Saw this film on satellite TV a few weeks ago after a late night out. Terrible filming, even worse sound and non-existent storyline, but a gem of trash cinema! Olaf the Dwarf is the undisputed star, surely he must have been an inspiration for Chucky? It is difficult to watch in places, especially the scene where Olaf rapes Mary, Anne Sparrow who played her is the only other person to emerge from the movie with anything like credit, you really feel for her as she realises what she has stumbled into and are hoping that she manages to get out of it and back to her husband. Even if he is a real dork! But if you like your trash you'll be in heaven!
35 Reviews
Ugh, I need a shower
crystallogic13 January 2018
If you're of a certain mindset, every so often, a film comes along that reminds you that you are really weird and not normal in the way that you seek entertainment. Well, i found one of these in "The Sinful Dwarf". Sleazy, nasty, mean and sordid are words I would use to describe this unbelievable piece of cinematic excess. It's not as fun as "Ilsa: She-Wolf of the SS", but it's in the same ball park.
Likely the reason it's not as fun is that it isn't as "campy". But it does get that way from time to time. I don't know, maybe it's just that the idea of enslaving young girls, getting them hooked on smack and forcing them to service men just makes me a bit uncomfortable. I mean, it's cool that a film has the power to do this, and it's unrepentently exploitative and not a work of art, so in a way, maybe you should feel kind of bad for watching, and then somehow that pushes you in the other direction and you end up kind of admiring the balls of the thing anyway and marveling that people thought that making something like this was a good idea at one point.
Speaking of balls, an interesting thing about this concupiscent gem is taht it isn't afraid to skimp on the male nudity either. Lots of these 70s baddies contain loads of women in various states of exposure, but the makers usually figure most of their audience are heterosexual males who don't want to see much in the way of cocks flopping around. Although it's the women who are really being exploited in the story, the movie does somewhat play fair, physically, in what it chooses to put on display.
Oh, you want to talk about the story? It was ok, but not all taht convincing. A bit perfunctory, but what do you expect? The dwarf gave me the creeps and his mother was sickly fascinating (and her singing made shivers of unwellness shoot up my spine). Actually, mummy dearest almost reminded me, in an odd way, of Bette Davis in "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane". Not so much the performance, but you know, the same sort of delusional dangerousness and so on. The attic room where the girls are kept is a genuinely filthy den and you can't help but feel really bad for them. Then, maybe you think of real life crimes of imprisonment and torture and wonder what the hell you're doing watching this shit.
But look, it's ok. If you are into these grotty old exploitation movies, you know sometimes what you are in for. It's cool that oddities this weird and depraved exist, and that if you ever watch it with friends, its' got to be very special kind of friends indeed. The movie -- wasn't good, but I'm glad it exists. Does that make sense?
Likely the reason it's not as fun is that it isn't as "campy". But it does get that way from time to time. I don't know, maybe it's just that the idea of enslaving young girls, getting them hooked on smack and forcing them to service men just makes me a bit uncomfortable. I mean, it's cool that a film has the power to do this, and it's unrepentently exploitative and not a work of art, so in a way, maybe you should feel kind of bad for watching, and then somehow that pushes you in the other direction and you end up kind of admiring the balls of the thing anyway and marveling that people thought that making something like this was a good idea at one point.
Speaking of balls, an interesting thing about this concupiscent gem is taht it isn't afraid to skimp on the male nudity either. Lots of these 70s baddies contain loads of women in various states of exposure, but the makers usually figure most of their audience are heterosexual males who don't want to see much in the way of cocks flopping around. Although it's the women who are really being exploited in the story, the movie does somewhat play fair, physically, in what it chooses to put on display.
Oh, you want to talk about the story? It was ok, but not all taht convincing. A bit perfunctory, but what do you expect? The dwarf gave me the creeps and his mother was sickly fascinating (and her singing made shivers of unwellness shoot up my spine). Actually, mummy dearest almost reminded me, in an odd way, of Bette Davis in "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane". Not so much the performance, but you know, the same sort of delusional dangerousness and so on. The attic room where the girls are kept is a genuinely filthy den and you can't help but feel really bad for them. Then, maybe you think of real life crimes of imprisonment and torture and wonder what the hell you're doing watching this shit.
But look, it's ok. If you are into these grotty old exploitation movies, you know sometimes what you are in for. It's cool that oddities this weird and depraved exist, and that if you ever watch it with friends, its' got to be very special kind of friends indeed. The movie -- wasn't good, but I'm glad it exists. Does that make sense?
What a horrible little man! Spoilers!
Skeptic4595 January 2004
Warning: Spoilers
This film is seriously disturbed. It is also seriously sleazy. In fact, Viggo Mortensen saw this at a festival, while he was shooting Lord of the Rings. He said it was the most disgusting film that he has ever seen. High praise indeed! I have never been able to get this sleazefest out of my mind.
I am surprised that there have not been more people commenting on this film. I give a big 'respect' to Ant Timpson for bringing films like these to our shores. They always outrage the moral minority. In fact, when the sinful dwarf...ahem...harresses one of the female slaves. This scene was actually cut by the censorship board. So Timpson, using his twisted imagination used a blow up doll as the female victim. Timpson or someone else assumed the part of the sinful dwarf. The banned scene was then reenacted. It was hilarious! Adding even more to the carnival atmosphere that is the incredibly strange/incredible film festival.
The story is just so sleazy. A dwarf and his drunken cabaret mother, who cannot sing, store women who stay at their hotel in the attic. They operate a white slave trade. keeping them addicted to heroin to stop them running away. Meanwhile a young couple stays at the hotel. Listen, if I saw a creepy little man and his mother, who puts on enough make-up to embarrass drag queens, I would instantly run. You would certainly not stay there.
Anyway the couple stay there and after a gratuitous sex scene she disappears. The husband hunts for her only to find...
Needless to say this all ends in a bloodbath. If you are really masochistic you should watch this with the infamous Bloodsucking Freaks. It is like they were both made by the same person. Both are dirty and grimy. Filmed on budgets of about 2 dollars. Both have bad acting. One image form this film that stays with me is that of the dwarf, who seems like has has to make a real effort not to drool, in a toy store holding a toy truck. Even this somehow still manages to look sleazy. It is like you would have to wipe anything that he touches. In fact, I felt like I needed a shower after seeing this.
If you like watching horrible obscurities then I recommend this film. If you like pure sleaze, see this. I'll give it a six out of 10.
I am surprised that there have not been more people commenting on this film. I give a big 'respect' to Ant Timpson for bringing films like these to our shores. They always outrage the moral minority. In fact, when the sinful dwarf...ahem...harresses one of the female slaves. This scene was actually cut by the censorship board. So Timpson, using his twisted imagination used a blow up doll as the female victim. Timpson or someone else assumed the part of the sinful dwarf. The banned scene was then reenacted. It was hilarious! Adding even more to the carnival atmosphere that is the incredibly strange/incredible film festival.
The story is just so sleazy. A dwarf and his drunken cabaret mother, who cannot sing, store women who stay at their hotel in the attic. They operate a white slave trade. keeping them addicted to heroin to stop them running away. Meanwhile a young couple stays at the hotel. Listen, if I saw a creepy little man and his mother, who puts on enough make-up to embarrass drag queens, I would instantly run. You would certainly not stay there.
Anyway the couple stay there and after a gratuitous sex scene she disappears. The husband hunts for her only to find...
Needless to say this all ends in a bloodbath. If you are really masochistic you should watch this with the infamous Bloodsucking Freaks. It is like they were both made by the same person. Both are dirty and grimy. Filmed on budgets of about 2 dollars. Both have bad acting. One image form this film that stays with me is that of the dwarf, who seems like has has to make a real effort not to drool, in a toy store holding a toy truck. Even this somehow still manages to look sleazy. It is like you would have to wipe anything that he touches. In fact, I felt like I needed a shower after seeing this.
If you like watching horrible obscurities then I recommend this film. If you like pure sleaze, see this. I'll give it a six out of 10.
the reigning king of dwarfsploitation cinema!
