The Killer Inside Me (1976)

Everyone figures Lou Ford, a small-town, Montana, deputy sheriff, to be a normal, good-old-boy kind of regular Joe. But no one knows about "the sickness" that drives him to kill.

Director:

Burt Kennedy

Writers:

Edward Mann (screenplay), Robert Chamblee (screenplay),

Stars:

Stacy Keach, Susan Tyrrell, Tisha Sterling

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stacy Keach	...	Lou Ford
Susan Tyrrell	...	Joyce Lakeland
Tisha Sterling	...	Amy Stanton
Keenan Wynn	...	Chester Conway
Don Stroud	...	Elmer
Charles McGraw	...	Howard Hendricks
John Dehner	...	Bob Maples
Pepe Serna	...	Johnny Lopez
John Carradine	...	Dr. Jason Smith
Royal Dano	...	Father
Julie Adams	...	Mother
William Mahiger	...	Charlie Adams
Jack Moore	...	Hank
Jim Kennedy	...	Jeff
Dewey Burns	...	Dewey

Storyline

Everyone figures Lou Ford, a small-town, Montana, deputy sheriff, to be a normal, good-old-boy kind of regular Joe. But no one knows about "the sickness" that drives him to kill.

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Plot Keywords:

deputy sheriff | sheriff | psychopath | murder | female nudity | 

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Taglines:

Good friend, brave sheriff. . .savage killer. (dvd)

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

October 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Mörder in mir

Filming Locations:

Montana, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Devi

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min 90 min (video)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Stacy Keach, the producers wanted to change the film's title to "The Nicest Guy in Town" but he convinced them that it was not a good idea.

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Connections

Referenced in O videoklabas (1987)

User Reviews

An overlooked Jim Thompson adaptation that gets it right

The low budget and the talent of Burt Kennedy (working in a rare venture outside the western genre) add to the striking atmosphere of this largely unseen, barely released Jim Thompson adaptation. After the critically lauded Fat City, Stacy Keach had quite a few star turns in alternative fare during the 70s, of which this is among the best (though his decade-wrapper with The Ninth Configuration is awfully hard to beat.)

Susan Tyrell rejoins him here after her acclaimed Fat City turn, with many terrific character actors throughout the cast. Technical work is top-drawer with the William Fraker photography as good as ever.

One of the first budget DVD's released, (naturally unletterboxed) the Panavision cries out for a redo. Sadly, the small resurgence in Thompson adaptations in the early 90s ended rather quickly; still plenty of great material there for dedicated crime filmmakers.