Homicidal (1961)

Director:

William Castle

Writer:

Robb White (writer)

Release Date:

June 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

A WORD OF WARNING! Please don't reveal the ending of this picture or your friends will kill you - IF THEY DON'T, I WILL! - William Castle

Plot:

The brutal stabbing murder of a justice-of-the-peace sparks an investigation of dark family secrets in a sleepy small town in Southern California.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Wheelchair | Justice Of The Peace | Bellboy | Transvestite

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Glenn Corbett	...	Karl Anderson
Patricia Breslin	...	Miriam Webster
Eugenie Leontovich	...	Helga Swenson
Alan Bunce	...	Doctor Jonas
Richard Rust	...	Jim Nesbitt
James Westerfield	...	Alfred S. Adrims (Justice of the Peace)
Gilbert Green	...	Lt. Miller
Joan Marshall	...	Emily / Warren (as Jean Arless)

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-15 (2005) | UK:12 (1996) | UK:X (1961) (cut) | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Solvang, California, USA

Company:

William Castle Productions

Trivia:

This was one of the most successful knock-offs of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960). William Castleand Columbia had this in theaters a year after the release of "Psycho". Part of the reason for the delay was that, at the time "Psycho" went into release, Castle was still working on 13 Ghosts (1960).

Goofs:

Continuity: At the beginning of the movie, the calendar in the hotel shows the date as September 5th. Miriam/Emily tells the bellhop they must marry on September 6th (this is so they will be married by Warren's 21st birthday). But in a close-up of Warren's birth certificate, it shows August 7th, 1940 as his birth date. So they're gonna have to wait nearly a year to celebrate.

Quotes:

Prologue Host: We've been to Haunted Hills, and through Tinglers, and even Ghosts... but now we're going to meet a group of people who just happen to be... Homicidal.

Movie Connections:

References 13 Ghosts (1960)

Too Tame To be a Classic

HOMICIDAL is an obvious PSYCHO "homage". Scene after scene, one gets a vivid sense of deja vu while watching the William Castle shocker. The main problem with HOMICIDAL, other than the fact that it's very derivative of PSYCHO, is that it's way too tame, certainly compared TO the Alfred Hitchcock classic. The beginning is intriguing and weird, and the ending is good and surreal but everything in between is rather flat and dull. It seems the only thing we see are people walking in and out of doors, in and out of cars, etc. And the well thought out story is too brief for its own good.

The truly great thing in HOMICIDAL is Jean Arless, or Joan Marshall. WOW! Jean/Joan was great. It's hard to believe her career didn't take off after her appearance in HOMICIDAL. Her unusual performance is the film's most intriguing and original aspect.