The Sadist (film)

The Sadist (also known as Profile of Terror and Sweet Baby Charlie) is a 1963 black-and-white exploitation film written and directed by James Landis, and stars Arch Hall, Jr. The film was distributed by Fairway International Pictures of the United States and Prima Film of Canada.

The Sadist
Promotional movie poster for the film
Directed byJames Landis
Produced byL. Steven Snyder
Written byJames Landis
StarringArch Hall, Jr.
Richard Alden
Marilyn Manning
Don Russell
Helen Hovey
Joe Jesgarz
Music byPaul Sawtell (uncredited)
Bert Shefter (uncredited)
CinematographyWilliam Zsigmond
Edited byAnthony M. Lanza
Distributed byFairway International Pictures (United States)
Prima Film (Canada, 1971)
Release date
  • April 1963 (1963-04) (U.S.)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$69,000

Plot

Three high school teachers, Ed, Doris, and Carl, are driving through California's Antelope Valley on their way to a Dodgers game in Los Angeles. The group’s Chevrolet Bel Air has some trouble and they are forced to pull off to a gas station/junkyard on the side of the road. After examining the vehicle Ed concludes that the fuel pump will need to be replaced. Doris and Carl search the junkyard looking for the owner, but they cannot find him.

In the residence Carl finds a warm meal with a table set for four, but oddly enough nobody is in the house. The three realize this is very peculiar and start to seriously worry about their situation. At this point Charlie Tibbs, a rather large man wielding a Colt .45, and his girlfriend Judy show up. Charlie and Judy have spent the past several days heading west from Arizona, leaving a trail of corpses behind them. Law enforcement is on the hunt for them, but Charlie has managed to stay a step ahead by changing vehicles frequently and then killing the people who offer their help.

Charlie demands that Ed finish repairing the car and informs him that he and Judy will be stealing the Belair and taking off when Ed is done. Charlie threatens that if the three don't cooperate "it'll be the end of them." During the next several hours Charlie and his girlfriend torment Ed, Doris, and Carl.

Cast
  • Arch Hall, Jr. as Charles A. Tibbs
  • Marilyn Manning as Judy Bradshaw
  • Richard Alden as Ed Stiles
  • Helen Hovey as Doris Page
  • Don Russell as Carl Oliver

Production

The film is loosely based on the killing spree of Charles Starkweather, upon which the later films Badlands (1973) and Natural Born Killers (1994) were also based. It was shot by famed cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond over a period of 2 weeks for $33,000. A member of the cast doubled as the film's production manager.[1] It was Zsigmond's first full-length film as a director of photography, and he is credited as "William Zsigmond."

Alden recalled that in order to save money the ammunition used in the film was real.[2]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on 5 reviews, with a weighted average rating of 7.1/10.[3] Ryan Gilbey of The Guardian, writing about the 1973 film Badlands in 2008, said that "Terrence Malick began writing his screenplay Badlands, based on [Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate's] bloodthirsty road trip, in 1970, when he was 27. The story had already been loosely dramatised in the 1963 film The Sadist, though hardly anyone remembers that one now."[4]

Legacy

The film is a favorite of director Joe Dante, who owns the 35mm print that has been the source for many of the DVD releases of this film.[5]

DVD release

In 2007,[6] Apprehensive Films released The Sadist onto DVD.[7]

References
  1. "The Sadist". Trailers from Hell. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  2. p.5 Weaver, Tom Richard Alden Interview I Talked with a Zombie: Interviews with 23 Veterans of Horror and Sci-fi Films and Television Tom Weaver McFarland, 2009
  3. "The Sadist (1963) - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes.com. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  4. Gilbey, Ryan. "The start of something beautiful." (Archive) The Guardian. August 21, 2008. Retrieved on November 13, 2013.
  5. Video on YouTube
  6. "Apprehensive Films [us]". IMDb. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  7. "The Sadist DVD". The GrindHouse. Archived from the original on September 8, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.

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