The Wizard of Gore
The Wizard of Gore is a 1970 film from the USA, directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis, running 95 minutes. reelscum files it under splatter.
- Year
- 1970 · 1970s films
- Country
- USA
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Director
- Herschell Gordon Lewis
- Updated
- 29 Oct 2026
- Obscurity
- cult (51/100)
- Also known as
- House of Torture
Defined in the glossary: Splatter
A stage magician whose tricks are real. Lewis's most interesting idea.
Lewis's most conceptually ambitious film, which is a low bar he clears with room to spare. A stage magician named Montag performs illusions in which he appears to mutilate volunteers, who then die the same way later for real, and the film blurs performance and reality in a way that anticipates far better movies.
It is technically shoddy but strange, with a reality-bending structure Lewis was not equipped to pull off and reached for anyway. The ideas outrun the execution by a mile.
Fascinating as an ambitious failure, and later remade by people who understood it.
Trailer
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Where to watch
Legal options in USA
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