EyeAskance6 April 2004
Heartwarming family entertainment about a mischief-making, wind-up toy loving dwarf and his retired stage-queen mother, working together to make ends meet by renting out rooms in their spacious home. To supplement their modest income, they randomly kidnap young girls and chain them up inside their filthy attic. These captives are used in wild sexcapades by an array of libertine gentlemen who call at all hours, and show their gratitude for services rendered with cash donations(no, not to the girls...to the DWARF). In order to keep the fussy sex-slaves in line, our fun-loving "little person" injects them with daily doses of heroin. All is hunky-dory until an unsuspecting young couple rents a room in the house. Before long, complications ensue which pose a serious threat to the family business.
This insanely licentious softcore roughie, one of the most entertaining of its kind, is a timeless classic loved by bad-apples the world over. When is Disney going to remake this as an animated musical?
7.5/10
This insanely licentious softcore roughie, one of the most entertaining of its kind, is a timeless classic loved by bad-apples the world over. When is Disney going to remake this as an animated musical?
7.5/10
Demented acts of perversion in the attic of sex & torture
Vomitron_G8 June 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Wretched, rancid, horrible pile of steaming insufferable trash.
I would recommend this film to anybody who might show an interest in the following three things:
-- Fully naked girls with or without hairy armpits, drugged out of their mind on heroin, used for sex and torture.
-- An ugly, sick and disgusting peeping-tom dwarf that looks like the miniature version of Jack Black.
-- An old 'cabaretière'. Yes, this film features utterly pointless scenes of cabaret performed by an old hag (who is the mother of the dwarf).
Since I have no particular interest in any of the aforementioned three things, this movie was an extremely painful and dull watch.
All these things take place in a run-down pension of which the attic is the right place for the most sickest portrayals. The drugs get administered to the girls by the old hag and her dwarf. The girls get raped by random, unknown men. Between all these acts of decadence, there is some sort of story line involving a couple moving into a room of the pension. He is a struggling author which we never see write anything. She's his cute blonde bimbo girlfriend who does nothing. They have sex in their bed and eat breakfast in their room. Also insert random scenes of the old hag and her granny friend getting drunk and acting senile. It's sick of me to write this, but the old hag her boobs were still in very good shape.
I have a confession to make... I'm actually writing this review while I'm still watching the movie. It's not finished yet. Still playing. That's because it got me bored and aggravated at the same time. Especially the last thing is what got me on here writing this drivel myself. Right now, the cute blonde bimbo just went up the attic alone. Now that was to be expected, wasn't it? She can't open the door, but she tells the enslaved ladies that she'll get the police. Yeah, right. Let's see if that's gonna happen. Oops! She just knocked over a toy train, making some noise. There's the old hag coming up. They capture her. The dwarf gets all excited, rips open her blouse. And now they've got her in chains. This movie's actually getting better. Aw crap, the scene ends. Back to the old hag typing a letter. I think she's got an evil scheme. Sorry, I'm watching the rest of the movie now. I'll be back later.
Alright, I'm back. More sex, drugs & torture. Also for the newly enslaved cute blonde girl. The dwarf even did something very nasty (and pretty painful from the looks of it) with his walking cane. You can probably guess what. Now, you simply don't do that to a girl unless she asks for it. And blonde cute girl wasn't asking. Bad dwarf, very bad dwarf. He also drooled in that scene. I'm just saying this because I'm sure there's people out there that like drooling dwarfs.
But this movie has a good ending. It got less boring and I really liked the ending. People even die before the movie's over. Yay!
Also, as inexplicable as it may seem, the director, or writer, or whomever was responsible for it, really had some notion of concepts like 'set-up' and 'pay-off'. Why was the boyfriend a struggling writer? Just so because the old hag could type a letter on his type-writer. Why had the sinful dwarf toys to play with? Just so cute blonde girl could trip over a toy train and get busted in the attic. Now that's good script writing, boys and girls. In all good films, things happen for a reason. And it's no different in THE SINFUL DWARF.
Just one more funny random thing: The writer of this abhorring piece of cinema, is named William Mayo (or Bill Mayo for friends). Now, "mayo" is short for "mayonaise". That's a sauce especially Belgian people like to put on their french fries. I'm Belgian. And he's called Mayo. That makes me laugh. But I don't like 'mayonaise' at all. I prefer cocktail sauce on my french fries. So that means something close to it being written in the stars that I was not going to like this movie very much. Don't you love a good bit of warped logic every now and then?
Okay, let's see... THE SINFUL DWARF is demented and perverted, I'll give it that much. Demented + Perverted. That's 1+1. One extra point for all the totally naked girls because they looked cute. Meaning: 3/10. Equals a wonderful film. Aw, scratch that. I'm just gonna go with Perverted & Demented. That's 2/10. Still a wonderful film.
Nevertheless, I'd rather be high on heroin and used as a sex slave myself than to ever watch this depraved movie again. I'm serious. Where's the drugs to get me messed up? Where's the girl that will ride me? Bring it on, I'd say! Damnit, I'm feeling so foul and perverted now I'm in strong need of a shower to wash away the filth.
I would recommend this film to anybody who might show an interest in the following three things:
-- Fully naked girls with or without hairy armpits, drugged out of their mind on heroin, used for sex and torture.
-- An ugly, sick and disgusting peeping-tom dwarf that looks like the miniature version of Jack Black.
-- An old 'cabaretière'. Yes, this film features utterly pointless scenes of cabaret performed by an old hag (who is the mother of the dwarf).
Since I have no particular interest in any of the aforementioned three things, this movie was an extremely painful and dull watch.
All these things take place in a run-down pension of which the attic is the right place for the most sickest portrayals. The drugs get administered to the girls by the old hag and her dwarf. The girls get raped by random, unknown men. Between all these acts of decadence, there is some sort of story line involving a couple moving into a room of the pension. He is a struggling author which we never see write anything. She's his cute blonde bimbo girlfriend who does nothing. They have sex in their bed and eat breakfast in their room. Also insert random scenes of the old hag and her granny friend getting drunk and acting senile. It's sick of me to write this, but the old hag her boobs were still in very good shape.
I have a confession to make... I'm actually writing this review while I'm still watching the movie. It's not finished yet. Still playing. That's because it got me bored and aggravated at the same time. Especially the last thing is what got me on here writing this drivel myself. Right now, the cute blonde bimbo just went up the attic alone. Now that was to be expected, wasn't it? She can't open the door, but she tells the enslaved ladies that she'll get the police. Yeah, right. Let's see if that's gonna happen. Oops! She just knocked over a toy train, making some noise. There's the old hag coming up. They capture her. The dwarf gets all excited, rips open her blouse. And now they've got her in chains. This movie's actually getting better. Aw crap, the scene ends. Back to the old hag typing a letter. I think she's got an evil scheme. Sorry, I'm watching the rest of the movie now. I'll be back later.
Alright, I'm back. More sex, drugs & torture. Also for the newly enslaved cute blonde girl. The dwarf even did something very nasty (and pretty painful from the looks of it) with his walking cane. You can probably guess what. Now, you simply don't do that to a girl unless she asks for it. And blonde cute girl wasn't asking. Bad dwarf, very bad dwarf. He also drooled in that scene. I'm just saying this because I'm sure there's people out there that like drooling dwarfs.
But this movie has a good ending. It got less boring and I really liked the ending. People even die before the movie's over. Yay!
Also, as inexplicable as it may seem, the director, or writer, or whomever was responsible for it, really had some notion of concepts like 'set-up' and 'pay-off'. Why was the boyfriend a struggling writer? Just so because the old hag could type a letter on his type-writer. Why had the sinful dwarf toys to play with? Just so cute blonde girl could trip over a toy train and get busted in the attic. Now that's good script writing, boys and girls. In all good films, things happen for a reason. And it's no different in THE SINFUL DWARF.
Just one more funny random thing: The writer of this abhorring piece of cinema, is named William Mayo (or Bill Mayo for friends). Now, "mayo" is short for "mayonaise". That's a sauce especially Belgian people like to put on their french fries. I'm Belgian. And he's called Mayo. That makes me laugh. But I don't like 'mayonaise' at all. I prefer cocktail sauce on my french fries. So that means something close to it being written in the stars that I was not going to like this movie very much. Don't you love a good bit of warped logic every now and then?
