TERROR CIRCUS 1974 (CODE RED) BLU-RAY

This was the first film I watched in 2018.

This is also known as "Nightmare Circus" and it has always been a favorite of mine and yet most people I know and most reviews I read say that it is a sick piece of trash.

There have been countless bootlegs and rough copies making the rounds on DVD and VHS, but now Code Red has given us this stunning Blu-ray edition.

Andrew Prine stars as Andre. He helps three stranded showgirls alongside a desert road in Nevada and they more than welcome the help. Andre takes them to his secluded ranch on false pretenses and then the shit hits the fan.

The women wonder into a barn a see many chained and captive women and as they start to leave Andre appears and chains them as well. You see, he is creating a circus of "animals" to train and perform. Meanwhile, the girls' manager is desperately searching for them and trying to get help from the local police and sheriff.

Andre's torment of the women is endless and it is tough to watch in spots, but there is something perversely entertaining about the film. I attribute this to Andrew Prine and his totally over the top performance. He even goes deeper into insanity and believes one of the women to be his long gone mother!!

Oh there is more. Living in a small shed is his mutated father, now a blood drinking monster thanks to radiation from all the atom bomb tests that took place around the farm!

This is not your typical Hollywood film, nor does it have a good ending. It is depressing and bloody. As a matter of fact in one of the extras on the DVD, it is told to us that 14 frames of film from the final attack on Andre by his mutated father had to be cut to avoid an "X" rating by the MPAA.

Too bad that footage no longer is with us. No, this is not everyone's cup of tea, but I love this sick, sadistic film. I have never seen anything like it in terms of plot. Yes there have been other twisted films, but nothing quite like this.

The Blu-ray looks great and it's about time this little guilty pleasure of mine is finally made available. I recommend this film for people who want to see something a little different. Don't believe everything negative you read about the film, see it and decide for yourself. The disc is hosted by the beautiful Katarina Leigh Waters who gives you a little insight to this twisted gem.