One to re-watch or not? The Barn Of The Naked Dead (1974)

Apologies for the lack of updates recently...I just haven't had much time to ramble on about films.

I'm gonna try to make more of an effort.

The Barn Of The Naked Dead (1974) is a film I've been thinking about re-watching recently. Not because I remember it being particularly good, more because I want to give it a second chance to live up to its title. Come on...The Barn Of The Naked Dead...it's a pretty spectacular one, maybe one of my favorites. I guess the distributors (or whoever was in charge) realised that it might be pushing it a bit, so the film is mainly known as Nightmare Circus or Terror Circus...and neither of those are half as exciting.

Unfortunately, many films with incredible titles and posters fail to live up to expectations...and this is no different.

Just look at this poster! How could this film not be the best thing ever made?

Yeah, that's right...it even has Andrew Prine in it...one of my favorites and one the most under-rated horror actors out there.

As you’d expect from the title, this is all pretty sleezy. Apparently, it’s the only title in Prine’s filmography he regrets doing. It’s not difficult to see why. While it is a relatively interesting concept it just ends up being a horrible misogynist mess. It is really a shame, since there is great potential for a resolution where strong female characters rebel against their captor. A revenge/turning-the-tables resolution would have resulted in a far more interesting movie. Instead the film is let down by the script’s refusal to give the female characters any sort of fighting spirit or strength. The captives seem pretty indifferent to their situation, content behing weak women against a strong man. Whatever happened to strength in numbers? It’s one of those movies where you just want to shout at people on the screen: "come on! now’s your chance!". But the chances keep coming ang going, over and over again. Price is excellent as the lunatic circus manager, however, and the film is worth watching just for his performance. Definitely not easy viewing.

Oh yeah...and what is it about? Well, you know...the same old story...a group of nubile girls on a road trip, car breaks down, man offers to help, turns out he's a crazy wannabe circus director and keeps other ladies as circus animals in his "circus". Will they escape?