Okay, let's see... THE SINFUL DWARF is demented and perverted, I'll give it that much. Demented + Perverted. That's 1+1. One extra point for all the totally naked girls because they looked cute. Meaning: 3/10. Equals a wonderful film. Aw, scratch that. I'm just gonna go with Perverted & Demented. That's 2/10. Still a wonderful film.
Nevertheless, I'd rather be high on heroin and used as a sex slave myself than to ever watch this depraved movie again. I'm serious. Where's the drugs to get me messed up? Where's the girl that will ride me? Bring it on, I'd say! Damnit, I'm feeling so foul and perverted now I'm in strong need of a shower to wash away the filth.
Nasty little exploitation film
Leofwine_draca21 December 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Here's an ultra-sleazy obscurity, the result of an unusual union between the British Isles and Denmark which has produced a no-budget story of depravity with epic proportions. Although the distinct lack of talent on the part of all involved makes things feel grubby rather than disturbing, this is certainly still strong stuff and light years away from the kind of home grown horror yarns that Hammer were weaving at the time. The sex-fuelled plot is basically an excuse for lots of shots of naked girls either coupling or lying around on beds in a drug-crazed stupor. Flashes of sadism comes to light in scenes showing the girls being repeatedly raped and/or groped by a series of perverted sex customers come to fulfil their darkest fantasies. If a girl demands too much from the drug supply then she'll no doubt be whipped in graphic detail whilst the camera watches leeringly.
The rest of the film involves loosely-connected series of weirdness. There's Auntie Lash (!), a scarred ageing madame who enjoys dressing up in old-time clothes and singing, much to the delight of her elderly friend who watches whilst sipping tea; a kindly toy shop owner who stuffs teddy bears full of heroin and runs a successful drug smuggling operation until the police close in; a sappy writer who spends the film neglecting his beautiful wife, looking for a job, and who eventually ends up working for said toy shop proprietor; and then, finally, the dwarf of the title. Played by Danish celebrity Torben Bille, 'Olaf' is a really nasty little character you'll hate no end, especially when he collects cash in his grubby mittens after selling some of his sex slaves to willing customers. Olaf's other filthy habits include Peeping Tom-ism and generally abusing the naked girls in captivity. Bille plays him as an over-the-top caricature complete with German accent and the result is startling effective; sometimes unintentionally funny but more often than not completely disturbing.
The rest of the cast's acting skills range from the below average to the downright abominable. Yep, it's a film in which stilted unconvincing dialogue reigns supreme, especially on the parts of leads Anne Sparrow and Tony Eades, playing the pivotal married couple. Eades is just wooden and unconvincing whilst Sparrow overacts for all her worth - check out her laughably hysterical reaction to finding a cute mouse in her cupboard! Despite being an European co-production the movie is evidently cheap, with static camera-work and poor editing. Yet somehow the lack of budget adds to the realism of the movie; the genuinely grubby sets and locations look authentic and somehow the events portrayed seem believable. Obviously (and unfortunately) these kind of drug-fuelled slave rings do happen around the world, both past and present, so the plot is slightly disturbing as a result of this - in a way it glamorises the humiliation of women, reducing them to the mere level of sex objects.
The finale is abrupt and very amusing. After the boarding house-cum-brothel is raided by a gang of hard-assed coppers, Lash finds herself shot twice through the heart in revenge for her cruel actions, whilst Olaf climbs out of a window and falls to his death via a rather unconvincing dummy. Although the film is gore-free there are plenty of nasty moments like Olaf injecting the girls with heroin and the makers compensate for the lack of grue with plenty of sex and nudity to move things along. One thing I did like about this film was the use of children's toys as a creepy method of luring unsuspecting girls into becoming prostitutes and selling drugs; a nice original touch to what is otherwise a sorely lacking production. Watch out for the excruciating teddy bear torture sequence in which a fluffy toy is sliced up whilst making pitiful squeaking noises - it's unbearable! One of the weirdest movies that you'll ever see.
The rest of the film involves loosely-connected series of weirdness. There's Auntie Lash (!), a scarred ageing madame who enjoys dressing up in old-time clothes and singing, much to the delight of her elderly friend who watches whilst sipping tea; a kindly toy shop owner who stuffs teddy bears full of heroin and runs a successful drug smuggling operation until the police close in; a sappy writer who spends the film neglecting his beautiful wife, looking for a job, and who eventually ends up working for said toy shop proprietor; and then, finally, the dwarf of the title. Played by Danish celebrity Torben Bille, 'Olaf' is a really nasty little character you'll hate no end, especially when he collects cash in his grubby mittens after selling some of his sex slaves to willing customers. Olaf's other filthy habits include Peeping Tom-ism and generally abusing the naked girls in captivity. Bille plays him as an over-the-top caricature complete with German accent and the result is startling effective; sometimes unintentionally funny but more often than not completely disturbing.
The rest of the cast's acting skills range from the below average to the downright abominable. Yep, it's a film in which stilted unconvincing dialogue reigns supreme, especially on the parts of leads Anne Sparrow and Tony Eades, playing the pivotal married couple. Eades is just wooden and unconvincing whilst Sparrow overacts for all her worth - check out her laughably hysterical reaction to finding a cute mouse in her cupboard! Despite being an European co-production the movie is evidently cheap, with static camera-work and poor editing. Yet somehow the lack of budget adds to the realism of the movie; the genuinely grubby sets and locations look authentic and somehow the events portrayed seem believable. Obviously (and unfortunately) these kind of drug-fuelled slave rings do happen around the world, both past and present, so the plot is slightly disturbing as a result of this - in a way it glamorises the humiliation of women, reducing them to the mere level of sex objects.
The finale is abrupt and very amusing. After the boarding house-cum-brothel is raided by a gang of hard-assed coppers, Lash finds herself shot twice through the heart in revenge for her cruel actions, whilst Olaf climbs out of a window and falls to his death via a rather unconvincing dummy. Although the film is gore-free there are plenty of nasty moments like Olaf injecting the girls with heroin and the makers compensate for the lack of grue with plenty of sex and nudity to move things along. One thing I did like about this film was the use of children's toys as a creepy method of luring unsuspecting girls into becoming prostitutes and selling drugs; a nice original touch to what is otherwise a sorely lacking production. Watch out for the excruciating teddy bear torture sequence in which a fluffy toy is sliced up whilst making pitiful squeaking noises - it's unbearable! One of the weirdest movies that you'll ever see.
Eurosleaziest
ferbs5421 February 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Film buffs who are curious as to what the whole Eurosleaze genre is all about could not find a better exemplar than "The Sinful Dwarf." A 1973 picture from Denmark, of all places, the film conflates soft-core porn elements, deformed characters, scenes of ultracamp, and considerable doses of drugs and depravity into one of the sleaziest confections any viewer could possibly hope for. In this truly one-of-a-kind outing, the viewer meets Lila Lash, a drunken, scar-faced ex-entertainer (played by Clara Keller), who, with her grotesque dwarf son, Olaf (the remarkable Torben Bille), runs a boardinghouse in what we must infer is London. The Lashes' main source of income, however, comes from somewhere else. Olaf, using windup toys as an enticement (I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried!), lures young women back to the house, where they are knocked out, locked in the attic, shot up with smack, and turned into desperately addicted sex toys for the paying perverts who drop by. Into this sordid den comes a newly married couple, Peter and Mary Davis (played by Tom Eades and Anne Sparrow). Mary, a pretty blonde who looks quite smashing when going braless in a tight white turtleneck, soon grows suspicious of the strange noises and goings-on in the household, and goes into Nancy Drew mode...but not before Lila decides that the stunning bird would make a fine addition to her doped-up harem upstairs....
