BAZAAR BIZARRE

Just looking at the cover art for Bazaar Bizarre is enough to make most people take a big step back.  Like many Troma films, it gives you the feeling that you're in for a combination of graphic violence and porn, and to an extent, you are.  You're also in for a curious examination of the life and crimes of Bob Berdella as hosted by renowned crime author James Ellroy.

 

In 1988 Kansas City residents were shocked to learn that Bob Berdella was not simply an eccentric shop owner with an interest in the occult, but a sodomist and a murderer who carefully documented his acts of violence with Polaroids and detailed notes.  The truth is likely far more twisted than the darkest imagination could conjure, so it follows that much of Bazaar Bizarre is deeply unsettling. 

 

Interviews with locals, reenactments, and, ahem, musical numbers make up the film, creating a finished product that is as unique as it is alarming.  What saves it, however, is its acknowledgement of the horrors it portrays.  Never is Bob Berdella glorified, nor are his victims exploited.  Bazaar Bizarre is simply an unflinching portrait of a very sick man, creatively pieced together through innovative filmmaking.  Though certainly not for everyone, it's well done for what it is.

 

DVD extras include a "Postmortem" talk with the cast and crew, deleted scenes, and Tromatic Extras.