BA_Harrison 1963 drive-in B-movie The Sadist might look like an early sixties film, but it sure feels like it came from the seventies, with a shocking realism and gritty atmosphere akin to films like Last House On The Left and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Inspired by the exploits of real life thrill-killers Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate, the film stars Arch Hall Jr. as Charlie Tibbs, who, along with his teenage girlfriend Judy (Marilyn Manning), torments three teachers, Ed (Richard Alden), Doris (Helen Hovey) and Carl (Don Russell), who have the misfortune of bumping into the pair of psychos after experiencing car trouble on their way to a ball game.What follows is a lean exercise in suspense, director James Landis expertly wringing every ounce of tension from the situation, especially when it becomes clear that Tibbs has no intention of letting his victims live. As Ed is forced to fix a car at gunpoint, he desperately tries to figure out a way to outwit Tibbs, but the killer isn't quite as stupid as he looks, anticipating every move. Landis handles the action, which unfolds in real time, with incredible skill, never letting the pace or tension drop, and commands superb performances from his cast, Hall Jr. being an utterly loathsome villain, and Hovey making for a very appealing heroine (what a shame that was her one and only movie).Landis also delivers one or two genuine gut-punches—scenes that deliver the kind of shock that stays with the viewer long after the film has finished—and rounds things off with a brilliant game of cat and mouse, as Doris, making a desperate bid for freedom, hides in a rundown house while Tibbs, brandishing a knife, closes in on his prey. I won't tell you what happens… that would spoil things; just watch this excellent film to find out for yourself.8.5 out of 10, rounded up to 9 for IMDb.

Red-Barracuda If you have seen the bizarre cult movie Eegah (1962) before approaching The Sadist, you could be forgiven for being a little concerned. After all, both films are notable for featuring Arch Hall Jr in a starring role. Hall displayed such a remarkable lack of acting talent in the earlier film that it seemed inconceivable that he would be in the least bit threatening as a psychopath in a gritty thriller. Well, all I can say is that the Arch hall Jr of The Sadist is like a man reborn. He quite literally is excellent here.The film has a plot as simple as can be - three teachers pull up at a deserted junkyard in a remote location and are quickly held captive by a psychotic young couple. It's a lean story with no wastage whatsoever. It really is a very good example of how to make an effective low-budget movie, where the lack of resources never gets in the way. In fact, this is a quite hard-hitting thriller for its era and has some tough scenes. Some characters are killed when you don't think they will be and, generally, it surprises.As I said before Hall plays the sadist of the title but he is not the only standout performer, Marilyn Manning is very good too as his unhinged girlfriend. Her character is an interesting one, as she says nothing throughout except inaudible whispers to Hall, yet she manages to create a fascinating character and projects a quite magnetic screen presence. There are only five other actors in the entire cast, they all do solid rather than memorable work. The film benefits too from great cinematography from Vilmos Zsigmond who went on to be director of photography in such high profile later films such as Deliverance (1972), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and The Deer Hunter (1978). In this little movie he manages to utilise the clutter-filled environs of the junkyard to fantastic effect, especially in the latter suspenseful pursuit scenes where three different characters navigate their way around the junk-filled landscape where we sometimes see them all captured simultaneously on screen in different parts of the yard. The direction by James Landis is pacey and certainly makes the most of the limited set-up. Ultimately, this is well acted, photographed and directed. And this combination amounts to one of the great 60's B-movies.

Rainey Dawn This was a good movie. I just learned that this film is loosely based on the real life teenage killer Charles Starkweather and his 13 year old girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate. 'The Sadist' is very creepy thriller film.About the film: Charles A. 'Charlie' Tibbs (Arch Hall Jr.) is a murderous delinquent aided by his juvenile girlfriend Judy Bradshaw (Marilyn Manning). Charles and Judy are on the run after killing several people. Our story focuses on the murderous duo and how they held three innocent people hostage (killing two of them).I must say I despised Charles and Judy from the time we are introduced to them until the end of the film. I'm sorry I wanted these two murderers bumped off right from the get-go. They are irritating and obnoxious - in particular Charles! All I can say the film is good, thrilling but had me talking to the screen at the innocent characters - "No don't do that!" "Do this instead." lol. Yes it is that type of film - you want the innocent to survive and the "bad guys" dead.8.5/10

