Homicidal (1961)

Director:

William Castle

Writer:

Robb White (written by)

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 | Justice Of The Peace | Wheelchair | Curtain Call | Transsexual

Cast

Glenn Corbett	...	Karl Anderson
Patricia Breslin	...	Miriam Webster
Eugenie Leontovich	...	Helga Swenson
Alan Bunce	...	Doctor Jonas
Richard Rust	...	Jim Nesbitt
James Westerfield	...	Mr. Adrims
Gilbert Green	...	Lt. Miller
Joan Marshall	...	Emily (as Jean Arless)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Wolfe Barzell	...	Olie (uncredited)
Teri Brooks	...	Mrs. Forest (uncredited)
William Castle	...	Himself (uncredited)
Joseph Forte	...	Second Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
Ralph Moody	...	First Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
'Snub' Pollard	...	Bellhop (uncredited)
Hope Summers	...	Mrs. Martha Adrims (uncredited)

Directed by
William Castle

Writing credits
Robb White		(written by)

Produced by
William Castle	....	producer
Dona Holloway	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Hugo Friedhofer

Cinematography by
Burnett Guffey

Film Editing by
Edwin H. Bryant		(as Edwin Bryant)

Art Direction by
Cary Odell

Set Decoration by
Darrell Silvera

Makeup Department
Ben Lane	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Al Shenberg	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Lambert E. Day	....	sound (as Lambert Day)
Charles J. Rice	....	sound supervisor

Other crew
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• William Castle Productions

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1961) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD) (William Castle Collection)
• Universal Pictures Finland Oy (2005) (Finland) (DVD)

Other Companies

• American International Video Search Inc.  video

Also Known As:

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

Solvang, California, USA

Company:

William Castle Productions

Trivia:

The premiere was held at the Palace Theatre in Youngstown, Ohio with producer William Castle in attendance.

Goofs:

Plot holes: At the beginning of the movie, the calendar in the hotel shows the date as September 5th. 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:

Karl Anderson:Is there any way to tell?
Doctor Jonas:[Distracted after a long pause] Hah? Tell what, Karl?
Karl Anderson:Well. If a person's homicidal?
Doctor Jonas:[giving him a prescription] There you are. No... That's what makes them so dangerous. They can change from being your friend into your murderer in a second's time!

Movie Connections:

References The Tingler (1959)

Fun stuff

William Castle's little fright flick was obviously rushed into production to cash in on the Psycho craze. However, it is surprising how well it stands on it's own. Indeed there are elements and moods that seem directly lifted from Hitchcock's masterpiece....hotel scenes, driving scenes and the full explenation of the story at the jail house. And while the film does not come close to the sheer artistry of Psycho it manages some good things all on its own. First and foremost, the structure of the script is very good keeping you out of the loop and in a state of confusion and always trying to guess what is going on. It's a nifty little storyline. Secondly, the performance by Jean Arliss is very good! Yes, her take on the Warren character is believable (though the actor dubbing the lines could have been better)but her performance as Emily is what really drives the piece. Her discomfort is very believable and she puts just enough glee in her evil side to give the film it's campy charm. An attractive, strong actress who should have had a more succesful career. The rest of the cast serves it's purpose in more generic roles. I did enjoy the character of Helga....a woman who happens to know more about what's going on right in front of her face but just can't tell anyone because of her inability to speak. Taken in the right vein, this film is very enjoyable. This is a good companion piece to the Roger Corman produced Dementia 13 (directed by Francis Coppola and also made to cash in on the success of Psycho)as low buget gems of that time.