The original title of Berserk! (1967) was Circus of Blood
Why did the film's star, Joan Crawford, request a change?
As one of the last feature films before her death in 1977, Joan Crawford had grown a fair amount during her time in Hollywood. Beginning her career in silent films, Crawford became well known as a leading lady after Hollywood’s transition to sound.
Though her success waned in the late 1930s and early 1940s, Crawford was nothing if not adaptable. By the 1960s, Crawford had found new life in the horror genre, starring in films like Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962).
In the years following, Crawford would also star in horror movies like Berserk! (1967). Crawford called the film “a good gutsy melodrama” during an interview with the Associated Press.
Having remade herself over and over again in Hollywood, Crawford was a seasoned pro by the 1960s, and she knew what it took to make a movie successful. In fact, originally, Berserk! was planned to be released under a different title before Crawford had her say.
“They wanted to call it Circus of Blood or Circus of Fear, but I got my own way in the end.”
Though Crawford called the life of an actor “the loneliest life in the world,” she was committed to her craft in a way that few performers were.
“This is the most fascinating business in the world,” Crawford said during an interview with the Telegram & Gazette. “I love everything about it. How could I ever get weary of something so invigorating?”
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