Berserk

Released Jan 11, 1967

1h 36m

Horror

List

Reviews

35%

Audience Score

250+ Ratings

As the co-owner and ringmaster of a traveling circus, Monica Rivers (Joan Crawford) is always preoccupied with filling seats. Following the accidental death of a tightrope walker, Rivers is pleased to see her profits increase and callously unconcerned with the demise of her employee -- in fact, she soon hires handsome Frank Hawkins (Ty Hardin) to replace him. But when several more performers meet gruesome deaths, it becomes apparent they are no accidents, and there's a killer on the loose.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Jul 18

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Rent Berserk on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

Lucius Gore

ESplatter

This role actually seems to strangely mirror aspects of her own life, as chronicled in that kiss-and-tell autobiography by her adopted daughter.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 4, 2008

Full Review

Ken Hanke

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Not as funny as Trog, but it tries.

Rated: 2/5

Jan 9, 2003

Full Review

Christopher Smith

Bangor Daily News (Maine)

Joan Crawford at the circus? Fans of camp can't go wrong.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 11, 2002

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

It was watchable only because Joan still commands attention on the screen.

Rated: C

May 31, 2002

Full Review

Read all reviews

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 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 out of 5 stars

04/15/23

Full Review

dewayne b

I'm a huge Joan Crawford fan. I remember my Mom took me to the drive-in to see this movie 🍿.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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 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 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 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Jim O'Connolly

Director

Joan Crawford

Monica Rivers

Ty Hardin

Frank Hawkins

Diana Dors

Matilda

Judy Geeson

Angela Rivers

Michael Gough

Dorando

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

View more photos

Synopsis

As the co-owner and ringmaster of a traveling circus, Monica Rivers (Joan Crawford) is always preoccupied with filling seats. Following the accidental death of a tightrope walker, Rivers is pleased to see her profits increase and callously unconcerned with the demise of her employee -- in fact, she soon hires handsome Frank Hawkins (Ty Hardin) to replace him. But when several more performers meet gruesome deaths, it becomes apparent they are no accidents, and there's a killer on the loose.

Director: Jim O'Connolly
Screenwriter: Herman Cohen, Aben Kandel
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 11, 1967, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2013
Runtime: 1h 36m

Most Popular at Home Now