The Wizard of Gore
A talk show hostess and her boyfriend investigate a shady magician who has the ability to hypnotize and control people's thoughts in order to stage gory onstage illusions using his powers of mindbending.
Why it matters
A seminal grindhouse shocker that blends psychedelic mind control with gruesome practical effects, The Wizard of Gore (1970) is a twisted spectacle of illusion and violence.
- Herschell Gordon Lewis’s splatter pioneer work, laying groundwork for the gore-soaked shock cinema that followed.
- Practical effects by the master of faux-horror carnage—blood and body parts have never looked so viscerally fake and delightfully grotesque.
- A meta-commentary on media manipulation and voyeurism that still resonates in today’s saturated horror landscape.
- Perfect for fans of campy, boundary-pushing horror that traffics in both spectacle and subversion.
Director
Cast
Horror DNA
Gore
100
Slow Burn
66
Psychological
100
Supernatural
20
Creature
0
Disturbing
83
Fun Factor
50
Cerebral
43
Survival
17
