Berserk (1967) starring Joan Crawford, Ty Hardin, Diana Dors, Judy Geeson
In Berserk, Joan Crawford is the owner and ringmaster of a nearly bankrupt circus. But then, one fatal accident follows another, and attendance starts increasing. And all of the men start falling madly in love with the sixty-year-old Joan …
Review of Berserk
In Berserk, Joan Crawford is the owner and ringmaster of a circus that’s on the verge of bankruptcy. But after a fatal accident, the crowds pick up. And then there’s another death. And pretty soon it’s clear to the audience that these are murders, not accidents. But who can it be? The murders clearly benefit the owner of the circus …
Nope! It can’t be Joan Crawford! She‘s too beautiful, and sexy! Even when she’s over 60 years old. And every man at the circus is in love with her. That’s frankly the worst part of the film. It strains credulity that every man falls hopelessly in love with her. Especially given how she treats both present and former boyfriends.
Frankly, this is one of those movies that feels like a different ending was tacked on at the last moment. The ending’s very abrupt, and frankly doesn’t fit. And, some of the deaths are quite graphic. You’ve been warned.
Cast of characters
- Joan Crawford (Mildred Pierce, Strait-Jacket) … Monica Rivers
- Ty Hardin (Battle of the Bulge) … Frank Hawkins
- Diana Dors (From Beyond the Grave, King of the Roaring Twenties) … Matilda
- Michael Gough (Batman (1989), Konga) … Albert Dorando
- Judy Geeson (To Sir With Love) … Angela Rivers
- Robert Hardy (Bataan) … Superintendent Brooks
- Geoffrey Keen (The Man Who Never Was) … Commissioner Dalby
- Sydney Tafler … Harrison Liston
- George Claydon … Bruno Fontana
- Philip Madoc (Doctor Who – The War Games) … Lazlo
- Ambrosine Phillpotts … Miss Burrows
- Thomas Cimarro … Gaspar
- Peter Burton … Gustavo
- Golda Casimir … Bearded Lady
- Ted Lune … Skeleton Man
- Milton Reid (The People That Time Forgot) … Strong Man
- Marianne Stone (Witchcraft) … Wanda
- Miki Iveria … Gypsy Fortune-Teller
- Howard Goorney … Emil
- Reginald Marsh … Sergeant Hutchins
- Bryan Pringle … Constable Bradford
Editorial review of Berserk courtesy of Amazon.com
After the huge success of Robert Aldrich’s What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), Hollywood legend Joan Crawford found herself taking the lead in a series of lurid and sensational horror pictures in her later years and Berserk was one of the best and most successful. Crawford stars as a ruthless circus owner who exploits a series of gruesome murders for her own ends… until the killer targets her. Directed by Jim O Connolly (Valley of Gwangi, Tower of Evil) and co-starring Diana Dors (Yield to the Night, Deep End), Michael Gough (Horror Hospital, Batman) and Judy Geeson (10 Rillington Place, Inseminoid), Berserk is a deranged slice of Great British Grand (Dame) Guignol a bloody exploitation classic!