Though hardly anyone's idea of a good picture, "The Sinful Dwarf" yet boasts any number of selling points. The film is surprisingly well directed by Vidal Raski (his only film, apparently), and features some of the loopiest opening credits you'll ever find, with oddball percussion music and images of those darn windup toys. The film is trash, of course, but not total garbage, and manages to generate some real suspense as Mary comes closer to discovering the house's secret. And the acting in the picture, down to the smallest bit role, is also surprisingly decent, especially that of Sparrow and Torben Bille. It is almost impossible to imagine the little person as a participant in a Danish TV children's show, as he supposedly was; he is so convincingly insane, wicked and demented here, sporting an accent unlike any you've ever heard. OK, maybe he's not really a good actor, but he sure is memorably effective and creepy, and the viewer waits eagerly for the little bastid to get his just deserts. The film's eerie electronic score and bizarre background ululations, coupled with some convincingly scuzzy set design, go far in creating a very discomforting atmosphere for the picture, as well. And as a camp highlight, just wait until you see the drunken Lila Lash (whose name really SHOULD be Lila Lush or Lila Gash) perform her song and dance numbers for her equally besotted friend Winnie (Gerda Madsen). In one number, which outcamps Bette Davis' Jane Hudson warbling "I've Written a Letter to Daddy" in the 1962 classic "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?," Lila puts on her Carmen Miranda wardrobe to do the "Cho-Cho Bamba." During another number, Lila dresses up like Marlene Dietrich to sing "The Game of Love," the camera in close-up on her scarred puss while the action alternates with one of the sex slaves being whipped by a sadistic customer upstairs; arguably, one of the sickest segments in the Eurosleaze genre. To the film's detriment, however, a plot twist that arises roughly 3/4 of the way in is way too dependent on the wildest of coincidences, and the sex scenes in the film, unsurprisingly, are completely UNerotic (with the exception, perhaps, of a brief interlude that the Davises share). Perhaps Brian Lindsey, writing for Eccentric Cinema, put it best when he described watching the film as the "equivalent of having to take a dump in the scuzziest public toilet imaginable"! Olaf's numerous sins during the course of the picture can be listed as enslavement, assault and battery, pimping, drug trafficking, addicting, voyeurism, rape and murder, so at least the film sports an honest title!
As to this DVD itself, from the fine folks at Severin, it boasts a very decent-looking print, as well as an absolutely hilarious extra, in which two viewers beg company president John Severin to pull this title from its roster, due to the permanent emotional damage that the film has caused them. Come to think of it, newcomers to the Eurosleaze genre may want to proceed with caution here!
Though hardly anyone's idea of a good picture, "The Sinful Dwarf" yet boasts any number of selling points. The film is surprisingly well directed by Vidal Raski (his only film, apparently), and features some of the loopiest opening credits you'll ever find, with oddball percussion music and images of those darn windup toys. The film is trash, of course, but not total garbage, and manages to generate some real suspense as Mary comes closer to discovering the house's secret. And the acting in the picture, down to the smallest bit role, is also surprisingly decent, especially that of Sparrow and Torben Bille. It is almost impossible to imagine the little person as a participant in a Danish TV children's show, as he supposedly was; he is so convincingly insane, wicked and demented here, sporting an accent unlike any you've ever heard. OK, maybe he's not really a good actor, but he sure is memorably effective and creepy, and the viewer waits eagerly for the little bastid to get his just deserts. The film's eerie electronic score and bizarre background ululations, coupled with some convincingly scuzzy set design, go far in creating a very discomforting atmosphere for the picture, as well. And as a camp highlight, just wait until you see the drunken Lila Lash (whose name really SHOULD be Lila Lush or Lila Gash) perform her song and dance numbers for her equally besotted friend Winnie (Gerda Madsen). In one number, which outcamps Bette Davis' Jane Hudson warbling "I've Written a Letter to Daddy" in the 1962 classic "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?," Lila puts on her Carmen Miranda wardrobe to do the "Cho-Cho Bamba." During another number, Lila dresses up like Marlene Dietrich to sing "The Game of Love," the camera in close-up on her scarred puss while the action alternates with one of the sex slaves being whipped by a sadistic customer upstairs; arguably, one of the sickest segments in the Eurosleaze genre. To the film's detriment, however, a plot twist that arises roughly 3/4 of the way in is way too dependent on the wildest of coincidences, and the sex scenes in the film, unsurprisingly, are completely UNerotic (with the exception, perhaps, of a brief interlude that the Davises share). Perhaps Brian Lindsey, writing for Eccentric Cinema, put it best when he described watching the film as the "equivalent of having to take a dump in the scuzziest public toilet imaginable"! Olaf's numerous sins during the course of the picture can be listed as enslavement, assault and battery, pimping, drug trafficking, addicting, voyeurism, rape and murder, so at least the film sports an honest title!
As to this DVD itself, from the fine folks at Severin, it boasts a very decent-looking print, as well as an absolutely hilarious extra, in which two viewers beg company president John Severin to pull this title from its roster, due to the permanent emotional damage that the film has caused them. Come to think of it, newcomers to the Eurosleaze genre may want to proceed with caution here!
Nasty and sleazy but also fairly dull
The_Void13 February 2008
This film seems to be one of the better known entries in the seemingly made up 'dwarfsploitation' genre and if it's indicative of the entire genre, I'm glad it's the only one I've seen! The film is basically just your average gritty and sleazy exploitation flick, except this time the killer is an ugly little dwarf. The film is as gritty and sleazy as you would expect it to be with a title like 'The Sinful Dwarf'. The focus is always on the sleaze elements too which despite meaning that the film lacks suspense and tension, does mean that it comes through on the shock value side of things. The plot focuses on a boarding house ran by the dwarf of the title and his mother who happens to be equally as sinful. The boarding house is really just cover for their other little business endeavour, a white slavery ring. The attic is full of pretty girls bound and addicted to heroin. The plot thickens when a young couple moves into the house and threatens to uncover the mother and son's sideline...
The majority of the film is made up of sex scenes and general weirdness involving the dwarf and his mother. The sex scenes aren't all that well filmed or erotic unfortunately, although it does up the sleaze level of the film. It's quite boring though and these scenes really slow the film down. The ideas surrounding the dwarf are generally good in the way that they seek to shock the viewer. Torben Bille is a creepy looking actor and he fits the part well for that reason. The way that the dwarf plays with children's toys and acts like a child is one of the most skin crawling things about it. The film does feature a lot of useless elements, however, some cabaret style thing that the sinful pair do is never relevant to the plot in any way. It has to be said that The Sinful Dwarf is a really empty experience on the whole so it's hardly surprising that many people who see it don't like it. The only real reason for subjecting yourself to this film would be if you have a habit of enjoy sleazy exploitation. I do tend to enjoy this stuff, however, and this one didn't do much for me.
The majority of the film is made up of sex scenes and general weirdness involving the dwarf and his mother. The sex scenes aren't all that well filmed or erotic unfortunately, although it does up the sleaze level of the film. It's quite boring though and these scenes really slow the film down. The ideas surrounding the dwarf are generally good in the way that they seek to shock the viewer. Torben Bille is a creepy looking actor and he fits the part well for that reason. The way that the dwarf plays with children's toys and acts like a child is one of the most skin crawling things about it. The film does feature a lot of useless elements, however, some cabaret style thing that the sinful pair do is never relevant to the plot in any way. It has to be said that The Sinful Dwarf is a really empty experience on the whole so it's hardly surprising that many people who see it don't like it. The only real reason for subjecting yourself to this film would be if you have a habit of enjoy sleazy exploitation. I do tend to enjoy this stuff, however, and this one didn't do much for me.
needed more of Olaf capturing women and acting crazy, as opposed to the rampant sex...
Quinoa198430 November 2007
...but then again that's exploitation cinema for you.
The Sinful Dwarf has a great cover on the video-box, and a great guy playing the dwarf, with a face like Jack Black squished with Dennis Hopper ala Blue Velvet demeanor. He's totally crazy and wicked, and it's a delight whenever he's let loose on screen (the scene where he uses his cane, manually so to speak, on one of the junky prostitutes is a scream). But the problem is that there isn't quite enough of him, or with the little weird dolls and toys, except as symbols. The story is thin as a rail: a married couple who like to 'do-it' a lot (as Olof looks on), and the old woman who runs the whore-house in the attic where women are naked and doped up for the customers wants to get her husband out of the way so she can bring her in on it- by sneakiness, of course, and the woman's own curiosity about the whole place being as creepy as a, uh, Denmark heroin-laded whorehouse.
