IMDb > Homicidal (1961)

Homicidal (1961) More at IMDbPro »


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Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   870 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Robb White (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Homicidal on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
June 1961 (USA) more
Tagline:
A WORD OF WARNING! Please don't reveal the ending of this picture or your friends will kill you - IF THEY DON'T, I WILL! - William Castle more
Plot:
The brutal stabbing murder of a justice-of-the-peace sparks an investigation of dark family secrets in a sleepy small town in Southern California. full summary | add synopsis
NewsDesk:
(9 articles)
DVD: Review:The William Castle Film Collection
 (From The AV Club. 10 November 2009, 10:01 PM, PST)

New on DVD This Week
 (From The Flickcast. 20 October 2009, 1:00 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Strange, entertaining and fun! more (58 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Glenn Corbett ... Karl Anderson
Patricia Breslin ... Miriam Webster
Eugenie Leontovich ... Helga Swenson
Alan Bunce ... Doctor Jonas
Richard Rust ... Jim Nesbitt
James Westerfield ... Alfred S. Adrims (Justice of the Peace)
Gilbert Green ... Lt. Miller
Joan Marshall ... Emily / Warren (as Jean Arless)
more
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Additional Details

Runtime:
87 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
Finland:K-15 (2005) | UK:12 (1996) | UK:X (1961) (cut) | USA:Unrated
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
In the final reel, when Miriam is about to go into the house for the big climax, there was a one minute "Fright Break" in which producer/director William Castle advised the audience that anyone too scared to see the climax could go into the lobby and get their money back. For this gimmick, Columbia shipped a cardboard "Coward's Corner" to theaters playing the film. Supposedly, audience members too frightened to see the climax could go to the "Coward's Corner" and wait there until the film ended and the rest of the audience filed past. more
Goofs:
Continuity: At the beginning of the movie, the calendar in the hotel shows the date as September 5th. Miriam/Emily tells the bellhop they must marry on September 6th (this is so they will be married by Warren's 21st birthday). But in a close-up of Warren's birth certificate, it shows August 7th, 1940 as his birth date. So they're gonna have to wait nearly a year to celebrate. more
Quotes:
Miriam Webster: I remember when we were kids, you took this doll away from me and I never saw it again.
Warren: You want it? Take it.
more
Movie Connections:
References 13 Ghosts (1960) more

FAQ

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful.
Strange, entertaining and fun!, 31 October 2006
7/10
Author: ags123 from Atlanta, Georgia

"Homicidal" is a very strange movie. It's among the best of William Castle's gimmicky horror films, but unlike any of them. Fans of "camp" should have a field day with this one. Jean Arless plays a fascinating part, but her obvious disguises and stilted acting are sorely out of step with everyone else's naturalistic looks and behavior. However, the story is absorbing, clever and ultimately entertaining. Films that take their cue from "Psycho" normally make me bristle, but this time it's actually quite interesting to catch the references as they continue to pile up (There are so many). Would love to know what Hitchcock thought of this movie.

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more (58 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Homicidal (1961)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Entertaining but improbable brand78
Am I the only one who found Warren's dubbed voice to be distracting? danielscissorhands
Television ads for this movie scared me waterless as a child mlraymond
Warren sir_knightrider_III
Emily's murder weapon a private joke? mlraymond
Miriam's name is a pun b-rad
more

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