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| Joan Crawford and Ty Hardin |
Tough broad Monica Rivers (Joan Crawford) is at first not too concerned -- to say the least -- when one of her high-wire performers is killed in an accident as she feels it will attract the ghoulish to her circus in droves, which it does. When her business partner Albert (Michael Gough of Horrors of the Black Museum) gets a rivet pounded into the back of his head, Monica is free to do what she chooses -- and the murders continue. Monica begins an affair with the hunky new high-wire artist Frank Hawkins (Ty Hardin) who wants a piece of the circus action for himself. Two other women cause issues: Matilda (Diana Dors), who does a saw-the-lady-in-half act with her husband and can't keep her hands off Frank; and Monica's daughter Angela (Judy Geeson), who gets thrown out of school and insists on joining the troupe. Who will be the next to die?
Berserk is a very entertaining film that manages to work up significant suspense even as it shows us some amazing acts from the real-life Billy Smart Circus -- trained elephants, horses, and poodles, not to mention the lions. Crawford plays with her customary authority although at times she just seems to be reading her lines the way she would at a rehearsal. Ty Hardin, better-known for his beefcake status than for his acting, is actually quite good in this and even manages to do love scenes with the much-older Crawford with conviction-- they are unlikely lovers, however. Dors is her usual vivid and zoftig self and there is also good work from Geeson, Gough, George Claydon as the little person Bruno, and others. The circus performers do an amusing number called "It Might Be Me." The Billy Smart Circus was also featured in the earlier film Circus of Horrors. 
Diana Dors with Hardin
Verdict: Genuinely suspenseful and a lot of fun. ***.
Hi Bill — I watched this last week for the first time and LOVED it. Your review is spot on. I always assumed that this was schlocky and unwatchable like Trog, but it’s actually very compelling and fun with great performances and a wonderful circus milieu. Crawford and her Christina-like daughter’s feuding, her hot affair with the younger Tay Hardin, a great supporting performance by Diana Dors, and a well done plot make this one of my new favorites of the Grand Guignol genre. Crawford still photographs superbly and looks fit and glamorous in the Edith Head ringmaster leotard!
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Yes, she certainly cut a striking figure. I've seen BERSERK several times and it actually seems to get better with each viewing. It was customary to assume everything Crawford did in her late period was schlock but that wasn't always the case. This one plays beautifully. Love the rivet scene and Dors screaming out when she realizes something's gone terribly wrong .. oops!
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