Anatomy of a Psycho (1961)

The crazed brother of a condemned killer sent to the gas chamber swears vengeance on those he holds responsible for his brother's execution.

Director:

Boris Petroff (as Brooke L. Peters)

Writers:

Jane Mann (original story), Jane Mann (screenplay)

Stars:

Ronnie Burns, Pamela Lincoln, Darrell Howe

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ronnie Burns	...	Mickey
Pamela Lincoln	...	Pat
Darrell Howe	...	Chet
Judy Howard	...	Sandy
Michael Granger	...	Lt. Mac (as Michael Grainger)
Frank Killmond	...	Bobbie
Russ Bender	...	Frank (as Russell Bender)
Don Devlin	...	Moe
William Salzwedel	...	Duke
Robert Stabler	...	Defense Attorney
John B. Lee	...	District Attorney

Storyline

Driven to the edge of insanity by the execution of his older brother, Chet is boiling over with hatred. After getting his face slashed in a senseless alley-way brawl, his paranoia begins to paint everyone around him as an enemy. He turns to his sweet younger sister, his slutty girlfriend, and even his old poker buddies for solace, but all of them have real or imagined links back to the ill-fated trial that condemned his brother, thus aggravating Chet's psychosis. After viciously assaulting the prosecuting attorney's son, the troubled youth draws the relentless attention of detective Lt. Mac. Spiraling out of control, Chet commits an arson and then a senseless murder. With Lt. Mac ratcheting up the pressure, Chet sinks deeper and deeper into the bottomless pit of his own psychotic delusions.

---

Plot Keywords:

arson | killer | attorney | murder | courtroom drama | 

---

Taglines:

Terrifying!

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 June 1961 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

UNITEL

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Glen Glenn Sound) (as Glen Glen Sound)

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final film of Ronnie Burns.

User Reviews

Have fun trying to stay awake through this

Upon its original release, "Anatomy of a Psycho" was marketed as a horror film. Despite the continuance of this by various public domain labels, its really a 50s juvenile delinquency flick with a slightly nuttier than usual protagonist. Hey, thats hardly a problem with me as I love these old troubled teenager flicks. They often rise above their limitations and have a genuinely cool atmosphere despite not being great films per say. "High School Confidential", "High School Caesar", and "High School Big Shot" are all examples of entertaining J.D. flicks. "Anatomy of a Psycho" on the other hand is very lame.

The film is a waste of time for several reasons. The main one is the direction by Boris Petroff. I don't except Fellini stylistics from these films, but Petroff is such an inept director that he can't even keep this film at a decent pace. Its only seventy minutes, but it feels twice as long. Also, after a reasonably promising first half (one with several bits of violence and a generally nihilistic atmosphere for its time), the film becomes an insufferably dull courtroom drama for the last forty minutes or so. I generally can't stand court room dramas, and this is no exception. Its just a bunch of knee jerk moralizing instead of the antisocial behavior I look for in these films. The fact the lead actor Ronnie Burns (the son of George and Gracie) has the charisma of a vacuum cleaner doesn't help. Oh yeah, the ending is a major let down as well. Avoid this and check out one of the better 50s juvenile flicks mentioned earlier. (2/10)