1. The Wizard of Gore (1970)
A bloody gory triumph for old HG and one of his most cherished gore fests. There is a deranged magician called Montag who is carrying out stage tricks in which he graphically mutilates women - sawed in two, spike through the head, industrial puncher through the abdomen. He gleefully runs his hands through the ladies' entrails and then puts them back together again so they are 100% okay. However, later the women seem to die of their injuries. A tv host is very keen to get Montag onto her program. Little does she know he wants to use the occasion to hypnotise the viewers and get them to immolate themselves. The reporter's boyfriend saves the day. We are then treated to one of the most bizarre endings in the history of film as reality is turned on its head several times. The Wizard of Gore is Lewis's finest hour. It is terrific fun to watch Montag ham it up on the stage and listen to his bizarre rantings on reality and the nature of make believe. There are sufficient animal innards sloshing about the screen to satisfy gorehounds and the tricks on stage are quite well executed (the woman who cops an ice pick through the head looks like a very rubbery dummy but Montag makes up for it by pulling out her brains with great glee). There are aspects of the plot that are not adequately explained. Why is Montag graverobbing? What the heck is he doing putting the bodies down the shoot? What is the significance of the red marks on everyone's hand? But even with these discrepancies, The Wizard of Gore is the finest film in the HG Lewis cannon. Please disregard the recent remake...