How Awful About Allan (TV 1970)

After an eight-month stay in a mental hospital, a tormented man comes home to live with his sister; but a mysterious boarder may be trying to kill him.

Director:

Curtis Harrington

Writers:

Henry Farrell (teleplay), Henry Farrell (novel)

Stars:

Anthony Perkins, Julie Harris, Joan Hackett

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Anthony Perkins	...	Allan
Julie Harris	...	Katherine
Joan Hackett	...	Olive
Kent Smith	...	Raymond
Robert H. Harris	...	Dr. Ellins
Molly Dodd	...	Inmate
Billy Bowles	...	Harold Dennis
Trent Dolan	...	Eric
Bill Erwin	...	Dr. Ames (as William Erwin)
Jeannette Howe	...	Katherine - Child
Kenneth Lawrence	...	Allan - Child

Storyline

After a fire which killed his father and scarred his sister, a guilt-ridden victim of psychosomatic blindness is released from a mental hospital and goes back home to stay with his estranged sister. However, it appears that someone is out for revenge and wants to drive him crazy.

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Plot Keywords:

boarder | mental hospital | blindness | fire | tape recorder | 

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Taglines:

Allan, Wouldn't You Be Better Off Dead?

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Genres:

Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some violent images and mild thematic elements

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 September 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

Che succede al povero Allan?

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aaron Spelling Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

73 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Anthony Perkins had special contact lenses made that he could barely see through, so he'd actually be nearly blind while filming his scenes. He popped the lenses in just prior to filming and was led onto the set by a crew member.

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Goofs

Apparently set in dead of winter (everyone keeps talking about freezing temperatures and how cold it is), but grass, trees and bushes in exterior scenes are all green.

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Quotes

[after rescuing his sister from a house fire]
Allan: I'm blind.

User Reviews

A Blurry Good Time

Within the limitations of television, this was a tidy little entertainment. How Awful About Allan transcended the crummy cheapness that marred Made-for-TV movies from their historical onset. This pleasantly scary story was better than average because of its workmanlike performances, its unnerving story, and the fact that its main character, Tony Perkins, is not totally sympathetic.

Even if you peg the reasons that Perkins has hysterical blindness (and it's wonderfully frustrating seeing the blurred images he's seeing) from the start, the movie accomplishes what it must do right from the start--it causes you to give a damn. You watch because you must.

Finally, there's a special place in my heart for "Olive," played by the late, great Joan Hackett. She was a lovely woman whose quirky, passionate performances always seemed to lift the quality of a film an extra notch.

Anthony Perkins and Julie Harris are just fine, too.

So, get to a dollar store or the Wal-Mart dollar DVD kiosk, grab a copy of How Awful About Allan and swing by the warm blankey department--you're gonna need it.