The sex, for some, will be part of the fun in the sleazy-term of it. But it just went on for much too long for each segment (yeah, we get it, sex takes a while, move it along, more dwarf!) And it just becomes tedious, shot in a style that is of the bargain basement variety where the director's ideas include having the woman- being raped while totally dazed and burned out on junk- to be to kick wildly over and over while the guy humps away. This is almost like an exploitation story William S. Burroughs would write- on a bad day. It's fun in spurts, especially in the opening and closing ten minutes. But there's a lot of downtime where we're watching stupid humans talking, a lot, and it's not as much fun. The sex isn't Porno Holocaust bad, don't get me wrong. But there's also a reason it's as obscure as it is- it's got the good title and premise and no strong follow-through. If it did, we might have come across dear Olaf sooner, who makes such a crazy impression that he makes the flick worth watching on his own (that and one or two pairs of 'assets' on the ladies for skin-flick fans).
Bottom line, it's another oddity- the only credited film for the director and writers- where it's dirty, cheap and crude, and with barely the minimum of guilty-pleasure status. 4.5/10
The Sinful Dwarf has a great cover on the video-box, and a great guy playing the dwarf, with a face like Jack Black squished with Dennis Hopper ala Blue Velvet demeanor. He's totally crazy and wicked, and it's a delight whenever he's let loose on screen (the scene where he uses his cane, manually so to speak, on one of the junky prostitutes is a scream). But the problem is that there isn't quite enough of him, or with the little weird dolls and toys, except as symbols. The story is thin as a rail: a married couple who like to 'do-it' a lot (as Olof looks on), and the old woman who runs the whore-house in the attic where women are naked and doped up for the customers wants to get her husband out of the way so she can bring her in on it- by sneakiness, of course, and the woman's own curiosity about the whole place being as creepy as a, uh, Denmark heroin-laded whorehouse.
The sex, for some, will be part of the fun in the sleazy-term of it. But it just went on for much too long for each segment (yeah, we get it, sex takes a while, move it along, more dwarf!) And it just becomes tedious, shot in a style that is of the bargain basement variety where the director's ideas include having the woman- being raped while totally dazed and burned out on junk- to be to kick wildly over and over while the guy humps away. This is almost like an exploitation story William S. Burroughs would write- on a bad day. It's fun in spurts, especially in the opening and closing ten minutes. But there's a lot of downtime where we're watching stupid humans talking, a lot, and it's not as much fun. The sex isn't Porno Holocaust bad, don't get me wrong. But there's also a reason it's as obscure as it is- it's got the good title and premise and no strong follow-through. If it did, we might have come across dear Olaf sooner, who makes such a crazy impression that he makes the flick worth watching on his own (that and one or two pairs of 'assets' on the ladies for skin-flick fans).
Bottom line, it's another oddity- the only credited film for the director and writers- where it's dirty, cheap and crude, and with barely the minimum of guilty-pleasure status. 4.5/10
The World Needs More Dwarfsploit Films...
EVOL6667 May 2006
THE SINFUL DWARF is another 70's era exploit/weirdy that really defies explanation. I will say that it's slow moving and doesn't really pick up til the end, but the whole concept is twisted enough to warrant a look at this one...
Olaf the dwarf (who another reviewer nailed it when he said that this freak looks like a psychotic version of a squished Jack Black...) and his mother run a boarding house. To supplement the minimal income that taking in boarders offers, they naturally lure young girls to the house with toy dogs, drug them with heroin until they are addicted, and whore them out to the local scumbags. When a couple moves in and the wife starts snooping around, everything goes to hell...
THE SINFUL DWARF isn't quite what I expected - as I stated before it's kinda slow and dull at points - but overall I'd say it's a must-see for any sleaze/exploit/sexploit lover. There's plenty of full-frontal nekkidness, and the sleaze-factor gets amped up towards the end as Olaf rapes the wife with his cane, and the last sex scene between client and captive is the strongest of the film. The film plays out kinda as a cross between BLOODSUCKING FREAKS (without the gore) and THRILLER: A CRUEL PICTURE (without smokin' hot Christina Lindberg) - but not as good as either of those films. Worth checkin' out - 7/10
Olaf the dwarf (who another reviewer nailed it when he said that this freak looks like a psychotic version of a squished Jack Black...) and his mother run a boarding house. To supplement the minimal income that taking in boarders offers, they naturally lure young girls to the house with toy dogs, drug them with heroin until they are addicted, and whore them out to the local scumbags. When a couple moves in and the wife starts snooping around, everything goes to hell...
THE SINFUL DWARF isn't quite what I expected - as I stated before it's kinda slow and dull at points - but overall I'd say it's a must-see for any sleaze/exploit/sexploit lover. There's plenty of full-frontal nekkidness, and the sleaze-factor gets amped up towards the end as Olaf rapes the wife with his cane, and the last sex scene between client and captive is the strongest of the film. The film plays out kinda as a cross between BLOODSUCKING FREAKS (without the gore) and THRILLER: A CRUEL PICTURE (without smokin' hot Christina Lindberg) - but not as good as either of those films. Worth checkin' out - 7/10
What is this filth?
OrderedChaos12 April 2009
I am the type of person who looks at his latest download site, researches a title to see if its worth downloading.
Peasie the authorities obviously need to catch on to you sooner rather than later.
I downloaded this because of the above mentioned name. Their review made me think OK, good review. Ill have to download this one.
What a filthy pile of plot less scum! This movie is made for the type of person that no longer knows what turns them on anymore! This is simply one of those films you would naturally be ashamed of mentioning.
One because of the filth it is and two because, would you really let some one know you have seen this kind of crap.
I'll end my review on this, anyone who is a fan of 8mm and its actual hosted material, this will be right up your street.
I would also like to add i am not a fan of either Saw or Hostel and think any movie built intentionally like the two mentioned should have directors and writers shot.
You read me SHOT! "hey im bored this weekend and with enough disgusting things that happen in the world, im gonna get a kick out of watching massacre, rape and ultra violence on the big screen" These are the people we need to question, society crumbles when this crap becomes or became shall i say acceptable.
Peasie the authorities obviously need to catch on to you sooner rather than later.
I downloaded this because of the above mentioned name. Their review made me think OK, good review. Ill have to download this one.
What a filthy pile of plot less scum! This movie is made for the type of person that no longer knows what turns them on anymore! This is simply one of those films you would naturally be ashamed of mentioning.
One because of the filth it is and two because, would you really let some one know you have seen this kind of crap.
I'll end my review on this, anyone who is a fan of 8mm and its actual hosted material, this will be right up your street.
I would also like to add i am not a fan of either Saw or Hostel and think any movie built intentionally like the two mentioned should have directors and writers shot.
You read me SHOT! "hey im bored this weekend and with enough disgusting things that happen in the world, im gonna get a kick out of watching massacre, rape and ultra violence on the big screen" These are the people we need to question, society crumbles when this crap becomes or became shall i say acceptable.
You *MUST* see the UNCENSORED Version
joshuaberrett7 April 2011
I give this movie a 10 for being the ultimate in it's genre.
I have never rated a movie on IMDb before, but this movie got under my skin and really did something to my brain. Maybe I'm trying to exorcise the demon dwarf that has wriggled into my soul.
I watched the uncensored version with the burned in danish subtitles. There was a full XXX close up penetration scene. Holy Sh**! One of the sicker things about the movie was that the supposed sex slaves really got into the sex with just a little encouragement. I mean they were really getting pretty enthusiastic. Something very wrong there.
I felt bad, twisted and unclean after watching this movie. It has a gritty, grimy, slimy, sleaziness that makes it kind of a masterpiece.
You know its something special when it's stuck in your brain days after watching it. Most of the time I forget a movie by the next day. Not this one.
The only one that comes close for me to the same kind of gritty, creepy, dare I say "evil" darkness is Gummo. That said, Gummo has nothing on this movie.
If you are going to take the time to watch it, you really should see the uncensored version. I mean you might as well go all the way. Part of the sickness of the movie is that it is just a vehicle for a couple of fairly hardcore porn shots. Filthy, depraved, and unforgettable.
