The Sinister Urge (film)

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The Sinister Urge
Theatrical release poster.
Directed by	Edward D. Wood Jr.
Produced by	Edward D. Wood Jr.
Written by	Edward D. Wood Jr.
Starring	Kenne Duncan Duke Moore Jean Fontaine Carl Anthony Dino Fantini Jeanne Willardson Harvey B. Dunn Reed Howes Fred Mason Conrad Brooks
Cinematography	William C. Thompson
Editing by	John Soh
Running time	71 min
Country	United States
Language	English
IMDb profile

The Sinister Urge is a 1961 crime drama film that was written and directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr..

[edit] Synopsis

The film revolves around a series of murders of young women.

The killer, Dirk, works for a pornographer named Johnny Ryde. It is outright stated that Dirk's impulsive murders are a direct result of viewing pornographic pictures and films. This is stated both by Ryde's boss, Gloria Henderson, and the police (represented by Lt. Carson and Sgt. Stone).

Several subplots attempt to emerge during the course of the film: the ongoing police investigation into underground pornographic distribution (in one scene, a fight breaks out between two rivals, one of whom is played by Wood himself); Ryde's attempts to shoot porn (accompanied by his director Jaffe, an elderly man who is somewhat elfin in appearance); Gloria's rising concern about the out-of-control Dirk, which comes to a head when her overlords in "the Syndicate" order her to remove Dirk "permanent"; and in an obvious attempt to interject pathos into the film, the tribulations of a young girl from a small Midwestern town who starts out seeking a career as a legitimate actress, but who ends up making porn for Ryde and Gloria, before becoming one of Dirk's victims.

The film reaches its climax when Gloria and Ryde attempt to remove Dirk by putting him in a car with faulty brakes. Dirk survives, and forces Ryde to blackmail Gloria. Dirk then murders Ryde, before being shot in the dark by Gloria, who assumed that she was shooting Ryde. The film ends with Gloria's disbelief that she shot the wrong man as the police arrest her.

[edit] Trivia

The film was featured in episode 613 of the cult television show, Mystery Science Theater 3000.

• Dino Fantini, who played Dirk Williams in the film, would later play the role of Gino Panzini in "Return to Peyton Place"
• The Sinister Urge is the name of an album by Rob Zombie, who has a passion for B-rated horror movies.

[edit] External links

• The Sinister Urge at the Internet Movie Database

v • d • e Edward D. Wood, Jr. Feature films directed Glen or Glenda (1953) • Jail Bait (1954) • Bride of the Monster (1955) • Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959) • Night of the Ghouls (1959) • The Sinister Urge (1961) • Take it Out in Trade (1970) • Excited (1970) • The Only House in Town (1971) • Necromania (1971) • The Young Marrieds (1971) Short films directed Trick Shooting with Kenne Duncan (1953) • Final Curtain (1957) • The Night the Banshee Cried (1957) • Television films directed The Sun Was Setting (1951) • Crossroad Avenger: The Adventures of the Tucson Kid' (1953) • Boots (1953) Films written, not directed The Violent Years (1956) • The Bride and the Beast (1958) • Anatomy of a Psycho (1961) • Shotgun Wedding (1963) • Orgy of the Dead (1965) • One Million AC/DC (1969) • The Love Feast (1969) • The Venus Flytrap (1971) • The Undergraduate (1972) • Drop-Out Wife (1972) • Class Reunion (1972) • The Snow Bunnies (1972) • The Cocktail Hostesses (1973) • Five Loose Women (1974) • The Beach Bunnies (1976) • Hot Ice (1978 film) (1978) Posthumous films Crossroads of Laredo (filmed 1948/released 1995) • Hellborn (filmed mid-1950s; released 1993) • Take it Out in Trade: The Outtakes (filmed 1970; released 1995) • I Woke Up Early The Day I Died (written 1970s; released 1998) Related articles Béla Lugosi • The Golden Turkey Awards • Dolores Fuller • Conrad Brooks • Tor Johnson • Vampira • Bunny Breckinridge • The Amazing Criswell • Stephen C. Apostolof • Ed Wood (biopic)