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Homicidal

  • 1961
  • Unrated
  • 1h 28m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
4.1K
YOUR RATING
Homicidal (1961)
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:20
1 Video
99+ Photos
Slasher HorrorHorrorMysteryThriller

The brutal stabbing murder of a justice-of-the-peace sparks an investigation of dark family secrets in a sleepy small town in Southern California.The brutal stabbing murder of a justice-of-the-peace sparks an investigation of dark family secrets in a sleepy small town in Southern California.The brutal stabbing murder of a justice-of-the-peace sparks an investigation of dark family secrets in a sleepy small town in Southern California.

  • Director
    • William Castle
  • Writer
    • Robb White
  • Stars
    • Glenn Corbett
    • Patricia Breslin
    • Eugenie Leontovich
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.8/10
    4.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • William Castle
    • Writer
      • Robb White
    • Stars
      • Glenn Corbett
      • Patricia Breslin
      • Eugenie Leontovich
    • 107User reviews
    • 71Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination total

    Videos1

    Homicidal
    Trailer 2:20
    Homicidal

    Photos124

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    Top cast15

    Edit
    Glenn Corbett
    Glenn Corbett
    • Karl Anderson
    Patricia Breslin
    Patricia Breslin
    • Miriam Webster
    Eugenie Leontovich
    Eugenie Leontovich
    • Helga Swenson
    Alan Bunce
    Alan Bunce
    • Doctor Jonas
    Richard Rust
    Richard Rust
    • Jim Nesbitt
    James Westerfield
    James Westerfield
    • Alfred S. Adrims
    Gilbert Green
    Gilbert Green
    • Lt. Miller
    Joan Marshall
    Joan Marshall
    • Emily
    • (as Jean Arless)
    Wolfe Barzell
    Wolfe Barzell
    • Olie
    • (uncredited)
    Teri Brooks
    • Mrs. Forest
    • (uncredited)
    William Castle
    William Castle
    • William Castle
    • (uncredited)
    Joseph Forte
    • Second Hotel Clerk
    • (uncredited)
    Ralph Moody
    Ralph Moody
    • First Hotel Clerk
    • (uncredited)
    'Snub' Pollard
    'Snub' Pollard
    • Eddie - the Bellhop
    • (uncredited)
    Hope Summers
    Hope Summers
    • Mrs. Martha Adrims
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • William Castle
    • Writer
      • Robb White
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews107

    6.84.1K
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    Featured reviews

    7Stevieboy666

    Frightened the life out of me when I was a kid

    I fell in love with horror at an early age and before my parents bought a VCR I had to stay up and watch these movies on late night TV, I have very fond memories of doing so. I must have been 12 or so when I watched Homicidal for the first time and I'm not afraid to admit that it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and sent shivers down my spine. I have just re-watched it, this time on Blu-Ray, sadly it did not have the same scare effect but I still found it to be a good watch. Made just one year after Hitchcock's masterpiece "Psycho" this was an early entry in the popular 1960's and 70's psycho thrillers, indeed one could say that these and Italian Giallo would later mould what we call "slasher" movies. The psycho here is a young attractive blonde woman called Emily who is nurse to a mute and crippled old lady in a large Californian house. Emily's murderous habit is revealed early in the film when she stabs to death a man, very graphic for the time. The movie is now rated 12 in the UK, this first killing is the only gory point to be fair and the rest of the film is pretty tame. Jean Arless plays Emily, a 30 year old rather unconvincingly playing a 20 year old. The film was made by William Castle, king of the gimmicks, Homicidal is perhaps best know for its 45 second "Fright Break" just before the finale. In 1974 Amicus films had a "guess the werewolf" break in their "The Beast Must Die". So Homicidal wasn't as scary as I first remembered it to be but it is still a good psycho, gender bending thriller that comes not only with a fright break but also an introduction by Castle himself and looks great in black and white.
    8The_Void

    PSYCHOtic fun from William Castle

    William Castle claims that he had the idea for this film while he was sleeping. If so, I can only assume that he was dreaming about Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece, 'Psycho' because the blatant homage to the earlier film is difficult to ignore. Castle injects all the same themes and many of the ideas from Psycho into this film, but luckily; the master of entertainment has enough ideas of his own to ensure that Homicidal isn't merely a rip-off. Besides, Castle himself had a small hand in the events leading up to the release of Hitchcock's low-budget thriller...so I guess he earned the right to homage. The film starts off with one of Castle's campy intro features, and we also get a 'Fright Break' towards the end; but on the whole, this film is slightly more serious than earlier films such as The Tingler and House on Haunted Hill. The film opens properly with a sequence that sees a beautiful blonde woman pay a hired hand at a hotel to marry her. One thing leads to another, and she quite shockingly ends up sticking the knife into the Justice of the Peace...the plot thickens with the introduction of the elderly Helga and an inheritance of $10 million.

