Berserk

Some people really have no sense of humor. I am talking about the ones who dissect the script and the acting, on and on, and say what a bad movie it is. OK, fine, on that basis, I give it a 4! But it's funny, it's campy, and doesn't commit the worst sin a movie can make, that is, it is not boring. Actually I found it not as bad on its own merits as I expected. But in any case, the garishness, the 60s nostalgia, the unintentionally hilarious dialogue, and of course, most of all the inimitable Joan Crawford looking like a combination of Mae West and Divine. If you liked Berserk and want to see another "bad" Joan Crawford horror fest, I highly recommend Straight Jacket, which I truly rate a 10!

Now most people say this is a ridiculous and pretentious piece of clap-trap but they're wrong. This is considerably better than most crappy '80s period movies i've seen. Joan Crawford plays Monica Rivers, a sexy owner of The Great Rivers Circus who wastes no time in taking advantage of the publicity brought in by a string of murders - two of which happen during a performance - and falls under suspicion, all thanks to the loud-mouth Matilda (Diana Dors). She seems to fall apart with each tragedy and soon everyone - including her daughter (Judy Geeson), the cool-dude tightrope walker (Ty Harding) and the pompous manager (Michael Gough) - wonders if she's gone 'BERSERK'. Despite a few airy-fairy conversations and ludicrous puns, BERSERK is definitely a cult classic and should be seen if you've never been to a circus. It makes good use of suspense and you don't know who is getting it next.

Yes, it's dreadful but then you seriously didn't think it would be anything else? "Berserk" was Joan Crawford's penultimate cinema release and at least she gets her name above the credits. She's the owner of a circus where the performers are dropping like flies and she made the film in the UK so the cast includes the likes of Diana Dors, Michael Gough, Robert Hardy and Judy Geeson. The male lead is a mostly shirtless Ty Hardin who probably needed the money to pay for his alimony. Indeed, this may well be a camp classic; it's certainly impossible to watch it with anything like a straight face and while Joan may be stiffer than a poker, at least you can't take your eyes off her.