mlraymond Review of Homicidal

Homicidal (1961)

William Castle chiller gimmicky ,but really creepy nonetheless

[8/10 · 28 November 2006]

An attractive, but odd looking blonde woman named Emily pays a hotel bellhop to marry her, and then stabs the justice of the peace to death right after the ceremony. Thus does Homicidal get underway with a bang. What follows is a convoluted, implausible, but surprisingly effective suspense thriller with some pretty kinky undercurrents.Emily ,as played by Jean Arless/Joan Marshall, is one scary lady. Her sweet, innocent manner conceals a truly menacing character, who will let nothing stand in her way. She murders her victims with an enthusiasm bordering on glee, and audiences in 1961 must have been startled to see a woman act out such unexpected violence.There are classic horror movie clichés, such as the spooky dark house, the helpless old lady unable to tell others of her danger, an inheritance waiting to be claimed, secrets from the past affecting the present. The movie is usually considered to be a ripoff of Hitchcock's Psycho, which seems credible. There are definite plot parallels, but Homicidal goes off in some pretty weird directions all its own. Worth seeing at least once by horror movie fans. Castle really knew how to entertain a crowd.