El caso de Lucy Harbin

Joan Crawford, the Arched Eyebrow Queen of Melodrama, is surprisingly vulnerable throughout most of this thriller involving a former axe murderess who gets released from the sanitarium and tries to make peace with her estranged daughter (Diane Baker), now a pretty twentysomething living on her uncle's farm. Curiously, Crawford thought little of this movie, yet she's quite good in it: shaky, confused, and yet hopeful, she has a great scene telling off her future in-laws and I was right there on her side. Despite the obvious camp appeal--and Crawford's penchant for baubles, bangles and beads--it's a creepy character-study about insanity (not quite a horror flick, although a genuine thriller) and the stark black and white photography and eye-popping design gives "Strait-Jacket" a terrific look. Superb supporting turns, particularly by Baker, help make this William Castle outing one of his best screamers from the 1960s. *** from ****