The Fool Killer (1965)

Director:

Servando González

Writers:

Helen Eustis (novel)
Morton S. Fine (screenplay)

Release Date:

28 April 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

For Anyone Who Wants A Mystery With A Twist -- And We Do Mean A Detective Story -- This Is Just The Thing.

Plot:

12-year-old George Mellish, tired of beatings for both real and fancied misdeeds at the hands of his...

Plot Keywords:

Skinny Dipping | Male Nudity | Independent Film | Based On Novel

Cast

Anthony Perkins	...	Milo Bogardus
Dana Elcar	...	Mr. Dodd
Henry Hull	...	Dirty Jim Jelliman
Salome Jens	...	Mrs. Dodd
Yvonne Gilbert	...	Janet
Charlotte Jones	...	Mrs. Ova Fanshawe
Arnold Moss	...	Reverend Spotts
Sindee Ann Richards	...	Blessing Angeline Fanshawe
Edward Albert	...	George Mellish
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lana Wood	...	Alice

Also Known As:

Asesino de tontos, El (Mexico)
Violent Journey

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

Mexico | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Louisville, Tennessee, USA

Company:

Landau

Trivia:

A tie-in song "The Fool Killer" was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and recorded by Gene Pitney but not used on the soundtrack.

Soundtrack:

Glory To The Lamb

huck finn meets norman bates...?

The Fool Killer is not for all tastes, but the current high cachet for no-budget indy efforts does give it a certain charm that its original (small) audiences may have overlooked. The rather uneven tale of a wandering orphan (Edward Albert) who crosses paths with a disturbed Civil War vet (Anthony Perkins in undisguised "Psycho" mode), the movie has a hard time deciding whether to emphasize its suspenseful overtones, its elegiac coming-of-age elements, or its somewhat loopy character vignettes (by pros like Salome Jens and Henry Hull, who has a field day as a--very literally-- dirty old man).

Young Albert (son of actor Eddie) is fine and surprisingly natural as the clueless kid, and while Tony Perkins does seem very much on Norman Bates auto-pilot here (almost certainly by request), he is still eerily sympathetic as a mysterious drifter with severe post-traumatic issues.

Even though the whole is something less than the sum of its parts, this film is by no means a loser. It's full of rich vignettes (take a look at the tent-revival scene!) and colorful characters, and these for the most part outweigh its moments of pretentiousness and occasional murkiness of motivation. No, it's not "Night of the Hunter"--but on the other hand, it's not "Night of the Lepus" either!