Director: Joel M. Reed
Year: 1976
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: The Incredible Torture Show; Sardu, Master of the Screaming Virgins
Genre: Exploitation
Plot:
Attending a showcase performance together, a group of individuals finds themselves targeted by a maniacal magician operating a torture show as a series of graphic magic tricks, but when a series of disappearances make him believe something is wrong causes him to discover a deadly secret.
Review:
Overall, there are some enjoyable factors present here. The most prominent focus here is the absolutely banal storyline that serves merely as an excuse to unleash a series of psychological and physical degrading tortures on women. That, regardless of what’s going on in the sequence, the women are always shown completely nude with the barest of lingerie pieces to keep them clothed while being asked to perform whatever action that’s being forced upon them offers a rather slimy and disgusting atmosphere. Featuring them fully nude in the performances in front of an audience or while in the background of the theater while he doles out proclamations of domination and punishment, this constant sleaziness is the perfect counterpoint for the gory goings-on in the theatrical performances. From being placed inside a compressor that squeezes their head until it blends, hands being sawed off with a bone saw, and another having their teeth pulled out one-by-one among other gruesome activities, it’s all quite enjoyable and has a lot to like about it.
That said, there are some problems with this one. Among the biggest problems is that, while effectively generating a sordid and sleazy atmosphere, the film is essentially a never-ending series of female degradation without purpose. The fact that everything here is geared towards getting every woman naked and thrust into a position of torture or obedience for disobeying them requiring sexual or physical domination requires a level of acceptance that isn’t quite readily available for most. Eventually giving way to a lackluster investigation that seemingly feels like it’s going through the motions one minute as a legitimate exercise to find the culprit responsible for her disappearance while veering off into a rather bizarre telling about the cop appearing to be bribed to look the other way yet then being on the side of righteousness, the whole experience feels entirely made-up on the spot and doesn’t feel entirely logical in the context of the story. These issues, combined with its overall low-budget appearance, are what hold this one down the most despite the philosophical themes being the most damaging.
Overview: ***/5
A sleazy if somewhat incompetent exploitation effort that either lives or dies by its setup, viewers should quite readily determine whether it’s for them based on the reaction to the negatives featured here. Those who are willing to sit through the troublesome elements for the positives will have a lot to like here while most others who are turned off by what’s on display here should heed caution.
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