The Severed Arm

Glad I got this before it went out of print. It's been a favorite since I first saw it on Chicago TV in the early 1980s.

Cool but strange 70s horror. Liked the way it looks. Learned about it from the pure cinema podcast and couldn’t wait to get it from vinegar syndrome.

1973's The Severed Arm was a genuine pleasant surprise! This overlooked proto-slasher, directed by Thomas S. Alderman, flips the usual formula by making us root for the killer—after witnessing the horrific betrayal he suffered during a disastrous caving expedition—while still feeling genuine sympathy for his doomed victims. It's a clever moral twist that gives the film real emotional depth.

Deborah Walley, David G. Cannon, and Paul Carr stand out with strong, memorable performances, but honestly, the entire cast delivers solid work across the board. The film's eerie atmosphere owes a huge debt to Robert Maxwell's (aka Bob Maxwell's) striking cinematography and Phillan Bishop's haunting, effective score—both elevate what could have been a simple revenge tale into something genuinely atmospheric and tense.

Hats off to Vinegar Syndrome for this perfect restoration; the Blu-ray looks and sounds fantastic. I really hope VS continues digging into Deborah Walley's filmography and gives us Blu-ray releases of more of her gems, like It's a Bikini World (1967), The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966), and Drag Racer (1972).

If you have an arm, be scared! And if it's disembodied please throw it at whatever MAGA fool you see.

Thank you, Brad!