Something Weird (1967)

An accident victim makes a deal with a particularly hideous witch, in which he receives extraordinary ESP powers. He uses these powers to help the police solve crimes.

Director:

Herschell Gordon Lewis

Writer:

James F. Hurley

Stars:

Tony McCabe, Elizabeth Lee, William Brooker

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tony McCabe	...	Cronin 'Mitch' Mitchell
Elizabeth Lee	...	Ellen Parker
William Brooker	...	Dr. Alex Jordan
Mudite Arums	...	The Hag
Ted Heil	...	Det. Maddox
Lawrence J. Aberwood	...	Chief Vinton (as Lawrence Wood)
Larry Wellington	...	Rev. Ammond
Roy Collodi	...	Dr. Roxin
Jeffrey Allen	...	Dr. White
Richard Nilsson	...	EMT Doctor
Carolyn Smith	...	Nurse Browning
Norm Lenet	...	Stein
Louis Newman	...	Ambulance Attendant
Dick Gaffield	...	Drunkard at Restaurant
Janet Charlton	...	Secretary

Storyline

Cronin Mitchell is an average guy whose face is disfigured by a falling electrical power line in which he somehow acquires the gift/curse of strange psychic powers. After withdrawing from public life, 'Mitch' makes a living as a fortune teller when he's approached by an ugly hag who offers to restore his good looks if he becomes her lover. Mitch reluctantly agrees, and although his face is restored, people around him see his lover as an attractive young woman named Ellen. When news of Mitch's psychic powers leak out, he goes on the road with Ellen from city to city and town to town helping people solve crimes. After expelling a ghost from a funeral home, Mitch and Ellen are sent to a small Illinois town to find the identity of a serial killer. But the government sends along a crackpot psychiatrist/playboy, named Dr. Alex Jordan, to oversee the case and possibly debunk Mitch's psychic abilities. When Dr. Jordan turns his sights on Ellen and plots to steal her away from Mitch, she goes ...

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Plot Keywords:

psychic | serial killer | drug abuse | levitation | supernatural | 

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Taglines:

a boiling, bizarre tale of a mad love that crashes through the supernatural!

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

August 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Eerie World of Dr. Jordan

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hur-Lew Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Included as one of Elvira's "Something Weird" collection (seen on Comcast On Demand Oct. 2006).

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Connections

Featured in Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore (2010)

User Reviews

A film that lives up to its title

H.G. Lewis has made some bizarre films, but none more bizarre than this one. Yep, its even more out there than "The Wizard of Gore". Its certainly not his most entertaining film and definitely not the best starting place for this unique exploitation filmmaker, but the occasional bits of camp surrealism that prefigured his other films is on full drive here. Its not a gore picture or one of his sexploitation films. In fact, there's really nothing here that would get anything more than a PG rating from the MPAA, outside of maybe the LSD sequence. Still, its truly something weird. And yes, the single greatest video company ever did take their name and logo from this.

As usual with H.G. Lewis films, its really poorly made. Lewis was a great showman but never an accomplished director, and just like most of his films this often drags. The acting alternates between being wooden and over-the-top, the "logic" none existent, and when viewed on close inspection, the reasoning behind the characters actions becomes almost surreal. Still, no one goes into these films expecting Orson Welles, and this delivers plenty of cheap thrills. The fact that its also so damn bizarre makes it even better. Plus, Elizabeth Lee is possibly the best looking actress ever in a Lewis film, which is saying a good deal. The more I see of these acid exploitation films, the more I can't get enough of them. (6/10)