Daddy's Gone A-Hunting (1969)

A mentally disturbed man stalks a woman who had once aborted the child he had fathered.

Director:

Mark Robson

Writers:

Larry Cohen (story), Larry Cohen (screenplay),

Stars:

Carol White, Paul Burke, Mala Powers

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Carol White	...	Cathy Palmer
Paul Burke	...	Jack Byrnes
Mala Powers	...	Meg Stone
Scott Hylands	...	Kenneth Daly
James Sikking	...	Joe Menchell
Walter Brooke	...	Jerry Wolfe
Mathilda Calnan	...	Ilsa (as Matilda Calnan)
Gene Lyons	...	Dr. Blanker
Dennis Patrick	...	Dr. Parkington
Barry Cahill	...	FBI Agent Crosley

Storyline

A mentally disturbed man stalks a woman who had once aborted the child he had fathered.

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Plot Keywords:

mind game | cat | photography | abortion | murder | 

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Taglines:

What made you leave him, Cathy ... was it the way he made love, or why?

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Genres:

Thriller

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Certificate:

M

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 July 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Psicose do Medo

Filming Locations:

Mark Hopkins Hotel - 999 California Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Red Lion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A then unknown Suzanne Somers doubled for Carol White during the climax atop The Top the Mark hotel bar.

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Goofs

When the train pulls into the station the last commuter coach where Cathy Palmer is traveling is SP 3703, but in the next shot where we see Cathy exit the coach the number has changed to SP 3709.

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Soundtracks

"Daddy's Gone A-Hunting"
Lyrics by Dory Previn
Music by John Williams
Sung by Lyn Roman

User Reviews

Thoroughly underrated

After the man she's been seeing turns out to be mentally (and financially) unstable, Cathy aborts his baby and moves on with her life. She eventually marries a political hopeful and once again finds herself pregnant. While shopping for a crib, she sees her former flame, Kenneth, working as a department store Santa. He spots her too, but the real bad news for Cathy is that he notices she's carrying another child. Bad news for her and her baby, but would Kenneth resort to killing a child as vengeance for the death of his own?

Mark Robson (The Seventh Victim, Valley of the Dolls) directs this morbid little gem, a film with some rather potent subject matter, particularly for the time it was made. Melding the incredibly touchy subject of abortion with a psycho-suspense storyline, Robson crafts an effective film full of bizarre mood and situations. As Cathy becomes more and more guilty over what she did, we see how it works into her psyche, and images as simple as toys yapping on a table take on a rather perverse feeling that gets under the viewer's skin. Robson knows how to utilize such elements to their maximum effect, though never in an overly graphic manner. The use of subtlety and implied horror goes a long way here.

As Kenneth, Scott Hylands is one of the creepiest nutcases you'll see. He has the most unnerving eyes, and a rather blank glare that truly makes one feel uncomfortable. The scene where he learns of the abortion is downright chilling. He puts Cathy through some real psychological torment, one of the standout moments being a nasty surprise he leaves under her car. Carol White plays Cathy, and she's fine in the role, but I find her character to be quite unlikable due to her incessant bitchiness.

This is a great film, well acted, well directed... The climax is quite thrilling as well. This is not your typical psycho story, and it is really quite unique in it's storytelling. Disturbing and effective, I highly recommend this one.