The US version was compared to the uncut version.

The man with the steel claw

Matthew is in a mental hospital because he ran over his father with a tractor when he was a little boy. As a result, Matthew has lost his arm, which is now replaced by a prosthesis. When Matthew is discharged, he realizes with horror that his mother has married the neighbor Mack Parsons. Driven by hatred and jealousy, Matthew takes an axe and uses it to kill Mack, accidentally hitting his mother on a stone when she sees what happened. Matthew flees and increasingly falls into madness. In visions, he sees the corpses of his mother and Mack, which drive him to further murders. When he meets the pretty prostitute Vera one day in a city, she reminds him of his mother. The two become friends, but when Vera starts to become annoyed by Matthew's pushy manner, he takes her hostage. Vera desperately tries to escape the mad Matthew.

In the best Grindhouse manner, Matthew creeps through the film with his steel claw, always haunted by the vengeful ghost of his mother. Driven by the Oedipus complex, he searches for a woman who resembles his mother, which eventually becomes the fate of the prostitute Vera. Delusional camera angles and image distortions let us dive into the disturbed psyche of a man who does not even shy away from dismembering innocent dogs. A thoroughly mean, nasty shocker that maintains its lunatic pace over the course of its duration. An absolute must-see experience for exploitation fans.

Uncut version released in Germany on DVD

The German DVD by Cine Club / Retrofilm contains two cuts of the film. One is the US version in widescreen, trimmed in plot, and the longer, uncut version in full screen. The scenes missing in the US version were re-integrated into the film from a worse image source. Both versions have the German and English sound throughout. You can be very satisfied with the German release. The film can be found in the US public domain and in various collections or single editions, but always only in the shorter US version. The release of the unedited version is something special.

Image comparison:

US version:

Uncut:

Runtimes:

US version: 82:41 min.
Uncut: 91:01 min.

[00:01:40][00:01:40]

Alternative title insertion.

No time difference.


[00:12:42][00:12:42]

Matthew takes his dead mother in his arms. He says he didn't mean to hurt her. She can't leave him alone.

Uncut: 37 sec.


[00:15:35][00:16:12]

Matthew says that he would rather sit on the riverbank. Lex runs to him and says that his hand doesn't have to be uncomfortable. Matthew says that he just doesn't feel like it. Lex and Brenda are still romping around in the water.

Uncut: 38 sec.


[00:20:25][00:21:39]

After Matthew gets off, he looks at the boats on the water and walks down to the shore. He lets some stones jump over the water.

He wakes up on a stone and sees the bodies of his mother and stepfather again. In reality, it is a couple that also sat by the water. Matthew takes a steel pipe that he finds in the sand and follows the couple. In the city, he loses their trail and furiously throws the steel pipe to the ground. Matthew sees Vera painting in front of her house.

Uncut: 3:28 Min.


[00:36:52][00:41:35]

Matthew and the housemaid Bridey-Lee come into the kitchen. The dog starts growling at Matthew. He asks if he is sure he will not bite. The housekeeper finds this funny, because otherwise the dog never growls. She suspects that Matthew has a dog himself. Another reason for the growl could be blood, but she thinks that Matthew certainly does not have fresh blood on him. Matthew says that he is not hurt.

Uncut: 28 sec.


[00:38:40][00:43:52]

The distorted image of the dead Bridey-Lee can be seen longer. Matthew threatens the dog that he will be next if he makes a sound. He hangs up the telephone receiver, from which the time announcement sounds, again.

Matthew walks through the house and hears the old lady calling for Bridey-Lee. He runs up the stairs.

Uncut: 1:15 min.


[00:41:00][00:47:26]

After Matthew has killed the dog, he wants to take a shower in the house. For that, he puts down his prosthetic arm.

Uncut: 29 sec.


[00:43:57][00:50:52]

Matthew and Vera walk to the house. Vera is amazed how big the villa is.

In the villa, Vera is amazed by the furnishings. Matthew wants to show her the dining room.

Uncut: 48 sec.


[00:54:40][01:02:23]

After Matthew has forced Vera to eat, a new scene follows. Matthew places Vera in front of a television set. He tells her that he is now going to her house to get her things and also leaves a note for her friends that she has left. He tells her that he will miss her and says goodbye.

Uncut: 38 sec.