Homicidal (1961) by William Castle

Director: William Castle

Year: 1961

Country: USA

Alternate Titles: N/A

Genre: Slasher

Plot:

After a bizarre string of murders, an investigation into the suspected family by a determined detective reveals far more secrets and murder when the main suspect in the murders starts up the rampage once the detective arrives to clear the situation up.

Review:

Overall, this one really wasn't all that great, even though there are a few solid points here. The main problem at work here for almost this entire one is the complete near-total reliance on tactics that just aren't in the least bit threatening here. The majority of her interactions with others, from the way she makes her grandmother slightly uneasy, freaks out and destroys the flower shop, and from how they all seem to come together at the wrong moment to catch each other, make for a thoroughly uneventful time here, with all of these segments never once doing anything to prove she's nothing but a mere loony rather than mentally disturbed.

These don't have anything to do with being much of a horror film or really building much of an atmosphere here as these actions simply don't amount to much suspense or thrills which run rampant throughout here, following up so much time here that there's not a whole lot of time really devoted to making these all too appealing so it does drag along considerably in the first half with all of these non-horrific story lines. As well, there's the rather bland method here of going through a really obscenely long time to finish off the investigation of her activities, as the supposedly secretive actions are announced to all at nearly every opportunity, affording not only a lazily-relaxed investigation manner but also allowing them to sabotage what's going on and keep the ruse going.

There are also some good points here, but none of them are that prolific or important. The film's best part is undoubtedly the opening, which is certainly a shocking and quite gruesome sequence that gets off the shock by nicely intermingling the calmness before the attack to a rather startling sequence beforehand, the sheer suddenness bringing about a rather creepy time here and then the act itself with the stabbing being quite brutal and leading to a fine escape that features several close calls before the actual resolution and escape.

As well, the information gathered here by the investigation makes this one feel quite a bit more suspenseful than expected, as this slowly breaks down the inevitable, which is where there's a lot to like and really enjoy here, in how this sets up the story. The last positive here comes from the finale, where the big suspenseful walk-through of the house and following brawl in the living room gives off a great revelation to the set-up throughout here that's quite original and makes for a really fun time. These help this one and move it up, but the flaws are a little too much for this one.

Overview: ***/5

Somewhat flawed but enjoyable enough for what it is, this is a rather solid genre effort that's immensely likable even though the detrimental issues are enough to keep it from being higher in the genre. Those with an interest in this era of genre fare, who don't mind the problematic factors, or who are fans of the creative crew, will have the most to like here, while most others out there should heed caution.