I have never rated a movie on IMDb before, but this movie got under my skin and really did something to my brain. Maybe I'm trying to exorcise the demon dwarf that has wriggled into my soul.
I watched the uncensored version with the burned in danish subtitles. There was a full XXX close up penetration scene. Holy Sh**! One of the sicker things about the movie was that the supposed sex slaves really got into the sex with just a little encouragement. I mean they were really getting pretty enthusiastic. Something very wrong there.
I felt bad, twisted and unclean after watching this movie. It has a gritty, grimy, slimy, sleaziness that makes it kind of a masterpiece.
You know its something special when it's stuck in your brain days after watching it. Most of the time I forget a movie by the next day. Not this one.
The only one that comes close for me to the same kind of gritty, creepy, dare I say "evil" darkness is Gummo. That said, Gummo has nothing on this movie.
If you are going to take the time to watch it, you really should see the uncensored version. I mean you might as well go all the way. Part of the sickness of the movie is that it is just a vehicle for a couple of fairly hardcore porn shots. Filthy, depraved, and unforgettable.
Boring exploitation that isn't exploitative enough.
poolandrews19 October 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Dværgen, or The Sinful Dwarf as it's more commonly known amongst English speaking audiences, is set in England where failed author Peter Davies (Tony Eades) & his wife Mary (Anne Sparrow) are searching for a cheap room, eventually they come across a boarding house run by Lila Lash (Clara Keller) & her midget dwarf son Olaf (Torben Bille) who charge a reasonable £6 a week. Unfortunately Mary doesn't like the house & with very good reason because Lila & Olaf keep young women chained up in the attic & shoot them up with heroin to make them more compliment so when a paying guy comes round looking for sex he can do pretty much anything he wants with them. Mary discovers the horrifying truth but Lila & Olaf force her to become their latest unwilling employee...
This Danish American co-production was directed by Vidal Raski & what an unpleasant boring little film it is too. The script, if you can call it that, by William Mayo is as sleazy as they come. From kidnapped girls who are forced into prostitution, forced heroin addiction, a perverted little dwarf & his ugly old mum, a drug dealer named Santa Claus, rape, whippings all set in a grimy location which they would have to pay me £6 a week to live in rather than the other way around. Dværgen sounds really good doesn't it? Unfortunately I found it a rather tedious & boring film, the character's are awful & there is no development at all, the dialogue is strangely dull & not particularly funny, the pace is slow, the exploitation scenes are few & far between & aren't that graphic anyway. Overall Dværgen has a sleazy feel about it because of the subject matter & the things which are taking place rather than what is actually on screen. I just didn't like it at all really, I found it far too dull & boring to sustain my interesting over 90 odd minutes which felt like a very, very long time.
Director Raski films things in the most dull, bland & amateurish way. This is point, shoot & hope for the best sort of stuff. There's no style or flair here at all, it's not scary & there's no tension or excitement to be found anywhere. Disappointingly it's not even that graphic either, there isn't a drop of blood in it until the very end as someone gets shot & someone falls out of a third storey window. There's a fair amount of female nudity in it but once you see a woman's bit's & pieces it grows old very quickly. The sex is also relatively tame, this is strictly softcore all the way. To be honest if you want porn simply buy a proper hardcore porno, it'll give you more enjoyment than Dværgen ever will.
Technically Dværgen is pretty damned poor, this is an eyesore in fact with horrible photography including jerky camera pans & zooms & lousy production values to boot. The acting sucks as well from a cast of unknowns who thankfully have remained that way ever since.
Dværgen is a poor film only saved by it's sleazy storyline, anyone looking for a mainstream film then Dværgen will be your worst nightmare while anyone looking for some good exploitation will find Dværgen disappointingly slow & tame. Not a film I could, or indeed would, recommend. Dværgen is one that you can safely give a miss.
This Danish American co-production was directed by Vidal Raski & what an unpleasant boring little film it is too. The script, if you can call it that, by William Mayo is as sleazy as they come. From kidnapped girls who are forced into prostitution, forced heroin addiction, a perverted little dwarf & his ugly old mum, a drug dealer named Santa Claus, rape, whippings all set in a grimy location which they would have to pay me £6 a week to live in rather than the other way around. Dværgen sounds really good doesn't it? Unfortunately I found it a rather tedious & boring film, the character's are awful & there is no development at all, the dialogue is strangely dull & not particularly funny, the pace is slow, the exploitation scenes are few & far between & aren't that graphic anyway. Overall Dværgen has a sleazy feel about it because of the subject matter & the things which are taking place rather than what is actually on screen. I just didn't like it at all really, I found it far too dull & boring to sustain my interesting over 90 odd minutes which felt like a very, very long time.
Director Raski films things in the most dull, bland & amateurish way. This is point, shoot & hope for the best sort of stuff. There's no style or flair here at all, it's not scary & there's no tension or excitement to be found anywhere. Disappointingly it's not even that graphic either, there isn't a drop of blood in it until the very end as someone gets shot & someone falls out of a third storey window. There's a fair amount of female nudity in it but once you see a woman's bit's & pieces it grows old very quickly. The sex is also relatively tame, this is strictly softcore all the way. To be honest if you want porn simply buy a proper hardcore porno, it'll give you more enjoyment than Dværgen ever will.
Technically Dværgen is pretty damned poor, this is an eyesore in fact with horrible photography including jerky camera pans & zooms & lousy production values to boot. The acting sucks as well from a cast of unknowns who thankfully have remained that way ever since.
Dværgen is a poor film only saved by it's sleazy storyline, anyone looking for a mainstream film then Dværgen will be your worst nightmare while anyone looking for some good exploitation will find Dværgen disappointingly slow & tame. Not a film I could, or indeed would, recommend. Dværgen is one that you can safely give a miss.
Fans of H.G. Lewis and early John Waters must own this sickie!
Jens-2824 June 1999
"The Sinful Dwarf" is a Danish/American production which actually played in theaters in Denmark (I've talked people to who saw the shocking premiere). The lead actor, Torben Bille, is one the most known dwarf actors in Denmark...I guess, he would rather forget this ultra bizarre piece of sexploitation. Torben lures innocent young girls to his mom's house with help of mechanical toy poodles!! They are drugged & tied up and later abused by "clients" and/or sold into slavery. In between his drunk mom are doin' several musical numbers! The many sexscenes are pretty close to porn and the soundtrack reminded me of Residents! It's like an insane mix between "Bloodsucking Freaks" and "Pink Flamingos" with zero comic relief - this movie will blow your mind! Trash film mogul Harry Novak also backed "Please Don't Eat My Mother", "Kiss Me Quick" etc.
Little evil
kosmasp4 April 2024
No pun intended - I assume you are here for a reason! Also you needed to jump a few hoops to end up here. This is quite the infamous movie - and I was curious! So I went with a US Blu Ray release that had both versions that apparently exist of this movie. And while in Rome (the movie is not playing in Rome mind you) ... well I watched the longer version. And as you can see I am not too impressed.
As I wrote with Blue Balloon (a bonus movie on the disc) - this is a testament of the time it was made. It has like other movies of its time inserted ... scenes with explicit material! Stuff that was shot for certain markets ... to boost the name, to get more fame. Rhyming aside, this does not add any extra value nowadays, but it may have been something people considered back in the day, when they were not able to use the internet to find ... the stuff they were looking for.
This has not aged well, the acting is off ... it does have a sleazy story though ... if that floats your boat, you may find something in here for you ... I can not with a clear conscious give this any kind of recommendation ... if you are curious like me, feel free to give it a go ... don't be surprised if you don't like it though ... which is very likely.
As I wrote with Blue Balloon (a bonus movie on the disc) - this is a testament of the time it was made. It has like other movies of its time inserted ... scenes with explicit material! Stuff that was shot for certain markets ... to boost the name, to get more fame. Rhyming aside, this does not add any extra value nowadays, but it may have been something people considered back in the day, when they were not able to use the internet to find ... the stuff they were looking for.
This has not aged well, the acting is off ... it does have a sleazy story though ... if that floats your boat, you may find something in here for you ... I can not with a clear conscious give this any kind of recommendation ... if you are curious like me, feel free to give it a go ... don't be surprised if you don't like it though ... which is very likely.
