Linkshoch Wonderful Movie

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

HeadlinesExotic Boring

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

GL84 When a series of murders plagues a traveling circus, the owner decides to carry on with performing, which manages to continue on the legacy of bloodshed already unleashed and they must stop the madman before more performers are killed.When this one really tries, there's some good stuff in it. What really helps this one is this is a more modern-feeling film with its general structure, familiar themes and motives, and even the fact that this one decides to spend time with a series of stalking occurring in the appropriate time-frame rather than hanging around Gothic castles or being back in the olden ages. Using the ploy of having a circus to entertain regular folks but keeping it still around in the more modern times really gives this one a much more appealing style throughout here. The deaths in here aren't that bad either, and the scenery certainly provides plenty of opportunities for creative deaths. The two big ones center around the high wire acts in the film, as one has the rope cut and then wrapped around the neck, forcing the victim into a form of pendulum swinging over the stage, while the other one where they are knocked off with a knife thrown into the stomach and falls off into a bed of razors below are both quite good, and overall the other kills in here are just as fun. The last big positive is that this one really does show the magic and wonder of the circus. While nothing more than stretching the film out, the fact that this one takes the time to show how the circus once was merely makes this one look all the better. These here are the film's good points while the flaws here are much more imposing. The main factor here is the fact that this one has a really terrible pace to it is one obstacle to overcome. Even though it's nice to be able to see why the circus was once so important, this one suffers because it stops the film cold to showcase material that offers up nothing all that exciting. Seeing the main circus performances here in the film are just plain tortuous to sit through, and they don't help the film at all. Another rather big flaw is that the film decides to really forego much in the way of logic or common-sense. The identity of the killer is mostly responsible for much of this. It's nearly impossible to figure out how the beginning murders were committed once the alibi is given. They don't match up at all, and this is merely the beginning of them. Another minor flaw is the terrible musical number performed. Not only does this one also stop the film cold, it's way too ludicrous to watch without laughing as the lip-synching displayed is way too obvious and the voices so completely out-of- place on them as well. It's still a really terrible scene, and along with the other flaws, really keeps this film down.Today's Rating/PG-13: Violence.

Michael O'Keefe A 1967 Technicolor feature from the UK starring the versatile veteran actress Joan Crawford. Miss Crawford plays Monica Rivers the owner of a traveling circus that is suffering a dwindling attendance. Her business manager Dorando(Michael Grough)is at odds with her and wants his share of the business, he wants out. When a tightrope walker(Thomas Cimarro)falls to his death, suddenly ticket sales start increasing. A handsome Frank Hawkins(Ty Hardin)arrives wanting to prove his talent of high-wire walking without a net. Walker is hired and Dorando is mysteriously murdered. Suspicion is cast on Miss Rivers and things get worse; more deaths occur and business keeps bustling. Monica's daughter Angela(Judy Geeson)at 16 is expelled from school and is forced to join her mother at the circus. Dead bodies keep piling up under the big top and the circus folk along with Detective Supt. Brooks(Robert Hardy)are almost certain the owner is guilty of the murders in favor of building her business.Very colorful with typical circus acts. Not much acting from Crawford. Hardin seems nothing more than a proud peacock. I remember sitting in the theater with eyes clued to the screen wondering who would die next. Miss Crawford does prove to have a nice set of legs. Other players include; Diana Dors, Philip Madoc, Peter Burton and Geoffrey Keen.

bkoganbing Joan Crawford's next to last feature film Berserk finds her as boss lady of a circus where a string of murders is being committed. I will say the best thing about Berserk is the circus acts from the Billy Smart Circus where the film was shot in the United Kingdom.As for the film it's your usual slasher flick that could have, but didn't come from Hammer Studios. The whole cast with the exception of Crawford and Ty Hardin playing the hunky high wire artist were from Great Britain and the continent. Hardin's one daring dude, his high wire act not only consists of no net, but he walks underneath a row of very sharp spikes. There's no surviving if he falls.And there's a rapid rate of homicide at Crawford's show unless Scotland Yard in the person of Inspector Robert Hardy can figure out who is killing off the circus, a bit at a time.Maybe Berserk might have been better had Hammer Films actually had done this production. This was the kind of thing they were good at, even if the villain isn't a supernatural one. I will say that the death of Michael Gough is a shocking and original one. You might want to catch Berserk for that alone.As it is there are more red herrings thrown up as potential suspects in Berserk than at feeding time at Marineland.You'll go Berserk just trying to figure it all out.

Coventry Sigh… Sometimes the outcome of a movie viewing goes beyond being a mere "disappointment" or just "something you expected more from". Sometimes it actually HURTS to acknowledge that a certain title wasn't as great as you initially thought or hoped. For me, this was definitely the case with "Berserk!". I'm a sucker for British horror movies released during the 60's and 70's, I think a circus or carnival forms the absolute greatest setting to tell a sinister tale (just think of "Freaks", "Carnival of Souls" and "Santa Sangre") and I'm a huge fan of both Joan Crawford and Michael Gough. Taking into account all these positive omens, I honestly thought "Berskerk!" couldn't possibly go wrong, and yet it did. You know you're in trouble when the extended padding sequences, which actually don't contribute anything to the overall story, form the highlights of the film. That's like openly admitting to the viewer that the main story lines are too thin to fill up the entire playtime, or that they desperately need the padding in order to distract you from the incoherent and implausible plot. In "Berserk!" the padding footage serves both purposes. A lot of the circus acts, albeit impressive, are integrally shown (like an army of poodles performing neat tricks, elephant dancing, a lion tamer and a knife-throwing act) and the circus' freaks even sing an entire song from start to finish! "Berserk!" nevertheless opens splendidly, with the tense and gruesome death of a tightrope walker before the opening credits even roll over the screen. His death might just have been an unfortunate accident, but when a second and far more eminent member of the circus crew is murdered, Scotland Yard sends its finest agent along on the tour to Liverpool and London. The circus' owner and ringmaster Mrs. Monica Rivers (Joan Crawford wearing tights!) is a harsh and relentless business woman and it looks as if someone intends to put her traveling circus spectacle in a bad spotlight. The concept literally bursts with great potential and possibilities but the film quickly becomes a tedious, inane and totally illogical mess. After the second murder, nothing even remotely exciting happens for nearly 45 minutes and the screenplay loosely hangs together through weak dialogs and Crawford's naturally uncanny presence. The revelation of the killer's identity as well as his/her motivation is downright imbecilic, and you better not contemplate too much about how he/she was even capable of committing the vile crimes. The carnage should have been bloodier and more grotesque, even considering the limited budget and era of release, and the film totally lacks the mysterious and oddly unsettling ambiance of other contemporary circus-horror efforts. Director Jim O'Connelly also made the fantastically over-the-top demented horror gem "Tower of Evil" and, since both films are rather obscure, I recommend tracking down that one instead of "Berserk!".