Homicidal (1961) **

 

October 2007

Emily(Jean Arless)is so beautiful, yet so..HOMICIDAL!! We watch as this blonde bombshell murders a justice-in-peace after coercing a bellhop, through a substantial sum, to marry her and this opens up the movie! You know right here that this woman is truly nuts because director William Castle shoots her demented eyes close-up as she stabs repeatedly this old guy awaken in the middle of the night just to marry someone..why would this happen? Later, Emily drives home and torments this stroke victim named Helga(Eugenie Leontovich)by informing her of the evil deed she just committed. She's Helga's nurse and they have recently returned to the United States from Denmark with a man named Warren. Warren is to receive a multi-million dollar inheritance when he turns twenty-one. He has a sister Miriam(Patricia Breslin)who witnessed as a child the abuse Warren suffered from his father and then later from Helga. Helga, now, is mute and uses a wood-piece to communicate. She knows more than the viewer regarding Emily and her mysterious motives. We watch as Emily acts strangely, eyes full of hate, as she speaks to Miriam..something about Miriam just enrages Emily to no end. Emily later, after leaving Miriam with Helga to get a prescription from the pharmacy, breaks into her flower shop destroying various wedding & floral decorations not to mention destroying Warren's photograph and picture frame. Meanwhile, the plainclothes police are out combing California for the murderer of the justice-of-peace and it's only a matter of time before Emily will have to finish whatever plan she has in store for others lying in her path. Miriam has a beau, Karl(Glenn Corbett)who works as a pharmacist and will assist police in finding the possible murderer when Emily fits the description. Another interesting twist in this bizarre tale, supposedly Emily is married to Warren who eventually shows up shocked that Miriam and Karl would even think his wife could commit such a violent act. But, there's a certain twist that comes right out of the blue Miriam certainly didn't see coming..

Seemingly inspired(elements anyway)by Hitchcock's PSYCHO, this flick tackles some themes such as sexual (dis)orientation and the after-effect of a traumatizing childhood due to abuse. Emily is the chess piece that holds all the answers to the film's ultimate mystery..why is she so unhinged and what causes her to react so negatively towards Helga and Miriam? Littered with clues in the screenplay, Castle succeeds at building this unique story that makes more sense as the twist emerges and all the pieces fall into place. Simply Castle's finest hour as director. The Fright Break is a hoot, but this film is brilliant without Castle having to resort to such measures at corralling viewers into theater seats.