Truly sleazy and depraved dwarfsploitation flick.
HumanoidOfFlesh28 June 2005
"The Sinful Dwarf" by Vidal Raski is about a creepy,leering,evil dwarf named Olaf who uses wind-up toy poodles as bait to capture beautiful young girls so he can tie them up in his attic,abuse them and sell their pretty bodies into slavery.This little known sickie is as outrageously sleazy and depraved as they get.The title sequence is wonderful,the newlywed couple is genuinely sympathetic and there is enough sex,rape,torture and drug addiction to satisfy fans of sleazy grindhouse cinema.The nudity is often full frontal and the camera spends plenty of time lingering on the girls as they lie naked on dirty mattresses in their grime covered room.Torben Bille is very convincing as a sleazy dwarf and his grotesque grin is truly bone-chilling."The Sinful Dwarf" is often compared to "Bloodsucking Freaks",so if you like them dirty give it a look.This is surely mean and twisted piece of exploitation trash.7 out of 10.
There are more toys... upstairs.
Peasie14 September 2004
Why hasn't this movie been rereleased in the box office? Best damn movie ever. Well... that is if you like illegal prostitution, heroine, elderly topless dancing, and dwarfs... dwarfs are always fun... plus he has a weird accent, and says- "...because.. you have the key," and "there are more toys... upstairs." Classic perverse dwarf lines. The way he drools when he uses that cane of his in an un-cane-ly fashion is just splendid aswell. See it. Laugh. Sobriety may have a negative affect on your potential enjoyment of the film. The music chosen to lay as a backdrop to this movie was a nice touch, it really adds that creepy foreign dwarf feel. Especially when he's watching the British people do the nasty. The "prostitution" scenes are a little hard to take, but then there's a freakish dwarf who comes in and makes it all better. Also, note the symbolism of the wind up toys at the end. You'll notice the puppy, and the giration of the dwarf are almost perfectly synchronized to the music of 50 Cent's first album. It's just like The Wizard of Oz and Pink Floyd. Only much better.
Size doesn't matter....Depravity does!
Coventry4 July 2006
Why, in heaven's name, would anyone want to watch a trashy movie about a perverted midget who keeps heroine-addicted girls imprisoned in his attic? Well personally, I had TWO damn good reasons to track this sick movie down! First of all because it's generally known as a unique and ultra-rare exploitation gem, or more particularly, "the reigning king of dwarfsploitation cinema", like my fellow reviewer teptime put it so poetically! Secondly, I have a bizarre phobia of "little people" and every film featuring dwarfs, whether horror or another genre, simply scares the hell out of me. So, if I ever need a reason to justify why I watch sick stuff like this, I'll just claim it was part of my therapy! Hence, despite that the screenplay doesn't really focus on tension or atmosphere, I found this movie to be rather unsettling at times. Olaf, portrayed by the Danish actor Torben Bille, certainly isn't the most freaky-looking dwarf in horror cinema history (his face strangely resemblances that of comedian Jack Black, actually), but he has quite an evil laugh and his dedication towards noisy children's toys truly sent cold shivers down my spine. Olaf lives together with his mother and runs a boarding house. As a slightly more profitable profession, they also have an attic full of attractive young girls that serve as prostitutes for a selected group of customers. Olaf keeps the girls calm and willing by injecting heroine up their veins and offering them toys. Their business becomes endangered when a young couple moves into the house and questions the strange sounds coming from the attic. "The Sinful Dwarf" is an extremely sleazy motion picture, with raw female full frontal nudity in nearly every sequence and a gigantic amount of rapes, beatings and vile torture. Other than that, there's very little to see here and the pace is too frequently undercut by overlong and dire scenes of Olaf's mother and some other granny thinking back about their glorious days as cabaret singers. How this is relevant in any possible way, don't even ask
The young couple, especially the girl, are surprisingly likable characters and their acting skills aren't even that bad. The picture quality is very poor and the sound regularly fell out, but hey, the immeasurable cult-value makes up for pretty much everything. "The Sinful Dwarf" is an absolute must for collectors, sick puppies and not to forget other people with a inexplicable fear for little persons.
The Sinful Dwarf Rulez!
mesmeric8 March 2004
Yes, this is a sleazy movie. Yes, it was filmed with cheap cameras on a budget of about 2 dollars. Yes, there is a lot of full frontal nudity. But it actually works! The film is certainly interesting and is now my favorite sleaze-ploitation movie next to People Under the Stairs. If you are easily offended, rent Bambi. If you want a dirty, grimy piece of Eurotrash early 70s film-making, this is a classic that you must see! Olaf the sinful dwarf is absolutely wonderful and his tone-deaf mother singing cabaret songs while he menaces the girls in the attic with his cane is over the top terrific. Not to everyone's taste, but a true gem to those who love sleaze.
Not only is the dwarf in this film sinful, but he's damn scary to boot!
BA_Harrison18 December 2014
Olaf (Torben Bille), a bizarre dwarf with a limp and a strange love of wind-up toys, lives with his ex-entertainer mother, Lila Lash (Clara Keller), in their run-down boarding house. With business a little slow (thanks to the hot and cold running mice and decor courtesy of the Munsters), they supplement their income by running a prostitution racket, keeping a collection of abducted women trapped in the attic and drugged-up on heroin.
When a struggling young writer, Peter (Tony Eades), and his hot-to-trot wife Mary (stunning busty blonde Anne Sparrow) choose the Lash boarding house as their new home (not that they have any other options, since they are skint), Olaf and Lila are delighted: Mary would make a profitable addition to their business. But first, they must get rid of Peter...
Opening with a sequence in which Olaf uses a wind-up dog to lure a sexy brunette (who is playing hopscotch all by herself on the sidewalk!) to his home, before bashing her over the head with his walking stick, The Sinful Dwarf is an enjoyably silly and pretty darn sleazy film from the get-go.
And, after a freaky title sequence featuring garish credits and a variety of unsettling toys, the depravity and lunacy continues unabated for the full hour-and-a-half(-ish) running time, with plenty of full-frontal female nudity (and a smattering of male nudity too), a few near the knuckle sex scenes, a touch of torture (Olaf is pretty handy with a whip), forced heroin taking, rape, a slime-ball drug-dealer named Santa Claus, voyeurism, and some terrible musical numbers courtesy of old lush Lila.
Torben Bille is very memorable as the evil titular dwarf (and is liable to give those fearful of 'little people' a few sleepless nights), but, for me, the star of the whole affair is definitely the winsome Anne Sparrow, who looks great throughout. Wearing a variety of tight fitting outfits (at least until she is stripped by Olaf), Ms. Sparrow is a delight to behold. What a shame that this was her only film appearance.
The Sinful Dwarf is not going to be to everyone's taste (hence its low low IMDb rating), but those of us who love obscure cinematic oddities loaded with sleaze will have a fun time with this one-of-a-kind movie.
When a struggling young writer, Peter (Tony Eades), and his hot-to-trot wife Mary (stunning busty blonde Anne Sparrow) choose the Lash boarding house as their new home (not that they have any other options, since they are skint), Olaf and Lila are delighted: Mary would make a profitable addition to their business. But first, they must get rid of Peter...
Opening with a sequence in which Olaf uses a wind-up dog to lure a sexy brunette (who is playing hopscotch all by herself on the sidewalk!) to his home, before bashing her over the head with his walking stick, The Sinful Dwarf is an enjoyably silly and pretty darn sleazy film from the get-go.
And, after a freaky title sequence featuring garish credits and a variety of unsettling toys, the depravity and lunacy continues unabated for the full hour-and-a-half(-ish) running time, with plenty of full-frontal female nudity (and a smattering of male nudity too), a few near the knuckle sex scenes, a touch of torture (Olaf is pretty handy with a whip), forced heroin taking, rape, a slime-ball drug-dealer named Santa Claus, voyeurism, and some terrible musical numbers courtesy of old lush Lila.
