I first saw The Sadist at the Dublin Drive-In Theater in Dublin, Georgia in either the late 1960's or early 1970's as a young child. It left a very distinct impression on me. I discovered this great and underrated low-budget classic, along with Night of the Living Dead on the drive-in screen at around the same time. The Sadist stuck with me until I managed to see it again many years later on first VHS and then on DVD. I just managed to acquire the DVD that features director Joe Dante's own 35mm print remastered digital transfer. The thing that struck me and stuck with me about The Sadist has always been the tense and suspenseful atmosphere which never lets up throughout most of the film's approximately 92-minute running time. It also greatly conveys a tremendous sense of the genuine frustration, desperation and hopelessness with which the film's sympathetic characters find themselves trapped in, a situation that begins almost from the very start until the very end. The film's screenwriter and director, James Landis does a first-rate job and his direction is both spare and tight. He uses a minimal set and production values to great and maximum effect. The acting is above average, with Arch Hall, Jr. stealing the film as Charlie Tibbs. His real-life cousin, the very beautiful blonde Helen Hovey, plays schoolteacher Doris Page. Quite sadly, Miss Hovey passed away on July 18, 2009. Richard Alden and Don Russell are also good as the other two teachers on their way to Dodger Stadium for an afternoon game. This is a true 1960's classic and remains one of the all-time greatest B-Movies ever made. It just goes to prove what can be done on a low or limited budget, with little known or unknown actors. And also that low-budget does not have to mean low quality. It still seems that The Sadist remains a little known gem outside the realm of film buffs. Someone suggested that maybe Quentin Tarantino should attempt to do a remake. I for one hope not. This film proves that you do not need graphic violence, profanity, sex and nudity to make an effective movie. It is a nail-biter and it keeps you on the edge-of-your-seat. It ropes you in and engrosses you from the very start until the very end. What more could you possibly ask for in a film?
Review of The Sadist
