Scott S
This strikes me as a typical British whodunit with a lot of color, circus action, and more interest for viewers with Joan Crawford in her regal ringmaster's getup ("the legs are the last to go" lol) Alas, her face, like that of Bette Davis, does not fare as well as the legs. But if you're so disposed to physical beauty, you can rest you eyes on Diana Dors, the handso:me and hunky Ty Hardin; or for that matter, the beautiful four legged mammals that are featured throughout. I enjoyed seeing the animals and the entire circus taking their road trip for the "big show" in "London", including the set up of all the tents and the unloading of the animal performers. Seemed quite real to me.
I found this late entry in Ms. Crawford's career to be very entertaining, including realistic touches of catty humor in the dialogue between the circus family members. Performances are decent for the most part with Crawford's showing her commitment and lifetime of acting skill.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
04/29/23
Full Review
Deke P
1967. I was wrong to have ignored and held this film in derision for all these decades. I have revised my upinion upward. It is an interesting mystery with many possible suspects and series of surprises including the denouement, also a great parade of circus and acrobatic acts, and throws in a showtune performance or two. Plus TY HARDIN, & the voluptuous DIANA DORS. And I'll even cut 'mommie dearest' JOAN CRAWFORD some slack: she was once glamorous and iconic, but descended to lesser genres.
I have many times passed up this flick, with little more than brief glimpses,
until now 4.14.23 on the telly.
Giving it 3 1/2 RT stars.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
04/15/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Joan Crawford's second-to-last big-screen appearance — Trog would be the final movie she made — Berserk! posits a world where the ageless Ms. Crawford rules a circus and of course sleeps with the hottest performer in the show. Is she in her late forties? Fifties? Perhaps even nearing sixty? Who can say and who really cares, as the world of Joan's late career films are all completely wonderful and I for one wish that I lived within them instead of my own reality.
Joan is Monica Rivers, who owns a traveling circus along with business manager Dorando (Michael Gough). Gaspar the Great is killed when his tightrope breaks. The police get involved but nothing comes of it. Did she kill him? Will she also kill her business partner? Will she hook up with the attractive new tightrope walker (Ty Hardin, who after acting formed the anti-tax group the Arizona Patriots that quickly became an anti-semetic, anti-black and anti-immigrant group that was amassing weapons and threatening the lives of Arizona politicians)? Maybe. Maybe. And yes, she totally will.
Monica's daughter has been expelled from school, which oddly feels like a page out of Mommie Dearest, but art imitates life as they say. She's played by Judy Geeson right before she became a star in To Sir, With Love, even if producer Herman Cohen wanted Christina Crawford.
There's also the matter of a younger and some would say more attractive — look, I love Joan but Diana Dors (Nothing but the Night, From Beyond the Grave) is the kind of woman you ruin your life for — girl trying to get with Joan's boy. She ends up sawed in half for real.
The end of this goes all The Bad Seed on us, with an electrical wire taking out the evil that bad parenting has created.
Director Jim O'Connolly would later make The Valley of Gwangi and Tower of Evil, but neither of those movies have Joan Crawford wearing Edith Head-designed sheer hose and a majorette uniform in them, do they? You know how much Joan cared about this movie? She got up early to make breakfast for the crew every day.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/06/23
Full Review
steve d
Unintentionally funny and overacted. The script is paper thin and the characters barley developed.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Old bag Joan Crawford is hysterical in the schlockfest. Seeing her prance around in her ringmaster's uniform can not, unfortunately, ever be unseen.
Rated 1.5/5 Stars •
Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars
02/18/23
Full Review
Audience Member
People have a morbid curiosity.
A very hands-on circus organizer and owner starts losing employees to strange deaths. Initially, it appears like the deaths are accidents, but it quickly becomes apparent they are murders. A detective begins an investigation but it doesn't stop the deaths. All the circus employees believe it is the owner, but the owner swears her innocence. Can the owner prove her innocence by uncovering the killer?
"I don't like being touched, especially by strangers."
Jim O'Connolly, director of Horror on Snape Island, The Valley of Gwangi, Sophie's Place, Mistress Pamela, Vendetta for the Saint, and The Little Ones, delivers Berserk. The storyline for this picture is interesting and fun to watch unfold. The kill scenes were better than I anticipated, as was the acting. The cast includes Joan Crawford, Ty Hardin, Diana Dors, Michael Gough, and Judy Geeson.
"You get all worked up and you spoil everything."
I came across this on Movies! and had to DVR it. I enjoy watching Crawford and she played the perfect ruthless circus owner in this film. This film is far from a classic, but it is worthwhile for fans of the old school horror films. I recommend seeing this if you're a fan of horror films from this era.
"Kill! Kill! Kill! That's all I feel inside me!"
Grade: C+
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
01/19/23
Full Review
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