Dr. Cyclops' Wonderful Review

Edward D. Wood, Jr., is unleashed once again on an unsuspecting public. This rare film, made several years after Wood’s masterpiece Plan 9 From Outer Space, is not a horror movie in the strict sense of the term, but it is included here for two reasons. One, the movie features a psycho killer, and, two, any film by Woodsie is worthy of attention in FANGORIA – especially this one. The Sinister Urge is a hard-hitting crime melodrama that blows the lid off the smut racket and delivers nearly as much unintentional entertainment and laughs as Plan 9, the last word in cinematic Hollywood-fringe ineptitude. A string of gosh-awful murders is committed by a knife-wielding wacko who has been overstimulated by his association with a ruthless porno-movie ring. No-nonsense police lieutenant Matt Carson and his sidekick Sgt. Randy Stone are on the case to smash the smut racket connected with these crimes. These two heroes are played by Wood regulars Kenne Duncan and James “Duke” Moore to the height of imperfection as they manage to convey the chemistry and rapport of two total strangers right from the get-go. And as for the dialogue…. well, there is little to say other than it has to speak for itself. In fact, there were times that I had to get up, stop the tape and rewind it to make sure I had heard right. For your approval: Lieutenant Carson and Sgt. Stone are sitting in their office chewing the fat about possible leads, and the door opens and a uniformed cop announces, “Sir, there’s a taxpayer outside wants to speak to you.” “Send him in,” replies Carson (I kid you not; I played it twice to test my hearing). Mr. Taxpayer then struts in and explains that, yes, he pays taxes and his taxes pay Carson’s salary. On the spot now, Carson has to agree. Mr. Taxpayer then proceeds to exercise his employer’s privilege by giving the lieutenant a good dressing-down. Why is Carson bothering with silly crimes like pornography instead of concentrating on real crimes like murder and theft? Anxious not to offend his benefactor, Carson then patiently points out that pornography may be the seed of all crime, even worse than dope, an evil that drives people crazy and makes them do terrible things. In closing, he asserts, “Show me a crime, and I’ll show you a picture that could’ve caused it.” (Get up, stop, rewind, play it again. Yep, that’s it all right.) One thing you got to say about Wood: you’ve gotta respect a guy who set out to make terribly clichéd movies and missed the point entirely. Allow me to close with Lieutenant Carson’s summation from the final scene: “Pornography – a nasty word for a dirty business.” Kind of ironic, ain’t it?

– From Fangoria Magazine, Issue #30, October 1983