The Sadist

Great! Almost surprisingly brutal for the early 1960s (on a psychological rather than a physical level, yeah, but still), something like a predecessor of the exploitation sub-genre that would have its boom a decade later. At first, the film is pretty bland, but the moment the titular asshole shows up, the fun is guaranteed – I don’t remember ever seeing such a nasty villain. It makes you root for the victims, hoping that they’ll be able to defend themselves and really hurt that bastard in the end (or a turn into a revenge film). The last twenty minutes are an incredible thrilling chase. A great surprise, really, and another horror film found during my research into the 1960s that I must recommend. (2010.11.26)