The Wizard of Gore
Year: 2008
Director: Jeremy Kasten
Stars: Kip Purdue, Bijou Phillps, Crispin Glover
MPAA Rating: R / Unrated
Studio: Dimension Extreme Films
Running Time: 94 Mins
Official Website: http://www.wizardofgorethemovie.com/
Year: 2008
Director: Jeremy Kasten
Stars: Kip Purdue, Bijou Phillps, Crispin Glover
MPAA Rating: R / Unrated
Studio: Dimension Extreme Films
Running Time: 94 Mins
Official Website: http://www.wizardofgorethemovie.com/
Going into this film, I didn’t know what to expect, as I haven’t seen the original, but I knew that the film looked interesting, as the reviews for the film were good and a title like “The Wizard of Gore” made it attractive to me. But never did I think that I was going to watch one of the year's best horror films.
The Wizard of Gore is a remake of the 1970 cult classic, which was directed by Herschel Gordon Lewis. The film is about a master illusionist (Crispin Glover) who’s usi
ng females in his show to demonstrate his extraordinary talents, which he murders his participants then later, they come back to life. Unknown, to the audience, the female participants are being murdered, when an underground reporter (Kip Purdue) finds that the same wound that appear in the show, turns up on the participants later in the night. The reporter’s investigation will lead him into an underworld that he could never imagine of. The film also features supporting performances from genre stars like, Bijou Philips (Hostel 2), Brad Douff (Child’s Play, Rob Zombie’s Halloween) and Jeffery Combs (Re-Animator, The Frighteners).
Forget “Prom Night or “Shutter”, this the remake that you should be checking out. This version of "The Wizard of Gore" is a cult classic
that has the feel of an acid trip. Director Jeremy Kasten’s direction was very brilliant. One of things that he does great was making the imagery surreal and film noir like. This is done to establish main character’s decent into madness. The images also really helped describe the level of madness that was taking place, in the film, as it keeps your attention throughout. The imagery at time, also felt the type of imagery that you would see in a film noir. It’s done in order to make the main character in the film feel dark and tormented. Kasten also allows the action to move at a very fast pace, which added to all the surrealism throughout. He also handled the gory elements very well, as it’s a very crucial element to film. The gore effects were excellent, as it helped add to the entertainment of the film. Kasten’s direction of the actors was also very good. I liked how he directs each of the actors’ performances, as it was perfectly directed for this type of film. Another thing that Kasten achieves with his actors was making the performances gel together. The performances were entertaining because he allows them to interact, in a way where you’re hooked into the action that’s going on in the film.
The performances were very good here. Kip Purdue was very good as the reporter who’s investigating these murders. He does a good job making his chara
cter tormented, which helped sell his character’s decent into madness and give his character the personality of someone that you see in a pulp film. The film also has good supporting performances from Bijou Phillips (as Purdue’s girlfriend), and notable genre veterans Brad Douff (as a creepy shop owner) and Jeffery Combs (as the wizard of Gore’s assistant, who bites the heads off of rats). But the person that steals the show is Crispin Glover, as the Wizard of Gore. His performance is worth the rental alone. Glover’s performance was very energetic, as it he makes his character entertaining and electric. It’s one of the best performances from a horror film, this year.
Zach Chassler wrote the film’s screenplay. This screenplay was very good and original. One of th
e reasons for it originality, was that the whole film felt surreal. At times I thought this film felt like “Memento”, where the imagery is going all over the place, while the main character is trying to find out, what happening to him. It also makes the story interesting. He also does a very good job developing the reporter and the mystery elements of this film, which made the surrealness and story entertaining. Chassler also does a great job making the action and events disturbing and shocking, as this made it one of the more fun horror films to watch, this year.
Both versions of this film are definitely not for the weak of heart. This is a horror film that you should definitely check out, for it’s surreal imagery and great storytelling. The Wizard of Gore is one of the year most shocking and entertaining horror films to be released on DVD, this year. It will leave you with a hangover, after seeing the film.
