The Sadist (1963)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

James Landis

Writer:

James Landis (written by)

Release Date:

1967 (West Germany)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Never before a motion picture Rampacked with... Suspense... Terror... Sudden Shock, as The SADIST

Plot:

Three people driving into Los Angeles for a Dodgers game have car trouble and pull off into an old wrecking...

Plot Keywords:

Car Trouble | Junkyard | Psychopath | Motorcycle Cop | Police Officer Killed

Cast

Arch Hall Jr.	...	Charles A. 'Charlie' Tibbs
Richard Alden	...	Ed Stiles
Marilyn Manning	...	Judy Bradshaw
Don Russell	...	Carl Oliver
Helen Hovey	...	Doris Page

Also Known As:

Profile of Terror
Sweet Baby Charlie (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | UK:15 | Finland:(Banned) (1968) | USA:Unrated

Company:

Fairway International Pictures

Trivia:

A much more graphic image of Don Russell being shot in the head was planned, but when the special effect for the scene failed to look convincing on camera the production went with a different shot.

Goofs:

Continuity: Charlie has a crippled walk which comes and goes throughout the film.

Quotes:

Ed Stiles: Who would believe in something like this?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "TCM Underground: The Sadist/Wild Guitar (#1.7)" (2006)

Classic sadistic thriller

Uncompromisingly violent and nihilistic, 'The Sadist' is a shocking film by anyone's standards; and that is increased tenfold when you consider that this film first graced cinema screens while the medium was still in it's innocence, way back in 1963. Of course, Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho had already done the rounds by then, and indeed this film takes influence from said masterpiece; but James Landis' film confronts the audience more full on than Hitchcock did three years earlier, as this film doesn't hold back and like its lead star, goes directly for the jugular at every opportunity. The film begins with an analysis of the psyche of a sadist, and then goes on to show the effects of such a person on a group of innocents. The film takes place in a junkyard, and we follow three unlucky schoolteachers who make a stop to repair their car on the way to a ball game. Their break is interrupted when a sadistic maniac and his girlfriend decide to join them, and hold the trio to hostage with his gun; while directing one of them to fix the car so that the pair can escape.

This film features a whirlwind performance from Arch Hall Jr who gives the performance of his career in the role of the sadistic villain. Hall looks like a twisted version of James Dean, and his performance is so realistic thanks to the uncompromising way that he torments his victims. The performance is easy to buy into because it's so perfectly pitched, and that ultimately means that the film is made more frightening. The rest of the cast do well in their supporting roles, but all play second fiddle to the brilliant lead star. Director James Landis makes good use of his central location, as the old car yard helps to ensure the isolation of the characters, and also means that the director can make good use of his camera to help instil this idea in the audience's mind. The film features what must be one of the most shocking sequences of the entire sixties, which sees the title character shoot someone in the head. The audacity to show this scene at the time the film was made must have took some balls, and so James Landis deserves some respect for that. The Sadist boils down to a fittingly unhappy ending, and overall this film is well worth seeing for its uncompromising violence and brilliant lead performance.