From distributor Harry H. Novak, purveyor of fine, wholesome sleaze from all across the globe, among other things, comes The Mad Butcher (1974), originally released as Lo Strangolatore di Vienna (1971). Directed by John Zurli aka Guido Zurli (Slave Girls of Sheba, Black Deep Throat), this Italian production features Victor Buono (What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte), probably known best as the portly, evil villain King Tut (”If the caped crumb is here, the cowled creep can’t be far behind.”), from the late 1960s Batman television series. Also appearing is cinematic muscleman Brad Harris (Goliath Against the Giants, The Fury of Hercules), Franca Polesello (Mole Men Vs. the Son of Hercules), and Karin Field (Night of the Vampires, The Devil’s Girls).
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Buono plays Otto Lehman, a butcher by trade, who, up until recently, had been locked away in a Vienna mental institution for beating on an annoying customer with a few pounds of liver (it was either the nut farm or jail). I say `recently’ because Otto has been pronounced cured by his doctor (and he’s got the certificate to prove it), ready to be released back into society, into the arms of his incessantly nagging, overbearing wife Hanna (Polesello). Upon returning to his butcher shop, he finds things in a state of filthy disarray, as Hanna’s fat, hairy, incompetent, mole-like brother has been fumbling along in Otto’s absence. Otto quickly begins to set things in order, and we see he hasn’t lost his touch with the cleaver. Ah, nothing like seeing a true artesian practicing his craft. Otto refuses to move back to his home with his wife (I don’t blame him, as she’s a real piece of work), instead occupying the room above the shop, where the view ain’t so bad as his neighbor Berta (Field) can often be seen combing her hair all nekkid in front of her window…homina homina…things seem to be progressing, but Hanna is a persistent pain, one Otto finally disposes of in a fit of anger. Question now is what to do with the body? Well, as Otto would say, “Meat is meat”…yes, Otto turns her into sausages, and boy, do they sell! Meanwhile, Mike Lawrence (Harris), foreign correspondent, whose been itching for a story, begins to pitch woo to Berta. Some stuff happens, some more people end up in Otto’s sausage press, and the authorities begin to get suspicious, as does Hanna’s brother (boy, he’d make a whole shop full of sausages), about the increasing number of missing people. Mike believes Otto’s involved somehow, but due to lack of evidence, the police are stumped…and all the while the people of Vienna continue to comment on Otto’s delicious sausages. Eventually things come to a head as Otto’s passions for Berta get the best of him, and the police discover some unusual and telling clues in the oddest place…
Given the title of this feature I was expecting a whole lot of blood, but I was pleasantly surprised. There were a few murders by strangulation, but there was no actual butchery of any of the victims, as that aspect of the story was all implied. Some might be disheartened by this complete lack of gore, but I rather liked the tact the story took, focusing on the unexpected comedic nature of the characters, rather than wallowing around in blood and guts, which, quite honestly, I don’t dig on a lot, except for when the mood strikes me. There’s nothing wrong with a little slice and dice, a little hack and slash, a little gouging and disemboweling, but there’s plenty enough of that out there as is, so it was a nice change of pace to dabble in the psychological rather than the visceral. I think Buono did a wonderful job in one of his few leading roles, presenting a character somewhat charming on the surface, but one tinged with a touch of the madness on the inside, ultimately making the best of his situation. As far as the other performers, most did well enough, but Harris was awkward to say the least…when he wasn’t as stiff as a board, he was way over the top. He did make a likely hero, but also an annoying one given his constant interference and seeming `know-it-all’ attitude. Yeah, yeah, he was a reporter, and perhaps this is common to their ilk, but he seemed to spend more time wooing Berta and throwing accusations about than he did working his beat. I suppose it was a good thing, with regards to the story, he was as he was, given the incompetence of the authorities depicted within this film. But then I suppose I’m losing sight this is black comedy, and not a straight up horror film. There was some much appreciated nekidness, particularly on Ms. Field’s part…her facial features left a little to be desired (too eastern European for my tastes), but she had an awfully nice, all natural body. The story moves along fairly quickly, exhibiting no giant, gaping holes, but it did leave me wanting just a little, in terms of a proper disposition of the character Mrs. Kuntzmann (I think that was her name). This was the old, cranky, vile, hairy mole on her face crone Otto initially attacked (with probable cause after meeting her), which resulted in him being sent to the mental hospital in the first place. She makes a couple of appearances, verbally abusing Otto and throwing accusations about that he killed one of her precious cats (actually he did, but his intent didn’t seem that specific at the time). If anyone in this film deserved to be turned into mince pies, it was this hag, and it never happened…ah well…my favorite part of the film was near the end, as the police discover, in a manner of speaking, what Otto’s been using as source materials for his tasty sausages. As I said, the film does move along well, providing some actual tension here and there, culminating in better than expected fight scene between Mike and Otto, followed by a predictable, yet exquisitely appropriate, ending.
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The picture quality, present in widescreen (1.85:1), on this Something Weird Video/Image Entertainment DVD, looks very sharp and clean, and the Dolby Digital audio is decent, but a little soft at times. As far as extras, there’s quite the cornucopia including a theatrical trailer for this film, along with ones for a slew of other Harry H. Novak films like Mother (1970), Axe (1977), The Beautiful, the Bloody, and the Bare (1964), Behind Locked Doors (1968), Caged Virgins (1971), The Child (1977), Frankenstein’s Castle of Freaks (1974), and Rattlers (1976). Also included are a pair of short features, one titled Cannibal Island (9:49), featuring `authentic’ footage of cannibals dancing around and such, the second titled Cannibal Massage (20:05), which features a whole lot of the homoerotic. Finishing out the list of extras is a gallery of Harry H. Novak exploitation art, accompanied by Horrorama radio-spot rarities.
Cookieman108
“I make the best sausage in Vienna” claims the mad butcher (a rotund fella by the name of Victor Bueno). And so he does. People from all over come to taste his famous delicacies. Seasoned with Human flesh. Aw hell, not only seasoned, it is human flesh! That is the premise for this one. Did I mention he’s an ex mental patient? And he has a thing for nubile young women? Ok. so this is not the most original of fare. Still, this film succeeds in making you smile at its cleverness. Of course, later when your eating that sausage for dinner, this story has a way of popping up in your mind. Its cheap, its corny and its got a dark irony that is hard to come by these days.In a belecose voice, the butcher says to one of his victims “you slut, how low and cheap you make yourself..this is not a whorehouse!”. Then he throws her in the meat grinder and serves her up to the public. Delicious!
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