The good news about this lurid horror is that William Castle directed it competently and got good performances from his cast. Joan Crawford stars as a woman newly released from an insane asylum for the beheading of her cheating husband and some floozie he was getting in on with some twenty years earlier.
The surreal, psychotronic opening credits help set the tone for this one; and what follows nicely lives up to the hype. One has to have a taste for horror and a fondness for old movies to get into the swing of this black and white chiller. By today's standards it's tame; aside from its subject matter, that is. There are a few surprises, and few real shocks, either; and aside from the unsettling prospect of someone swinging an axe not much to be horrified by.
What makes Strait-Jacket work as well as it does is that director Castle & Friends know their onions about film-making, horror and how to maintain the viewer's attention. Suspension of disbelief is really not necessary when watching the movie. It's a showcase for aging superstar Crawford, and she's more than up to the job. Her performance is rather a poignant one, and her screen presence alone elevates the film in quality.
The surreal, psychotronic opening credits help set the tone for this one; and what follows nicely lives up to the hype. One has to have a taste for horror and a fondness for old movies to get into the swing of this black and white chiller. By today's standards it's tame; aside from its subject matter, that is. There are a few surprises, and few real shocks, either; and aside from the unsettling prospect of someone swinging an axe not much to be horrified by.
What makes Strait-Jacket work as well as it does is that director Castle & Friends know their onions about film-making, horror and how to maintain the viewer's attention. Suspension of disbelief is really not necessary when watching the movie. It's a showcase for aging superstar Crawford, and she's more than up to the job. Her performance is rather a poignant one, and her screen presence alone elevates the film in quality.