The Sadist

1963  NR  DRAMA  1h 35min

CAST— Arch Hall, Jr., Richard Alden, Marilyn Manning, Don Russell, Helen Hovey, Joe Jesgarz

MUSIC— Paul Sawtell, Bert Shefter  DIRECTOR— James Landis

     Surprisingly effective B-grade thriller, loosely based on the real world killings of Charles Starkweather. Three teachers out for a pleasant afternoon at Dodger Stadium break down at a secluded, and apparently deserted, gas station. Little do they know that a maniac (Arch Hall, Jr.) is hanging out at the gas station, hoping for some hapless driver to come along. Now this guy is not the nicest dude; he and his girl have been on a killing spree, starting in Arizona, now winding their way through California. These latest three citizens are just a few more for them to psychologically torment before… well, it won’t be pretty. Unless they can fight back, that is. But the opportunities for attack or even defense are few and far between. What starts out as an almost hokey attempt at an exploitative drive-in picture soon develops into a genuinely gripping thriller, one with vile villains and victims to root for. And check out that poetically justified ending for that snake of a villain. AKA Profile of Terror, Sweet Baby Charlie.

OUR RATING— ***