Barn of the Naked Dead (1974)

Three showgirls driving to Las Vegas decide to take a shortcut, only to experience the inevitable: car trouble. Assistance arrives the next morning in the form of Andre (Andrew Prine), who drives them to his remote home in the desert. But rather than help the girls, Andre forces them to become part of his human menagerie - a group of unlucky women that he has abducted and chained up in his barn, and who he severely punishes should they step out of line.It would take something REALLY special to live up to a wonderfully trashy title like Barn of the Naked Dead. This film doesn't quite cut it, despite a premise that promises plenty of deviant behaviour and violence. Yes, there is a barn. Yes, there is some nudity (albeit brief). And, yes, people die. But those looking for an outrageous slice of '70s exploitation will probably come away a little disappointed. The minimal gore is of the 'bright red paint' variety and is wholly unconvincing, the mistreatment of the women is less unsettling than one might imagine, and the sleaze is rather tame.However, although for much of the running time the action is likely to leave exploitation fans wanting, the unexpected ending, in which all but two of the captive women are brutally killed by Andre's horribly disfigured father, actually proves very effective. If only the rest of the film had been as bold, we'd have a film that would get talked about a lot more often.5.5 out of 10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.

Once again Code Red have done an exemplary job in releasing the best-quality version of an old B-movie horror flick and giving it a new lease of life for the 20th century. Having watched TERROR CIRCUS - perhaps best known under its exploitative title BARN OF THE NAKED DEAD - you wonder why they've bothered when the end result is so trashy. Long-running actor Andrew Prine plays the usual psycho guy living out in the desert with a mother fixation. He likes to kidnap young women, chain them up, keep them as slaves in his barn, and occasionally have them perform as part of his own private circus. The film is fairly well put together for what is obviously a movie made entirely on the cheap, but the end result is merely silly and mean-spirited. Nudity and some bloodshed are thrown in to keep the horror fans pleased, but the only time this entertains is at the very end with the zombie twist. In its focus on the humiliation of women it seems to be a precursor to BLOODSUCKING FREAKS.

Three young dancers Simone,Corine and Lisa are stranded in the Nevada desert after their car breaks down.A young man named Andre drives them to his ramshackle farm in the middle of nowhere.Unfortunately Andre is a dangerous psychopath and misogynist,who keeps women chained in a barn.He quickly becomes convinced that Simone is his long dead mother..."Barn of the Naked Dead" aka "Terror Circus" is a neglected classic of 70's horror.I can't believe the low rating this film has-it certainly deserves more positive reviews.It's sleazy and grimy horror film with several truly terrifying moments.The desert setting is completely barren and moody.The female victims of Andre are weak and utterly broken.The central performance of Andrew Prine is genuinely unsettling.There is also Prine's father,a repulsive freak deformed by atomic radiation.9 out of 10.A cult classic.

While I saw this movie under the title of "Barn of the Naked Dead", I feel that the title "Nightmare Circus" is just as bad. There is no barn, there is no circus, there is no naked, and I only recall one person dying in the movie and I don't believe it ever shows them dead either. This film is devoid of any content at all. There isn't even enough in to to MST3K it. Avoid it..