Review Rating: 5 Stars
DVD Extras
Outtakes
Deleted Scenes
Feature Commentary with the Filmmakers
Behind the Scenes: A Look at the Effects of The Wizard of Gore
From Volunteer to Victim: The Suicide Girls In The Wizard of Gore
Storyboard Comparison
Still Galleries
The Wizard of Gore is a remake of the 1970 cult classic, which was directed by Herschel Gordon Lewis. The film is about a master illusionist (Crispin Glover) who’s usi
ng females in his show to demonstrate his extraordinary talents, which he murders his participants then later, they come back to life. Unknown, to the audience, the female participants are being murdered, when an underground reporter (Kip Purdue) finds that the same wound that appear in the show, turns up on the participants later in the night. The reporter’s investigation will lead him into an underworld that he could never imagine of. The film also features supporting performances from genre stars like, Bijou Philips (Hostel 2), Brad Douff (Child’s Play, Rob Zombie’s Halloween) and Jeffery Combs (Re-Animator, The Frighteners).Forget “Prom Night or “Shutter”, this the remake that you should be checking out. This version of "The Wizard of Gore" is a cult classic
that has the feel of an acid trip. Director Jeremy Kasten’s direction was very brilliant. One of things that he does great was making the imagery surreal and film noir like. This is done to establish main character’s decent into madness. The images also really helped describe the level of madness that was taking place, in the film, as it keeps your attention throughout. The imagery at time, also felt the type of imagery that you would see in a film noir. It’s done in order to make the main character in the film feel dark and tormented. Kasten also allows the action to move at a very fast pace, which added to all the surrealism throughout. He also handled the gory elements very well, as it’s a very crucial element to film. The gore effects were excellent, as it helped add to the entertainment of the film. Kasten’s direction of the actors was also very good. I liked how he directs each of the actors’ performances, as it was perfectly directed for this type of film. Another thing that Kasten achieves with his actors was making the performances gel together. The performances were entertaining because he allows them to interact, in a way where you’re hooked into the action that’s going on in the film.The performances were very good here. Kip Purdue was very good as the reporter who’s investigating these murders. He does a good job making his chara
cter tormented, which helped sell his character’s decent into madness and give his character the personality of someone that you see in a pulp film. The film also has good supporting performances from Bijou Phillips (as Purdue’s girlfriend), and notable genre veterans Brad Douff (as a creepy shop owner) and Jeffery Combs (as the wizard of Gore’s assistant, who bites the heads off of rats). But the person that steals the show is Crispin Glover, as the Wizard of Gore. His performance is worth the rental alone. Glover’s performance was very energetic, as it he makes his character entertaining and electric. It’s one of the best performances from a horror film, this year.Zach Chassler wrote the film’s screenplay. This screenplay was very good and original. One of th
e reasons for it originality, was that the whole film felt surreal. At times I thought this film felt like “Memento”, where the imagery is going all over the place, while the main character is trying to find out, what happening to him. It also makes the story interesting. He also does a very good job developing the reporter and the mystery elements of this film, which made the surrealness and story entertaining. Chassler also does a great job making the action and events disturbing and shocking, as this made it one of the more fun horror films to watch, this year.Both versions of this film are definitely not for the weak of heart. This is a horror film that you should definitely check out, for it’s surreal imagery and great storytelling. The Wizard of Gore is one of the year most shocking and entertaining horror films to be released on DVD, this year. It will leave you with a hangover, after seeing the film.
Review Rating: 5 Stars
DVD Extras
Outtakes
Deleted Scenes
Feature Commentary with the Filmmakers
Behind the Scenes: A Look at the Effects of The Wizard of Gore
From Volunteer to Victim: The Suicide Girls In The Wizard of Gore
Storyboard Comparison
Still Galleries
Sounds like you had a great time with this one.
Excellent review!!!
I didn't even know they remade this one! At least it sounds like a worthy one. I haven't seen the original in a very long time. I think I'm gonna have to Netflix both of them and do a double review comparing the two. Great review. Crispin Glover is always worth watching.