Cross Alfred Hitchcock with a carnival showman and you might come up with William Castle, the low-budget horror king of the exploitation gimmick. Homicidal is arguably his best film, a devious little Psycho knockoff with all the right ingredients: a sleepy Southern California town, a beautiful blonde with icy eyes and a thing for knives, a mute old woman in a wheelchair, and a deep, dark secret involving a repressed, awkward young man still haunted by the abuses of his dead father. Ever the cinematic carny, Castle pulls a trademark gimmick just before the climax: the clock-countdown "Fright Break," for anyone "too frightened to see the end of the picture." What the film lacks in tension it makes up for in startles and shocks. Castle is no Hitchcock, but he adds an insidious twist that pays off even if you see it coming.
The DVD also features the seven-minute documentary "Psychette: William Castle and Homicidal" and the not-to-be missed original trailer. --Sean Axmaker
2.
Gimmicky B-movie fright master William Castle (THE TINGLER, STRAIT JACKET) enters the adventurous (for 1961!) world of gender psychology in this effective suspense picture. Bombshell Emily (Jean Arless) murders the justice of the peace after he marries her to Warren (Glen Corbett) a hotel bellboy whom she paid to do so. The odd couple then move to the sleepy town of Solvang, where she works for Warren's childhood guardian Helga (Eugenie Leontovich), a mute, wheelchair-bound old woman. Emily terrorizes Helga, knowing that Helga has no way of informing anyone about her murderous manners. Warren's half-sister Miriam (Patricia Breslin) begins to unravel some family secrets--but not before the body count increases! This low-budget "tribute" to the previous year's PSYCHO featured a "fright break" in its theatrical run which allowed views to get their money back if they were too scared to watch the conclusion.
3.
A psychotic killer is on the loose in this thriller directed by William Castle.
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