Unlike some members of IMDb, I don't reward craptastic movie making with high scores, even if the craptastic film in question turns out to be a masterpiece of pop kitsch. Which is the case here.
So Wizard of Gore only gets three stars, mostly for the stomach-churning stage sequences wherein the putative 'Wizard' disembowels, maims and punch-presses his victims to death in front of a live audience, only it's OK because it's all an 'illusion', only it's NOT really OK because the victims all die horribly soon after. It's a compelling concept - murdering women in full view of an audience and getting away with it because the REAL illusion is that they weren't harmed - but it's literally the only thing the movie has going for it.
Everything else about the movie is grade Z - from the stiffs who are trying to act to the 3rd grade metaphysics in the scripting to the technical sloppiness and low budget of the sets, costumes, and lighting.
In fact, this movie contains the single most memorable 'goof' I've ever seen in a movie: Montag is trying to put a subject (and the audience) into a trance, and he's looking into the camera doing his 'you are getting sleepy' spiel, and he's going along, and then he says (and I am NOT making this up):
"Concentrate.....*c-croncentrate* with every bit of your being....!"
"Croncentrate"?!?! Shouldn't the director have done a second take? (Or worse, he did several takes and this is the one they KEPT?!?). Or shouldn't someone have caught this in post production and dubbed a correction? (Of course, I am assuming the movie was actually "produced" which clearly was not the case.) Apparently no one (including Lewis) was actually paying attention while the camera was rolling. Or after wards. Geez, even "The Astounding She Monster" had better production values than that, and ASM only cost $11.98 to make.
I don't want to beat on Lewis too severely (although he WAS partially responsible for "Monster A Go-Go" as well). "2000 Maniacs" was much better than this (at least for the first half), and his "Blood" trilogy was somewhat better. I'd suggest someone who wants to investigate HG Lewis would be better off starting with those films.
So Wizard of Gore only gets three stars, mostly for the stomach-churning stage sequences wherein the putative 'Wizard' disembowels, maims and punch-presses his victims to death in front of a live audience, only it's OK because it's all an 'illusion', only it's NOT really OK because the victims all die horribly soon after. It's a compelling concept - murdering women in full view of an audience and getting away with it because the REAL illusion is that they weren't harmed - but it's literally the only thing the movie has going for it.
Everything else about the movie is grade Z - from the stiffs who are trying to act to the 3rd grade metaphysics in the scripting to the technical sloppiness and low budget of the sets, costumes, and lighting.
In fact, this movie contains the single most memorable 'goof' I've ever seen in a movie: Montag is trying to put a subject (and the audience) into a trance, and he's looking into the camera doing his 'you are getting sleepy' spiel, and he's going along, and then he says (and I am NOT making this up):
"Concentrate.....*c-croncentrate* with every bit of your being....!"
"Croncentrate"?!?! Shouldn't the director have done a second take? (Or worse, he did several takes and this is the one they KEPT?!?). Or shouldn't someone have caught this in post production and dubbed a correction? (Of course, I am assuming the movie was actually "produced" which clearly was not the case.) Apparently no one (including Lewis) was actually paying attention while the camera was rolling. Or after wards. Geez, even "The Astounding She Monster" had better production values than that, and ASM only cost $11.98 to make.
I don't want to beat on Lewis too severely (although he WAS partially responsible for "Monster A Go-Go" as well). "2000 Maniacs" was much better than this (at least for the first half), and his "Blood" trilogy was somewhat better. I'd suggest someone who wants to investigate HG Lewis would be better off starting with those films.