The acts included Zamora the torture king (real name Tim Cridland), who would pierce his skin with all kinds of implements. He’d also lay on top of sharpened weapons and have a cinder block broken over his chest. Beatrice Aschard, aka Bebe the circus queen and Rose’s wife, would have a watermelon sliced by a machete while it was balancing on her neck, among a bevy of other performances. Paul Lawerence started off as Slugs before changing his stage name to The Enigma. The sword swallower would also eat slugs and eventually covered his entire body in tattoos and whatnot to become something beyond human. Matt “The Tube” Crowley ingested a tube and had all manner of things pumped into and out of him, brewing “Bile Beer.” But everyone who saw the show agreed that the best act was Joe Hermann, performing as The Amazing Mr. Lifto. He could clamp chains to his nipples and groin and use them to lift weights and other heavy objects.
Circus Of The Scars is as exhaustive a narrative as one could hope for on this subject. Most of the players are interviewed, and archival footage is extensively used. This does mean parts feel repetitive, as each person goes into their perspective on specific issues. A variation of “Touring was fun, but you do it long enough, and seeing the same people day in, day out starts to grate” is spoken by just about everyone. It is remarkable that everyone who participated gets a say on every major moment, but it does mean some stories are told often. On the flip side, it is genuinely awesome that so many people willingly take part. Wees and Gregor allow the audience to truly understand Rose, Cridland, Aschard, and the rest, warts and all. Each person’s introduction takes time to establish why they were looking for an avenue off the mainstream ramp. Everyone’s story, why they stayed, why they left, all make complete sense, and just about everything one could want to know is covered at some point. Circus Of The Scars is sometimes repetitive, but that’s a byproduct of overturning every stone and getting as many viewpoints as possible. But this is an engaging documentary thanks to the subjects’ personalities and the skillful way the filmmaker interweaves the interviews with archival footage and the one-of-a-kind story. For more information, visit the official Circus Of The Scars site.
