Nightmare Circus (1974)

Simone (Manuela Thiess), Sheri (Sherry Alberoni), and Corrine (Gyl Roland) are three showgirls on their way to Las Vegas in a beat-up station wagon are stranded in the desert when their car breaks down. Andre (Andrew Prine) shows up in a jeep and takes them to his remote home – to add to his collection of women chained up in the barn.

Andre dresses like a ringmaster, chains 12 of the girls together, and whips them in the desert. Sometimes he selects one, paints her with blood, lets her go, and releases a hungry cougar.  There’s also a particularly nasty scene with his pet boa constrictor!

This all takes place on a former H-bomb test site, which explains why Andre’s father has been transformed into a long-haired homicidal mutant – which is why Andre keeps him locked up in a shed in the garden (although he occasionally gets loose).

Except for some interesting experimental music, this movie has terrible sound, bad editing, and is generally just pretty dreary. Of course, it’s also cheap, misogynic and repulsive.

Director Alan Rudolph had been assistant director of The Brady Bunch before he made Premonition (1972) and this horror movie using a phoney name.

Released in some markets as Barn of the Naked Dead.

Andre
Andrew Prine
Simone
Manuela Thiess
Sheri
Sherry Alberoni
Corrine
Gyl Roland
Mrs Baynes
Sheila Bromley
Mr Alvarez
Gil Lamb
Sheriff Stanford
Al Cormier
Derek Moore
Chuck Niles
Flower Child
Jennifer Ashley
Laura
Laura Campbell
Sonja
Sonja Dunson
Karene
Karene Fredrik
Lin
Lin Henson
Crazy Girl
Jolene Lontere
Jean
Jean Manson

Director
Alan Rudolph