Bloody Pit of Horror

When Mickey's daughter won that Emmy recently and had her Dad stand up in the audience I immediately revisited this Euro-Shock trash classic. How can a movie featuring bad dubbing and a shirtless, basket-wearing Hargitay not be high on the camp-classic list? This film capitalized on the mid-Sixties "Sade" craze that produced other Italian gems such as "Eugenie" and "Justine," along with the Royal Shakespeare Co.'s filmed production of "Marat/Sade," all of which strayed from Sade's actual writings to either portray him as a champion of free speech or as an over-the-top demon. Hey, even "Quills," didn't use his actual writings.

This movie is allegedly based on the writings of The Marquis DeSade. He should sue for misrepresentation. While Jayune Mansfield was in Italy doing PRIMITIVE LOVE her husband, Mickey Hargitay, slipped away to make this picture. Admittedly he does seem to be having a lot of fun. He plays Travis, an ex actor who has suffered a nervous breakdown and retreated to an old family castle. When a group of models and photographers ask to use the castle to shoot covers for pulp novels Travis goes over the edge and imagines himself to be his remote ancestor, The Crimson Executioner. Putting on blood red tights and a Lone Ranger mask Travis takes everyone down to the dungeon to "punish" them for their immorality. Among the torture devices he uses is a clockwork spider that must have been really popular 400 years ago!
Walter Brandi (hero of THE VAMPIRE AND THE BALLERINA) manages to keep a straight face throughout the picture. Watch for Czech actress Femi Benussi (TARZANA THE WILD GIRL) is the stereotype dumb blonde and Louisa Barrato as the heroine. Dumb? Yes! But so very dumb it turns out to be fun.