Homicidal (1961)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

William Castle

Writer:

Robb White (writer)

Release Date:

June 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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

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.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Wheelchair | Justice Of The Peace | Transvestite | Blood

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)

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-15 (2005) | UK:12 (1996) | UK:X (1961) (cut) | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Solvang, California, USA

Company:

William Castle Productions

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.

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.

Quotes:

Emily: If you do not leave this house in the next minute, I will kill you!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story (2007)

"If you stay in this house one more minute, I'm going to kill you!"

This is yet another classic from William Castle, the king of the gimmicks. The gimmick used for this film, often compared with "Psycho", was the idea of a "Fright Break" during which the viewer has 30 seconds to determine if they want to see the 'terrifying' conclusion to the film. When released in theaters initially, there was a separate section that patrons could go to during the "Fright Break". Gimmicks aside this is a very well crafted, often goofy, and quite effective little thriller. The murders, acting, and storyline are all over the top and everyone in the movie puts on quite an effective performance. Standing out in her role as Emily is Jean Arliss. It seems that Emily is quite disturbed as the movie opens with an alarming murder sequence. The story goes downhill from there and, just when you think you have all of the answers, the film changes the questions! The ending is very shocking for first time viewers and yet this is the kind of film that also gets more and more entertaining with each additional viewing. Highly recommended for horror fans, even though it's often compared with "Psycho" I feel that the film stands out on it's own and it's ending is actually more effective than Hitchcock's. Watch this movie, you won't regret it!