Torben Bille is very memorable as the evil titular dwarf (and is liable to give those fearful of 'little people' a few sleepless nights), but, for me, the star of the whole affair is definitely the winsome Anne Sparrow, who looks great throughout. Wearing a variety of tight fitting outfits (at least until she is stripped by Olaf), Ms. Sparrow is a delight to behold. What a shame that this was her only film appearance.
The Sinful Dwarf is not going to be to everyone's taste (hence its low low IMDb rating), but those of us who love obscure cinematic oddities loaded with sleaze will have a fun time with this one-of-a-kind movie.
A depraved, violent dwarf... Harmless fun for fans of the bizarre.
insomniac_rod9 June 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Thank you Something Weird Video! Thank you for rescuing this dirty little gem. The man who invented dwarfsploitation should be in Heaven. "The Sinful Dwarf" starts with some bizarre images and music and ends the same way. This movie is obviously extreme low budget but that's what makes it disturbing. Also, this is the perfect example of exploitation. Here, the dwarf does EVERYTHING. It's like a freak show turned into a Horror movie.
This Olaf. Our star. What a guy. He likes to stab teddy bears (oh but for criminal purposes), whack innocent girls , and even has time for a little voyeurism.
Our dirty little friend has a weird behavior that even makes their guests feel uncomfortable. His depraved smile makes him look more menacing. So does his accent (love the way he pronounces "finishes"). He and his alcoholic mother run a prostitution net, oh, and they consume and use heroin for criminal purposes... and that's all you need to know. Relax, sit down, and watch this movie with low expectations. You might feel amused. It's like going to a depraved circus.
One of the best features of the movie is the fact that Olaf is creepy. Not because of his physical features, but because of his behavior. He's an effective villain.
Also, the steamy sex scene between the main couple deserves especial mention. It's pretty good and damn long. The blonde woman is very hot and has some acting skills.
I won't get into details of the movie because it obviously does not follow strictly a plot. The producers thought that it was enough to show a dwarf drugging and torturing woman. What else do you need? The movie is poorly directed, written, and acted. But I guess that those elements make it a delight to watch for fans of the bizarre. The movie is creepy itself because of the weirdness of the events. The gore is minimal but works for the movie's purpose. The movie is boring at some points because it goes nowhere; there are scenes of tortured girls followed immediately by scenes of Olaf just hanging around, then scenes with his mother talking crap, and then the couple having breakfast... a little continuity wouldn't harm. We even get two really bizarre musical acts where Olaf plays the piano and his mother sings. Damn weirdness. But I gotta admit that the mother is a hell of a good dancer. I can say that this movie will not please any Horror fan as there isn't an interesting plot or the scare factor is absent.
"The Sinful Dwarf" is a piece of bizarre film making for fans of exploitation in all aspects. The best way to describe the movie is where Olaf and his mother tie and struggle with the main female character while an obviously intoxicated victim watches in awe and fun, with horrible 70's music on the background. That scene sums all the movie.
The ending left a lot to desire. They could at least used a more believable dummy to throw from the window. Still, we get a happy ending. Do yourself a favor and get this movie. It won't let you down. Olaf is a great entertainer.
This Olaf. Our star. What a guy. He likes to stab teddy bears (oh but for criminal purposes), whack innocent girls , and even has time for a little voyeurism.
Our dirty little friend has a weird behavior that even makes their guests feel uncomfortable. His depraved smile makes him look more menacing. So does his accent (love the way he pronounces "finishes"). He and his alcoholic mother run a prostitution net, oh, and they consume and use heroin for criminal purposes... and that's all you need to know. Relax, sit down, and watch this movie with low expectations. You might feel amused. It's like going to a depraved circus.
One of the best features of the movie is the fact that Olaf is creepy. Not because of his physical features, but because of his behavior. He's an effective villain.
Also, the steamy sex scene between the main couple deserves especial mention. It's pretty good and damn long. The blonde woman is very hot and has some acting skills.
I won't get into details of the movie because it obviously does not follow strictly a plot. The producers thought that it was enough to show a dwarf drugging and torturing woman. What else do you need? The movie is poorly directed, written, and acted. But I guess that those elements make it a delight to watch for fans of the bizarre. The movie is creepy itself because of the weirdness of the events. The gore is minimal but works for the movie's purpose. The movie is boring at some points because it goes nowhere; there are scenes of tortured girls followed immediately by scenes of Olaf just hanging around, then scenes with his mother talking crap, and then the couple having breakfast... a little continuity wouldn't harm. We even get two really bizarre musical acts where Olaf plays the piano and his mother sings. Damn weirdness. But I gotta admit that the mother is a hell of a good dancer. I can say that this movie will not please any Horror fan as there isn't an interesting plot or the scare factor is absent.
"The Sinful Dwarf" is a piece of bizarre film making for fans of exploitation in all aspects. The best way to describe the movie is where Olaf and his mother tie and struggle with the main female character while an obviously intoxicated victim watches in awe and fun, with horrible 70's music on the background. That scene sums all the movie.
The ending left a lot to desire. They could at least used a more believable dummy to throw from the window. Still, we get a happy ending. Do yourself a favor and get this movie. It won't let you down. Olaf is a great entertainer.
A sinful pleasure
augustian13 March 2017
Danish girls, it would seem, are suckers for mechanical poodles. How else to explain the success of the Dwarf (Torben Bille) as he lures young girls to his attic where they are drugged up and sold for sex to clients wanting to satisfy their own perversions. As the old adage goes, behind every successful man there is a woman, and the woman in this case is the Dwarf's mother, Lila Lash, (Clara Keller) a woman who likes a tipple or two, or more. They run a down-beat boarding house which a young married couple book into once the mother realises that the wife is young and attractive.
While the husband is at a meeting, the wife becomes the Dwarf's next victim and is soon drugged up in the attic with the husband trying to find out what happened to her. The sex scenes in the attic are quite graphic depending on which version you see. The uncut version from AWE strays into hard porn territory although the extra footage is only a couple of minutes more than the Rated Export Version, also from AWE. Torben Bille gives a brilliant performance as the insane perverted Dwarf and Clara Keller goes all-out as the drunken faded theatre star.
Whether watching the uncut or the cut version of this film, this film is a bit of a guilty pleasure with a good story line and superb acting from the two leading cast members. The ending was a bit brief but at least it did not drag on for too long.
While the husband is at a meeting, the wife becomes the Dwarf's next victim and is soon drugged up in the attic with the husband trying to find out what happened to her. The sex scenes in the attic are quite graphic depending on which version you see. The uncut version from AWE strays into hard porn territory although the extra footage is only a couple of minutes more than the Rated Export Version, also from AWE. Torben Bille gives a brilliant performance as the insane perverted Dwarf and Clara Keller goes all-out as the drunken faded theatre star.
Whether watching the uncut or the cut version of this film, this film is a bit of a guilty pleasure with a good story line and superb acting from the two leading cast members. The ending was a bit brief but at least it did not drag on for too long.
JACK BLACK'S MINI ME!
uncapie21 April 2004
Outrageous! I had only heard of this film and by luck I got a copy of it! Weird, wild, demented...yes, it's all of these, but the strangest thing is the DWARF LOOKS LIKE A MINIATURE VERSION OF JACK BLACK! Watch his mannerisms! Especially when the dwarf chortles and drools with glee in the toy shop. Amazing! I couldn't stop laughing at this picture! The mother is this bizarre Norma Desmond song and dance cast-off. Creepy! This movie should be remade today with Black as the dwarf, Joan Cusack as the mother, John Cusack as the writer/husband, Jennifer Anniston as the wife, bring back David Lynch from whatever abyss he's hiding in to direct and have Roger Corman produce it. NOW THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT.
good things come in small packages
michellelocke00721 January 2010
bought this movie when it was finally released on DVD. wanted to check it out first as i had heard so many deranged reviews about this nasty little film. pure exploitation at its best. loved the theme of it and that the title character was a dwarf, midget, little person, whatever one considers politically correct. the fact that torben billie used to be a fromer kiddie show host makes it all the more interesting. as the description says, he resembles a deranged jack black. with an abundance of nudity and just enough depravity to keep viewers interested, i liked the film. take it for what it is. there's no moral to the story and no happy ending. just good old fashion craziness.
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