zardoz-13 By anybody's standards, Arch Hall, Jr., was no titan among thespians. Nevertheless, he made at least one nerve-racking thriller where he displayed surprising acting chops. As the eponymous character in "The Sadist," Arch makes life thoroughly miserable Hell for a trio of teachers. The set-up for "Stakeout" writer & director James Landis's suspenseful saga is both classic but formulaic. When the fuel pump in their car goes bad in the middle of nowhere, three public school teachers pull into an auto-parts salvage yard just off the highway. It seems that this unlikely trio was driving to a Dodgers baseball game in Los Angeles. One woman is riding with two men, and she cannot understand the complicated rules of the game. She cannot fathom the weirdness of baseball, especially the necessity of having to touch the bases during a home run. One of the teachers knows his way around engines because he repaired tanks in the army. Anyway, no more than 12 minutes later, the villainous Arch Hall with his fluffy coiffure appears with his girl friend and an automatic pistol. The remaining 79 minutes gradually gets under your skin because Arch makes you believe that he is bad, as in lethal. The action plays out as close to real time as possible. Aside from the opening scenes, "The Sadist" takes place in one setting during noon.After he wanders up with his girlfriend Judy at an auto salvage yard, Charles A. 'Charlie' Tibbs (Arch Hall Jr. of "The Choppers") takes school teachers Ed Stiles (Richard Arlen of "The Pit"), Carl Oliver (Don Russell of "The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies!!?") and Doris Page (one-time actress Helen Hovey) hostage. Charlie smacks around Carl with his pistol. Later, he harasses defenseless Doris for putting on airs. Carl is a 50-year old school teacher with a mustache and horn-rimmed spectacles. In other words, he is harmless. Ed is the mechanic of the three who tries to change out the fuel pump. Naturally, Charlie picks on the older teacher. The heartless killer forces him to get down on his knees and talk until he finishes drinking his soda. Eighteen year old Judy Bradshaw (Marilyn Manning of "Eegah") is just as heartless as her bloodthirsty boyfriend. "School's out, teacher," Charlie says and blasts Carl at point blank in the same composition. Charlie and Judy retire to gargle more soda pop while Ed explains the problem to Doris. As it turns out, Charlie and Judy is a murderous couple who have killed two other innocent bystanders before they got to the salvage yard. Arch is pretty intense when he challenges Ed to disarm him. You see, Ed has been trying to figure out how many bullets Charlie has fired.Landis generates suspense when two thirsty California Highway Patrol motorcycle cops roll onto the premises. They just want a Coke because the heat is so brutal. Charlie has stashed Ed in the trunk of a car when he makes small talk with the police. Judy has a knife pulled on Doris, and they lay hidden out of sight behind a car. When Doris cries out during a struggle over the knife, Charlie shoots the two cops without so much as a second thought. Afterward, Judy scavenges their corpses and then snatches up a cat and fondles it. Charlie gives Ed eleven minutes to repair the car. Charlie doesn't trust Ed worth a damn. Ed orders Doris to climb behind the wheel while Charlie covers Ed with his Colt auto-pistol. The way that cars worked back in 1963, Ed has to prime the carburetor with gasoline to get the engine started. As he brings the gas pump nozzle under the hood, he surprises Charlie and squints enough into his eyes to blind him temporarily. This is when our villain mistakenly kills his girl. Ed scrambles off to hide in the salvage yard and appropriates a tire-iron. A tense game of cat and mouse occupies the last ten minutes as Charlie and Ed search for each other. Mirrors are used with considerable finesse during this scene. Principally, Ed tries to make Charlie empty his pistol. Charlie surprises Ed and shoots him several times with a revolver stuck in his waistband. Doris flees on foot and Charlie takes Ed's car to pursue her. He gets the car stuck in sand and follows Doris on foot with a knife. He chases her around the woods and falls into a well teaming with rattlesnakes. Basically, this resembles a scene from "True Grit." Indeed, Charlie is given a fitting death scene at the fangs of the poisonous reptiles. The ultimate irony is the radio broadcast of the Dodgers game throughout the action.Landis wrings genuine suspense from this modest but compelling stand-off of a saga. A definite plus is future Oscar-winner Vilmos Zsigmond's evocative cinematography. The scene where crazed Charlie guns down his gal by accident because gasoline blurs his vision is nothing short of fantastic. "The Sadist" qualifies as a believable portrait of two vicious murderers before anything like "Badlands." Mind you, Arch didn't deserve an Oscar, but he strives to act like somebody that he clearly could never have been in real life: a homicidal maniac. Primarily, he hams it up, but he creates a despicable psychopath.