Sadist

Rating:
Summary: "JOHNNYYYY!!!"
Review: "I have been hurt by others and I will hurt them. I will make them suffer as I have suffered".
Three people at a deserted gas station are taken hostage and terrorised by a psychopathic thrill-killer, Johnny (Arch Hall Jr) and his mute girlfriend Judy (Marilyn Manning). One of the men is a teacher so Johnny taunts him because teachers give Judy a rough time for being mute.
Pretty violent for it's time (1963, the film was inspired by the real life Charles Starkweather murders) especially the scene where Johnny makes the female hostage "eat dirt". Arch Hall Jr is one of the worst actors I have ever witnessed. It's beyond me how Leonard Maltin can say he is "distressingly believeable".It's akin to saying Dick Van Dyke was "distressingly believable" in CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG. Hall's acting range basically extends to screwing his face up, sneering and seeing how far he can stick his tongue out when he laughs. He reminds me of some losers I went to high school with. Though admittedly, all this does lead up to an intense climax and denoument.
THE SADIST'S Supervising Editor was Anthony M. Lanza, who would direct the hilariously awful INCREDIBLE 2-HEADED TRANSPLANT in 1971 with Bruce Dern! THE SADIST has "cult movie" stamped all over it, and despite being 40 years old, it's well worth checking out for cult afficionados. The film is also known as PROFILE OF TERROR.

Rating:
Summary: Un-natural Born Killers...
Review: "The Sadist" is a relentlessly disturbing film. Released in 1963, it had to be absolutely shocking then. Arch Hall jr. plays serial killer Charlie Tibbs. He and his mostly silent, equally psychotic girlfriend Judy have been traveling the countryside, murdering whoever is unlucky enough to cross their path. Three teachers (on their way to a baseball game) are stranded in a salvage yard when their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Everything's fine until Tibbs and company enter the scene. From that point on the story spirals out of control! There are many violent parts, many unexpected twists. Very realistic, considering the year it came out and who made it. The director (James Landis) specialized in dorky, teenybopper movies. He definitely left that genre behind with this flick! Arch Hall jr. is a sadistic super-creep. I found myself wanting to knock him in the head! He is unpredictable, crazy, and therefore terrifying. You never know who's going to be executed next. There is a growing sense of dread, desperation, and terror. This is a horror movie. Charlie Tibbs is like so many gruesome headlines today. "The Sadist" holds up well. I was amazed by it's frankness and unflinching portrayal of evil on the loose. Yes, there is a hero, but you're not sure who it will be. I highly recommend this movie...

Rating:
Summary: Un-natural Born Killers...
Review: "The Sadist" is a relentlessly disturbing film. Released in 1963, it had to be absolutely shocking then. Arch Hall jr. plays serial killer Charlie Tibbs. He and his mostly silent, equally psychotic girlfriend Judy have been traveling the countryside, murdering whoever is unlucky enough to cross their path. Three teachers (on their way to a baseball game) are stranded in a salvage yard when their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Everything's fine until Tibbs and company enter the scene. From that point on the story spirals out of control! There are many violent parts, many unexpected twists. Very realistic, considering the year it came out and who made it. The director (James Landis) specialized in dorky, teenybopper movies. He definitely left that genre behind with this flick! Arch Hall jr. is a sadistic super-creep. I found myself wanting to knock him in the head! He is unpredictable, crazy, and therefore terrifying. You never know who's going to be executed next. There is a growing sense of dread, desperation, and terror. This is a horror movie. Charlie Tibbs is like so many gruesome headlines today. "The Sadist" holds up well. I was amazed by it's frankness and unflinching portrayal of evil on the loose. Yes, there is a hero, but you're not sure who it will be. I highly recommend this movie...

Rating:
Summary: DETENTION
Review: Dreadful. A teenage couple terrorize some teachers on their way to a Dodgers' game & later two highway patrolmen at a deserted wrecking yard where they have also killed the owners. Writer-director James Laudis' script though over loaded with exposition is serviceable enough. Unfortunately his direction is so slack & the performances of his cast even slacker that the whole thing seems like an exercise in bad timing. The editing & William Zsigmond's (any relation to Vilmos?) beautiful black & white cinematography provide some much needed juice.

Rating:
Summary: Exploitation gem gets royal DVD treatment
Review: First of all I have to second all the comments by the other reviewers. The Sadist is truly an overlooked gem, and Arch Hall is perfect as the archetypal loudmouthed, cretinous bully. The real-time exposition, no-name cast, and minimal "sweetening" of the violence really help approximate the feeling of being intimidated/violated in real life. Harder to watch at times than more recent, 'explicitly' violent movies. This must have been a real shocker in 1963. My only complaint is that Arch's incessant waving of his gun gets a little tedious, although maybe it's intentional: after a while you wish someone would grab it and stuff it down his throat. If you had to be stranded on a desert island with only one drooling-psychopath flick, this is it.
Allday's DVD really does this mini-classic justice as well. The 35mm source print used is excellent and matted to 1.66:1 per cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond's specifications. There are only the slightest traces of wear (occasional very light speckling, a few blemishes), and the print is respectably sharp, with rich tonal values. Allday actually apologizes in their notes about a few flaws they couldn't fix, but overall it still looks great. Extras include chapter stops, informative production notes, a selection of Fairway Intl trailers, and the real bonus of the set, a commentary by DP Vilmos Zsigmond. This is a real treat not only for fans of this film but for just about any stripe of movie freak. His conversation runs the gamut: personal recollections and technical aspects of shooting The Sadist; his prior experiences in Europe and then coming to America; working on many other films including Easy Rider, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Close Encounters; detailed explanations of photographic techniques, etc. Find out how The Sadist shares stylistic traits with Citizen Kane and how Zsigmond feels about being repeatedly mistaken for Laszlo Kovacs! Exploitation fans, snap this up before it's impossible to find.

Rating:
Summary: I Love The Sadist!
Review: Holly Whookie, this movie moved me! I have to start out by saying Arch Hall Jr. is the scariest looking dude without a mask I have ever seen in any movie, damn. When that boy gets mad you better run for cover cause, "I dont like teachas mista." YES! I loved his facial expressions along with his malevolent slurs. And boy does he slug back some, "sodie pop". When Dorris is cleaning her hands at the pump and you see The Sadist in the background, HOOOO! The only thing I can say about the Sadist pertaining to this D.V.D. is BUY IT! Turn on the Whook!

Rating:
Summary: Rating for the film, not the DVD
Review: I haven't seen this DVD version yet. Sounds better than the many cheapie DVDs available for this film. The Sadist might just be the coolest exploitation film ever made.

Rating:
Summary: Rating for the film, not the DVD
Review: I haven't seen this DVD version yet. Sounds better than the many cheapie DVDs available for this film. The Sadist might just be the coolest exploitation film ever made.

Rating:
Summary: Saw this movie 36 years ago; it still stands out in my mind.
Review: I never forgot this movie. I never will. It was the first (and perhaps only) time I recall seeing a movie in which the 'good guy' does not win in the end. In fact, everyone loses...and the ending truly amazed me. It was a B movie with an A impact. I wish I could see it again.

Rating:
Summary: Original Fan
Review: I saw the Sadist at a drive-in when I was a senior in high school in Texas. We all went back the next night to see it again. The only other movie that I saw again that quickly was Bonnie and Clyde. It has the best ending of any shocker ever made. It is a much-overlooked American classic. There have even been pop songs written that are based on the dialogue - "Judy, bring me a sodee!" This DVD will be a permanent part of my collection (along with every Steve McQueen film available and One Eyed Jacks.)