The Mad Butcher: Special Edition

Image | minutes | | | Standard DVD reviewed by: Fusion3600

Otto Lehman (Victor Buono) has just been released from a mental institution, but that doesn't mean he is sane, not by a long shot. He returns to his old profession as a butcher, which seems to settle him down somewhat, but his mind still wanders into dark places at times. Otto tries to adjust to a normal life and does his best, but in the end, he is still pretty insane and soon enough, he reverts back to his old ways. His wife complains all the time about Otto's sexual problems, which spurs an argument and in the heat of the moment, Otto kills her by mistake. Since he has no intentions of going back to the nuthatch, he carves her up, grinds her into sausages, and sells her remains as edible product. The customers love his new meat and can't seem to get enough, so when folks begin to inquire his wife went, Otto runs into a new stock of his special meat. All the while, he watches a young woman across from his window and unless someone stops Otto, she is doomed to become the next one to visit the meat grinder.

I've come to love the folks over at Something Weird Video for their discs (which are distributed via Image Entertainment), so I knew The Mad Butcher would be a treat and in the end, it lived up to my expectations and then some. I'd never seen this one from start to finish, so I looked forward to watching this widescreen version, so as soon as the disc arrived, I gave it a spin. The Mad Butcher proves to be a lot of fun to watch and in a unique twist, relies much more on black humor than blood, though some violence is present. So don't expect a bloodbath by any means, but be prepared for some violence and even some skin at times, although again, not an overdose. Victor Buono is hilarious as the lead in this one, filling his role with comic antics and such. I do think this is an offbeat picture and some exploitation fans might miss the gore, but I still think The Mad Butcher is a blast. If you're a fan of these kind of movies and have a dark sense of humor, I recommend this disc and think whether you purchase or rent, your money is well spent.

The lead role in The Mad Butcher is a strange one that needs just the right worker, which I feel Victor Buono more than turned out to be. Buono was best known for his work in smaller roles, but I think he manages well in this lead, despite all the quirks. I mean, this is one unusual character with some odd traits and such, but Buono seems to relish in the role and really brings a great comic touch here. Since this film was structured around black humor and not gore, I think Buono's work is even more impressive, as he more than compensates for the bloodless nature of the film. You don't often see such fine performances in these kinds of films, but hats off to Buono for his turn in The Mad Butcher. Other films with Buono include The Wrath of God, Mother, Beneath The Planet Of The Apes, Trinity Rides Again, and Brenda Starr. The cast also includes Franca Polcelli, Brad Harris (Island of Lost Girls, The Beast in Heat), Carl Stearns, Sybil Martin, and Karin Field (Sex in the Office, The Alley Cats).

The Mad Butcher is presented in a 1.85:1 widescreen transfer, which is not enhanced for widescreen televisions. I was pleased with this image, but I do wish an anamorphic treatment were done, as the edge enhancement would have been lessened. There isn't a lot of the edge enhancement here, but enough to make note of and I know the additional resolution would have cleaned up most of it. But the colors seem stable and not as faded as I though, while contrast is even and well defined also. Of course, some print debris and damage is evident, but that is to be expected with an older, low budget film like this one. As I said, I think anamorphic enhancement would have improved the image here, but I still think fans will be pleased in the end.

This film doesn't offer much chance for dynamic audio, so the included mono track is more than adequate. I heard no serious problems with this mix, as no distortion, harshness, or other age related issues were present. The music sounds decent enough, as do all the screams, hacks, and grindings, so no real complaints on those fronts either. No problems I could detect in terms of dialogue either, as vocals were clean and consistent in this mix. Don't expect a dynamic presentation from this material, but I think the included mono track more than handles the needs of the film.

On this disc you'll find some cool bonus materials, including two bonus short films, each with a cannibalistic theme. Cannibal Island and Cannibal Massage are the titles and both make for a fun experience, as well as fitting in well with the main feature. You can view the theatrical trailer for The Mad Butcher, as well as a wealth of other films released under Harry Novak's banner of horror. The usual radio spots and selection of exploitation artwork round out the disc, which offers a small, but worthwhile array of supplements.