Plot: What’s it about?
Ah yes, what fun it can be to take in a baseball game, especially when you have tickets to the Los Angeles Dodgers. This is what three people plan to do once upon a time, as they jumped in their car and headed toward the stadium, unaware of what danger lurked ahead. As the three travel toward the park, they seem to have some car trouble and as such, decide to pull off the road to avoid further damage. A wrecking yard seems to be as good a place as any, so they pull over there and start to inspect the vehicle for problems. But when their plans change when a strange young man (Arch Hall, Jr.) and his equally strange girlfriend (Marilyn Manning) decide to hold the three innocent folks hostage. As time passes, the danger grows and the strange young man seems to become more and more on edge, which can’t be a good sign in the least. Can these people survive this hellish experience, or will they pay for their car trouble…with their lives?
This might be an obscure movie in the grand scheme, but it seems that a lot of folks have seen and loved The Sadist. The reviews I read are usually very positive, but they claim the images have been burned in their minds and it takes a while to shake the movie off, so of course, I wanted to check it out for myself. And now that All Day Entertainment (distributed via Image Entertainment) has issued The Sadist on our beloved format, I knew it was time to take the plunge and view the flick. So when the disc arrived, I gave it a spin and I was taken in by this flick right off the bat. The movie runs at a quick pace, but knows when to let things build up, which really adds to the atmosphere of the picture. There is always a lot of suspense present, but the film is never dull in order to allow the tension to build, which sometimes happens. I was shocked, but Arch Hall, Jr. is awesome in this movie and plays one of the best crazies I have ever seen, which is impressive since I have seen a lot of cinematic troublemakers. In the end, I loved The Sadist and agree with most of the reviews, but much like I did, you’ll need to discover the details on your own, so check out this release.
Although his work in schlock cinema had me convinced he couldn’t act, Arch Hall, Jr. proved me wrong here, as he is excellent in this role. I had read positive reviews of his work here, but I had no idea he would be this good, it can even be eerie at times. Hall plays the psycho with a realism I can’t describe with justice, but suffice it to say it ranks as one of finest turns within such a character, at least in my opinion. I never thought he could impress me, as I’d seen Hall in all sorts of cheese laden pictures, but my eyes are open now and I am very impressed. So if you had the same doubts about Hall and his skills, then check out The Sadist and those doubts will be erased, although the memories of those camp flicks won’t be. Other films with Hall include Eegah!, The Nasty Rabbit, The Choppers, Wild Guitar, and Deadwood ’76. The rest of the cast is also good and includes Helen Hovey, Don Russell (Death In Small Doses), Richard Alden (The Canadians, She Cried Murder), and Marilyn Manning (Eegah!). At the helm here is James Landis, who also directed such films as Wild and Willing, Deadwood ’76, Airborne, and The Nasty Rabbit.
Video: How does it look?
The Sadist is presented in a 1.66:1 widescreen transfer, which is not enhanced for widescreen televisions. Given that this is a low budget picture from the early 1960s, this is a terrific transfer and I doubt anyone will be let down here. The source print used shows little wear signs, which surprised me, as I assumed it would show more grain and debris. The black & white image looks very sharp here, I was pleased with the overall detail level present. I saw no signs of problems at all here, contrast is level and no compression flaws are evident. This transfer does have some errors, but in the end, this is a superb visual presentation.
Audio: How does it sound?
I wasn’t as impressed with the audio, but it is also presented in fine form. I think the dialogue sounds a little tinny at times, but on the whole, is crisp and always easy to understand. The flaws with the dialogue are minor ones, but I do feel they need to be mentioned in this review. The sound effects seem in solid shape also, no real problems to discuss. Of course, the range is limited by the mono format, but since this movie doesn’t need much power, it all works out in the end.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc houses trailers for two other films starring Arch Hall, Jr., but no signs of the trailer for The Sadist, which is a bummer of sorts. You can also read some nice production notes or listen to an audio commentary track by director of photography Vilmos Zsigmond. I found this to be an informative track, even with some frequent long pauses, well worth a listen in the end.
