The Mad Butcher (1971)

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Let's be realistic.

Good concept, poorly executed.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I can relate literally. I grew up as a child with a grandparents who owned a corner meat market and grocery. I found this slightly amusing having been raised around a butcher/meat cutter and found moments of it to be sorta humerus in a dark sick twisted humor. You should never mess with a person who owns a meat market cause they could make you into sausage, burgers and have it their way instead of the burger king way. I would watch it again . I found it on the B-rated movies app under a private roku channel and enjoyed watching it . I have a special love for old 1970s bizarre horror and this one was right up my alley. It had all those things I like about the 70s horror movie from the cheesiness to the obscure nature of the film.

Combining elements of horror and comedy isn't easy. Though usually rather pathetic or miles off the target, the mixture is occasionally successful: to mind come Roman Polanskis "Dance of the Vampires" and Peter Jackson's "Brain Dead". Another thing that comes to mind are (often) gritty European productions of the 1960's and 1970's, that where brimming with pitch-black humour and which combined horror and comedy at a well-balanced 50/50 level. And among the finest example is "Lo strangolatore di Vienna": The story is very similar to the Sweeney Todd tale: Otto, a humungous, mentally unstable butcher is released from the madhouse and ends up with a string of (originally unintentional) murders on his hand. Post-war times being hard and meat scarce, Otto does what comes closest and grinds his victims to sausage meat. The sausages are bestsellers and eventually even the Viennese police are on the Ottos list of customers.I've mentioned that it's hard to believe that this film actually is Italian, not Austrian. That's mainly because I've watched the synchronized German version which has been dubbed into finest Viennese dialect, as you'd only find it backyards and working class quarters. If familiar with (Austrian)-German, it's a joy to watch; the quick-talking yet always wordy and always biting dialogue – it's about authentic Viennese as it gets.Pillar of the film is actor Victor Buono – Buono shines in sweaty role, slowly transforming from a gentle, even though mentally instable hulk, originally murdering (almost) by mistake, to a truly scary, blood-thirsty psychopath. Buono has that rare gift to convincingly appear mild, kind-hearted, creepy and psychotic at the same time – the nearest one could compare this to would be some of Donald Pleasances finest performances.Granted, those 1970's Euro B-flicks have often not aged very well, today coming across as 1960's Doris Day and Tony Randall kind-of affairs (just with more nudity) and slightly gorier Hammer productions but if names like Brad Harris or Karin Field ring a bell, then this may well be a little, forgotten gem, wrapped up in a original Viennese sausage – just remember: never mix swine and beef and try to go for the German dubbed version if you have a chance! 8 from 10 points.

This isn't the type of movie I'd usually watch, but a friend who's obsessed with obscure films brought it over. I found that I was thoroughly entertained by the movie. It has a quirky comedic feel, although it has a horror/slasher theme to it. There definitely isn't anything in it that shouts special effects and some of the editing is a little amateur, but it works. Buono's facial expressions really make up the bulk of the entertainment.. the cop/reporter guys are way too fake but the women are hot.. not to mention partially nude in many scenes. By the time they catch up with the bad guy, you really feel satisfied that his activities are being exposed. I wouldn't recommend it as a 'great' movie to watch, but definitely worth checking out if you are in the mood for something a little different.

Odd blend of black humour and gruesomeness featuring a good, over-the-top performance from Buono, whose bulk and mild manner make for an effective psychopath.The story is a Sweeney Todd rehash that catches the sinister aspects, while retaining the comic elements and being relatively gore-free.Otto Lehman is shown to be sexually inadequate and belittled by his wife, resorting to voyeurism to satisfy his desires as he spies on a woman across the street. His frustrations trigger his aggression, while the butcher theme is used as a means of disposing of bodies, but isn't the motive for the killings.Obvious similarities to 'Psycho' and 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'; also real-life German serial killers Fritz Haarman and Peter Kurten.The film has enough to recommend it as an above average entry into the slasher genre, although the light hearted approach does tend to outweigh the horror elements too much.