The Great Harry Reems plays a typical guy, who is romantic and caring, and who goes over the edge when he finds his beautiful wife with her throat slit in their living room. First seeking the oblivion of alcohol, before deciding to hunt down the man responsible for the spate of vicious sexual assaults and murders that have been happening throughout the city.
What can be said of Zebedy Colt? Certainly NOT that the guy couldn't act. Colt turns in a notably chilling, twisted performance as the sex maniac with multiple personalities, including a little boy, and his sexually repressed, murderous mother! Unless you are really looking for nothing more than shock value, you might be relieved that the throat cuttings and decapitations tastefully happen off camera, unlike "Forced Entry," which forces the viewer (effectively) into another state of mind, due to it's hate-edged depictions of bloody killings.
"Sex Wish" deserves to be restored, like so many other lost films, as it's a fascinating example of 1970's porn, as well as just being a good film. Right now it is very hard to find.. I believe the reputation of "Sex Wish" is worse than the actual film. Because of the intense subject matter viewers imagine that they are seeing more than what is depicted on screen There is actually very little on screen sex, for a "porn film." So much time is spent on the story, which for once, is truly engaging and quite fascinating. Reems gets to exercise his acting chops like never before, as his role calls for him to develop from a happy, care-free and devoted husband, to an emotional wreck, and then again, into a vengeful man whose anger has changed him into a man obsessed with finding and destroying an evil psychopath, as he prowls the streets of 1970's NYC, methodically gathering clues that will bring about a final resolution. Unless I saw a censored print, all the gore that people talk about, is not present. There are throat cuttings and stabbings, and even a vicious castration; however we see none of it, as these horrors tastefully happen off camera. The fact that audiences recall intense, gory killings that actually aren't shown, is mere testament to the strong writing and believable performances present. And likewise, for a film that's a part of the "roughie" genre, there is a noticeable absence of those open clit, "gynocological" closeups that only cheapen these movies; in that respect, "Sex Wish" is almost...tasteful. A perfect comparison would be the other film starring Reems, that shared similar themes of brutality; "Forced Entry,' a truly vile and unpleasant movie experience, that does show everything, and leaves nothing to the imagination. Throat cuttings, breast stabbings etc are shown in graphic detail, along with the ugly hardcore footage that is, for lack of a better word...gross. And that movie gets so much more recognition today, than "Sex Wish," a film that is infinitely superior in every way. So for fans of the 'Rape/Revenge' genre, and for those curious about the "roughie" genre, "Sex Wish" is a good place to start, as it is one of the absolute best of the bunch.
