5.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Three showgirls on their way to Las Vegas have car trouble and are stuck all night out in the desert. The next morning cheerful Andre offers them help in fixing their car. However, Andre is really a maniac with a lot of family problems; his mother ran out on him when he was a child so now he keeps kidnapped women chained up in his barn and trains them to perform circus tricks. Andre's father is still around of course, but because the old homestead is next to a nuclear test site he has been transformed into a raving homicidal mutant that Andre keeps locked up in a shed.
Starring: Andrew Prine, Sherry Alberoni, Sheila Bromley, Gil Lamb, Jennifer AshleyHorror | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 1.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
From the depths of drive-in cinema comes 1973’s “Terror Circus” (also known as “Nightmare Circus”), which is credited to director Alan Rudolph. Every career has to start somewhere, and the “Trouble in Mind,” “The Moderns,” and “Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle” helmer gets some early time behind the camera with this offering of Z-grade schlock. A true artist touch isn’t present in the picture, which is mostly focused on the prolonged suffering of women, using the cover of a monster and missing persons movie to deliver some screen sadism for curious viewers. Those expecting something more substantial are left with a thin viewing experience that features no suspense or horror. It’s crude exploitation without excitement.
The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation provides an aged look at "Terror Circus." Detail is soft, providing a basic understanding of skin surfaces and costuming. Dimension is also limited. Colors aren't vivid, showing some age, but primaries on clothing are appreciable, especially the redness of ringmaster gear. Desertscapes also register decently. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is heavy, with blockiness at times. Rough reel changes and scratches are present.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix provides clear dialogue exchanges, handling hushed threats and pleas for mercy comfortably. Only mild sibilance issues are periodically encountered. Scoring is pronounced, but instrumentation is acceptable. Sound effects are blunt.
Characters? Not in this endeavor, with Andre the only dimensional creation around, and his motivation is pulled from a Screenwriting 101 book. Suspense? Not present, with the bulk of screen tension coming from the torture of women, which, even for exploitation, gets old in a hurry. Craziness? Also weirdly absent from the viewing experience, with the "circus" angle barely utilized and creature feature elements merely cameo in the final cut. What's left is an incredibly dull examination of psychological fracture and a lame investigation into the initial disappearance. The production doesn't try to introduce anything memorable in the picture, content to offer the very minimal in cinematic style and tension, failing to become the nutso chiller the title promises.
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