA:Not Rated | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Mayflower Pictures

Trivia:

Filmed in 1968, unreleased until 1970.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Jack reads the newspaper announcing the second murder, the articles are obviously pasted onto the paper rather than printed on it; the corner of one article is clearly peeling away from the paper.

Movie Connections:

Remade as The Wizard of Gore (2007)

You will lose your mind, and possibly your lunch...

Some say the Wizard of Gore is one of HG Lewis' weaker flicks, but I must disagree. Blood Feast may have been more ground-breaking and unintentionally hilarious, but W.O.G. stands up fine against that movie and any of his other gore films. There is a certain cheesy charm to Lewis movies, no matter if they are skin flicks, gore flicks, or even kiddie flicks. In this movie, the wonderfully hammy Ray Sager plays the Wizard and his main occupation seems to be delivering quasi-fascistic prattle to audiences with mutton chop sideburns, interspersed with running his fingers through the tomato-sauce covered animal organs that erupt from his victims, all to the audience's delight. There is some weak storyline involving an independent woman reporter and her well-tanned boyfriend, who try to solve the mystery of the Wizard, the fools. However, this is pretty much just window dressing for the 5-6 gory scenes of the Wizard doing his thing. In particular, there is an eyeball poking and manipulating scene that would have done Lucio Fulci proud. And please don't forget the awesome furniture and late 60's bourgeois home furnishings and polyester pantsuits that make all of these late 60's films look like "Barbarella" by todays standards. If anything, you have to love the fact that there was actually a time in this country where you could make a movie like this and it would be distributed. Thinking about the time period when Lewis was doing his thing and the way he was doing it is enough to blow your mind even more than his movies. If you haven't checked them out, you are doing yourself a disservice!