Hammy magician "Montag the Magnificent" speechifies, then brutally kills and mutilates women on stage. The women magically recover but are later found dead bearing the same wounds as they did during the act. Magic, hypnotism, or copy-cat serial killer? The plot, such as it is, is simply a set up for gore-auteur Herschell Gordon Lewis to stage graphic splatter scenes using animal cadavers for the close-ups. The scenes where Montag rummages around entrails as though he's looking for pearls are more silly than shocking. Some of the sword swallowing scenes are cleverly done, but beyond that, this film doesn't have much to offer beyond a check mark in gore-fans' life lists. If you are looking to introduce yourself to HGL's canon of bloody schlock, watch "Two Thousand Maniacs!" instead.

Magician Montag the Magnificent (Ray Sager) performs illusions of murder in front of audiences. In his show he cuts a woman in half with a chainsaw--but she's perfectly OK minutes later. However, soon after leaving the show, she drops dead cut in half. Another woman gets a spike driven into her head...but is OK. Still, after leaving the show, she dies when her head opens. TV host Sherry (Judy Cler) and newspaperman boyfriend Jack (Wayne Ratay) knows something is going on...but what? What a lousy picture! There's not one thing done right. For starters the plot makes little sense and REALLY derails at the end of the picture. The dialogue is ludicrous (the speeches Montag gives before his illusions are unbelievable), the gore is so laughably fake it's impossible to take seriously and the direction is (at best) uninspired. It also has a music score that appears and disappears with no rhyme or reason. Some people love this because it was done by Herschell Gordon Lewis (who did other "masterpieces" like "Blood Feast" and "2000 Maniacs"). He's been crowned the Godfather of Gore (he was making gore movies WAY before anyone else) but it doesn't mean his movies are any good! Boring, sick and makes no sense (especially at the end). Avoid.

This one is definitely in the "so bad it's good category" except, of course, for the fact that it's not at all good. Herschell Gordon Lewis is a cult figure in the world of horror and exploitation films. His 'Blood Feast' and 'Two Thousand Maniacs' are famous examples of his "craft". Both of those films, I have to say, are better than this one. At least Two Thousand Maniacs has that toe-tapping "And the South will Rise Again" opening song.Wizard of Gore is of course a terrible TERRIBLE film. But it will raise more than a few smiles, which is why it fits nicely in the "so bad it's good" basket. But then again it's so deathly boring! Between each outrageously gory yet incredibly fake-looking murder scene are stretches of dialog and ham acting that beggar belief for sheer boredom. At least the Wizard himself (Montag the Magnificent, played by the illustrious Ray Sager) is entertaining for some of the WORST acting you've ever seen in your life. I wanted to slap him and scream 'spit your lines out man'. He lingers over every lame sentence; each and every word is delivered so painfully slowly and painfully badly. Seriously, your DAD could act better than this. And you've seen him try on those few rare embarrassing occasions after a few too many beers at a family barbecue. Well, that's how bad Ray Sager is here! The gore scenes are rightfully notorious. Well, if someone fingering entrails (the local butcher's finest) and grinning salaciously is what qualifies as gore. There's plenty of guts on display but it's hardly convincing. Actually, it probably couldn't be LESS convincing. Especially considering after each shot of the viscera being fondled we cut back to a full shot of the victim without a drop of blood on them, let alone guts hanging out. The sword swallowing scene is particularly badly done. The actresses almost seem to giggle at times. They know how ridiculous it all is.Aside from Montag's on-stage gore fantasies, the highlights for me are: his Mesmer stare (with powdered eyebrows that don't match the ones he usually 'wears'), which supposedly represents him hypnotizing his audience or a hapless volunteer; the journalist with the crime scene photos who visibly glances at someone off camera several times, perhaps to read his lines; the way the victims suddenly fall down dead after the show in the most awkwardly edited ways...I could go on.So, yes, it's a WOEFUL film, but it's so bad it's an entertaining watch. But, really, it's just awful AWFUL film-making in every department. Be prepared to fast-forward through all the dialog and everything in between Montag's eyebrow close-ups. The only thing Mr H. G. Lewis had in spades was gumption. And a big-a** pair of "cojones". I hope one day to see some of his nudist camp movies!!!

This movie was also released under the title, "The Mad Magician".The plot is that a cheesy magician named "Montag" performs tricks that seem to mutilate female volunteers who then mysteriously die of the very same injuries they suffered on stage. Then for no apparent reason, he steals the bodies and takes them to a mausoleum in the same cemetery...A group of reporters and cops attempt to solve the apparent mystery. Or maybe it's all a dream... In all probability, it is an opportunity to put gross special effects on the screen when the Hayes board went away and the MPAA was still trying to figure itself out.Of course, the special effects are so poor that they are laughable.