{"id":71261,"date":"2021-04-10T00:40:13","date_gmt":"2021-04-10T07:40:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=71261"},"modified":"2021-04-10T00:40:13","modified_gmt":"2021-04-10T07:40:13","slug":"wizard-of-gore-the-1970","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=71261","title":{"rendered":"Wizard of Gore, The (1970)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Have you ever seen the sight of human butchery IN PERSON?!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Poster-198x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-71262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Poster-198x300.png 198w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Poster-677x1024.png 677w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Poster-85x128.png 85w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Poster-179x270.png 179w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Poster.png 735w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 198px) 100vw, 198px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA sadistic magician (Ray Sager) uses mind control to lure women to his stage, where he dismembers them in what appears each time to be a harmless trick but soon thereafter results in their demise. Can a plucky reporter (Sherry Carson) and her boyfriend (Jack Ward) discover what&#8217;s going on before yet another gory murder takes place?\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Amateur Sleuths<\/li>\n<li>Herschell Gordon Lewis Films<\/li>\n<li>Horror Films<\/li>\n<li>Journalists<\/li>\n<li>Magicians<\/li>\n<li>Mind Control and Hypnosis<\/li>\n<li>Serial Killers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nWhile this &#8220;existential&#8221; splatter flick is considered a favorite among fans of fabled goremeister <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Herschell_Gordon_Lewis\">Herschell Gordon Lewis<\/a>, there&#8217;s nothing whatsoever to recommend about it for anyone who&#8217;s not already (inexplicably) enamored with his work. The central premise of a plucky duo trying to determine why all the women who volunteer to be &#8220;killed&#8221; on stage by Montag the Magnificent (Sager) eventually end up legitimately dead:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Duo.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Duo-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-71271\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Duo-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Duo-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Duo-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Duo-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Duo-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Duo.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; is stupid beyond belief (not to mention never explained in terms of the mysterious gap between the gruesome mutilations we see Montag delighting in, and what the audience actually witnesses). Then again, that&#8217;s the &#8220;point&#8221; of this film: who really <em>knows<\/em> what&#8217;s reality versus our imaginations or an illusion? Profound. It&#8217;s too bad the same sentiment written by Peary in his review of <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=33993\"><em>Blood Feast<\/em> (1963)<\/a>, HGL&#8217;s debut flick, applies just as well here: &#8220;If you detest horror films that show how many shocking ways a creative sadist can do away with young women:&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still2-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-71266\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still2-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still2-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still2-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still2-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still2-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still2.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still3-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-71267\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still3-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still3-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still3-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still3-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still3-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still3.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still4.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still4-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-71268\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still4-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still4-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still4-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still4-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still4-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still4.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still5.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still5-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-71264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still5-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still5-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still5-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still5-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still5-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Wizard-of-Gore-Still5.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; &#8220;then Lewis is the man you\u2019ll want to blame and this is the film you\u2019ll want to burn.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Not a thing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNope. Listed as Trash and a Cult Movie in the back of Peary&#8217;s book (yes, it does indeed have a cult following, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0765487\/\">was even remade<\/a>). <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0066578\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=3203\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moriareviews.com\/horror\/wizard-of-gore-1970.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Have you ever seen the sight of human butchery IN PERSON?!&#8221; Synopsis: A sadistic magician (Ray Sager) uses mind control to lure women to his stage, where he dismembers them in what appears each time to be a harmless trick but soon thereafter results in their demise. Can a plucky reporter (Sherry Carson) and her boyfriend (Jack Ward) discover what&#8217;s going on before yet another gory murder takes place? Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Amateur Sleuths Herschell Gordon Lewis Films&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=71261\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-71261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=71261"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71261\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71276,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71261\/revisions\/71276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=71261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=71261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=71261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}