Don't Look Behind You (27 Sep. 1962)

Some unknown person is brutally attacking women in a small college town, and a host of weird staff members are suspects.

Director:

John Brahm

Writers:

Barré Lyndon (teleplay), Samuel Rogers (novel)

Stars:

Alfred Hitchcock, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Himself - Host
Jeffrey Hunter	...	Harold
Vera Miles	...	Daphne
Abraham Sofaer	...	Dr. MacFarlane
Dick Sargent	...	Dave Fulton
Alf Kjellin	...	Edwin Volck
Mary Scott	...	Wanda Hatfield
Madge Kennedy	...	Mrs. MacFarlane
Ralph Roberts	...	Paul Hatfield
Clancy Cooper	...	The Police Lieutenant
Suzanne Noel	...	The Woman (as Suzanne Noël)

Storyline

In the insular world of a small college, someone is attacking women in a nearby woods. A group of faculty aridly mull the situation at their regular cocktail parties. Is one of the men the attacker, is the group's beautiful Daphne being lined up as a victim?

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Plot Keywords:

kiss | strait jacket | college campus

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 September 1962 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Revue Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shamley Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Moonlight Sonata"
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven
Daphne names the piece played on the piano by Dave.

User Reviews

Uncharacteristically Lame Episode

Having been a fan of Hitchcock since childhood, I look forward to seeing The Alfred Hitchcock Hour at each opportunity. "Don't Look Behind You" is one of the few times that I've been disappointed. Mere moments into this episode, the dialog becomes tiresome, and instantly telegraphs the plot of the story.

A college student (Daphne - Vera Miles) is walking through an eerie wood one night, on her way to a gathering of friends at the house of a professor.

Along her way she becomes frightened by the sound of someone (or some thing) following her. She arrives safely but upset, and is chastised repeatedly by her friends for having taken such a dangerous route. Turns out there's a strangler on the loose, and she's just his type. *** If she or her friends say "walking through the wood" once, they say it 20 times.*** Her fiancé' (Harold - Jeffrey Hunter) then enters, immediately reinforcing the notion that "walking through the wood" was a terribly dangerous idea.

They enjoy a few cocktails, some ridiculous dialog is exchanged, a creepy pianist strikes Daphne's fancy; and as the party winds down, Harold *** who is instantly our prime suspect *** offers to walk Daphne home. Of course they almost immediately hear a woman's screams; and Harold scares away the crazed strangler managing to save a young woman's life.

As an interlude Dave (Dick Sargent without benefit of magic this time), is introduced as a secondary love interest of Daphne's and proceeds to act creepy as well.

Harold *** Who it turns out is a psychology student - Who would'a thunk it? *** becomes fascinated by the strangler, and theorizes that Daphne was his actual target. He insists that Daphne act as bait for the strangler; and later, after she scares away a prowler from her bedroom window, she reluctantly agrees. Long story short, it's the pianist, whom Harold shoots when he comes after Daphne in the woods.

The pianist survives the bullet wound, and is hauled off to a nut-house, where Weird Harold goes to visit him, removing any doubt that Harold himself is nuttier than a fruit cake. There's some more ridiculous dialog. Daphne has a visit with Dave, then goes to see Harold *** who by this time has fully succumbed to the "infection" of insanity *** flipping his lid, trying to strangle her, only to be stopped by Dave.

We end our story by watching Harold be dragged screaming into the asylum in a straight-jacket, while the pianist intones; "I told you, you'd be back!"

As I've said, I like Hitchcock; but this would be sub-par work for far lesser writer/directors, for Hitchcock it's an atrocity.