Monica Rivers, is the owner and ringmaster of a traveling circus and who’ll stop at nothing to draw bigger audiences. When a series of mysterious murders begins to occur and some of her performers die gruesomely, her profits soar. She hires high-wire walker Frank Hawkins, impressed by the handsome and muscular young man. They begin an affair which arouses her previous lover Durando’s jealousy. When Durando is found dead shortly afterward, the other performers begin to take alarm, as a mysterious killer is obviously loose in their midst. Many suspect Monica herself of the killings, especially Matilda, who has set her sights on Monica’s new lover. At this point, Monica’s unruly, sixteen-year-old daughter Angela, is expelled from school for being incorrigible and Monica is forced to take her into the circus, allowing her to become the partner of knife-thrower Gustavo. Meanwhile, the dead bodies continue to pile up… —IMDb
The implausibility and absurdity of the finale seems to completely obliterate any prior positives the film had going for it. I don’t think my opinion of a film has ever changed as quickly as it did with "Berserk". I went from ‘pleasantly surprised’ in the first 93 mins to ‘so ridiculous, it’s funny’ in the last 3 mins. Not recommended unless you're a huge Crawford fan.
Unremarkable B-movie big top murder mystery was one of Joan Crawford's later paychecks. The plot is slow-paced and the conclusion of the mystery not too satisfying. Much of the running time is padded out with full-length circus acts (including some sideshow performers in a very fun offbeat musical number), which are often more entertaining than the story itself. Watchable, but instantly forgettable.