I like exploitation cinema. I like the cheesy violence and sex, the low quality scripts and no budget direction that comes with the genre. It's fun brainless carnage packed with oddities and quirks used by directors whom while trying to score a buck or two also test the censorship boundaries to their limit and sometimes succeed in making something that really stands out. With that cleared, H.G. Lewis's The Wizard of Gore is a forgettable piece of trash with a sort of interesting concept behind it. It's not about it being bellow the standard grindhouse experience, the splattery violence is indeed present here, no it's about the presentation, specifically about the lack of such.<br /><br />A magician performs tricks. Tricks never before seen, tricks of a gruesome violent nature. In the opening titles he cuts his head with a guillotine, shortly after reemerges fully intact. After a short introduction and a few minor tricks he chooses a volunteer from the audience, a woman, it's always a woman. Straps her on a bed and then proceeds to cut her in half with a chainsaw. All is done in clear view, and we see everything. He plays with her guts and innards and suddenly, just like that, she is whole again. Returns to her seat and shortly after the show is over dies the same way she was torn in two by the chainsaw.<br /><br />Lovely little idea for a horror and I must admit it was the reason why I chose to watch "The Wizard of Gore". The quality of the movie didn't matter much back then as I mentioned already, I like the low-grade cheesy stuff. But the surprise of just how bad that quality is came as complete shock to my senses. It was low, lower than that which I had found entertaining and even lower than that which I found dull. The only possible comparison I can think of is Michael Bay doing a no budget film. There is no dread for horror. There is no cheese for brainless carnage. There is only some of the worst gore effects, camera work, editing and audio captured on celluloid. It's an endless repetition of the same scene with just slight differences. The horrible gore gets even worse, looks laughable with each passing sequence. So absurd as to how Lewis wants you to believe a mannequin stuffed with red paint is a human body. With every minute it becomes more and more unbearable indeed this truly is a torture show. I'll restrain myself from commenting on the horribly annoying acting since that was never an issue worth noting in such type of film.<br /><br />The Wizard of Gore is an amateurish film showcasing horror as bad film-making and in a sense it truly is terrifying. Such a shame because a plot like this deserved something better.