    This film is never as good as Hitchcock's Psycho, but the master of entertainment always ensures that there's enough going on to ensure that it doesn't get boring. Much of the plot takes place in a dark, creepy house; which helps the director to implement a morbid and macabre atmosphere. One of the major faults with the film with regards to the scare factor comes from Castle's own showboating. The 'fright break' towards the end kills the shocking atmosphere that Castle has spent the rest of the film implementing, and as a result; the final macabre sequence is not nearly as effective as it could have been. The final twist is a clear derivative of Psycho, but it's actually quite well worked. The film introduced the talents of Joan Marshall (appearing here as Jean Arless) to the cinematic world, and her performance is what makes the film what it is. It's a shame that she never went on to make much of a splash after this film. I wouldn't hesitate to label Homicidal as one of William Castle's better efforts, as even though it's not quite what audiences have come to expect from the master of entertainment, and it's purely derivative; Homicidal is still a fine quality B-movie shocker.
    10alanmora

    "If you stay in this house one more minute, I'm going to kill you!"

    This is yet another classic from William Castle, the king of the gimmicks. The gimmick used for this film, often compared with "Psycho", was the idea of a "Fright Break" during which the viewer has 30 seconds to determine if they want to see the 'terrifying' conclusion to the film. When released in theaters initially, there was a separate section that patrons could go to during the "Fright Break". Gimmicks aside this is a very well crafted, often goofy, and quite effective little thriller. The murders, acting, and storyline are all over the top and everyone in the movie puts on quite an effective performance. Standing out in her role as Emily is Jean Arliss. It seems that Emily is quite disturbed as the movie opens with an alarming murder sequence. The story goes downhill from there and, just when you think you have all of the answers, the film changes the questions! The ending is very shocking for first time viewers and yet this is the kind of film that also gets more and more entertaining with each additional viewing. Highly recommended for horror fans, even though it's often compared with "Psycho" I feel that the film stands out on it's own and it's ending is actually more effective than Hitchcock's. Watch this movie, you won't regret it!
    7juliamacon

    Good Psycho Rip Off

    Homicidal is one of the most blatant rip offs of Psycho you're likely to see, but it has such a good time trying to hide that fact and go in its own direction that you can't help but love it. It's about a young woman who might have a little killing problem and a mysterious brother who makes life even more difficult for her.

    William Castle might not be as masterful with the suspense as Hitchcock, but he knows how to spin an entertaining story.
    Infofreak

    Fascinating b-grade thriller that deserves to be rediscovered. One of William Castle's most effective and interesting shockers.

    William Castle's 1950s camp classics 'The Tingler' and 'House On Haunted Hill' are lots of fun, and highly recommended to all horror fans with a strong sense of the absurd. I expected 'Homicidal' to be a similarly silly but entertaining affair, especially as it was also written by Robb White, but was quite surprised at just how dark and effective it was. Apart from Castle's typically hammy introduction, and the "fright break" towards the climax (a not too dissimilar idea to the one Gaspar Noe used several years ago in his shocking 'I Stand Alone'!), 'Homicidal' is nowhere near as gimmicky and tongue in cheek as most of Castle's best known movies. Maybe that is why it is rarely mentioned when his work is discussed. Too bad, to me it is one of his most interesting and effective shockers. While obviously inspired by 'Psycho', and made on a shoe-string budget with variable acting, I was quite impressed by it. The opening sequence is memorable - a beautiful blonde (Jean Arliss) checks in to a swanky hotel, and offers a shocked bellhop cash to marry her, assuring him that the marriage will be annulled immediately after the event. He is puzzled but agrees, and at the ceremony the next day the mysterious blonde quite unexpectedly murders the JP! We then follow her to a house where she looks after an elderly woman (Eugenie Leontovich) who is mute and confined to a wheelchair after a stroke. The old woman is obviously terrified of her, but is unable to convey this to any visitors to the house. Pretty soon we meet the other characters, and learn of a $10 million inheritance, and things start to get real interesting... I won't elaborate any further for fear of spoiling the plot. The major twist will no doubt be guessed by the viewer fairly quickly but there are still some surprises and shocks in store. Arliss (actually Joan Marshall) gives an intriguing performance. Why she didn't go on to bigger and better things after this is beyond me. I urge fans of Castle's better known movies to check out this little gem. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it to all fans of b-grade thrillers and horror movies.

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    Related interests

    Roger Jackson in Scream (1996)
    Slasher Horror
    Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby (1968)
    Horror
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery
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    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      William Castle: [gimmick] In the final reel, when Miriam is about to go into the house for the big climax, there was a one-minute "Fright Break" in which producer/director William Castle advised the audience that anyone too scared to see the climax could go into the lobby and get their money back. For this gimmick, Columbia shipped a cardboard "Coward's Corner" to theaters playing the film. Supposedly, audience members too frightened to see the climax could go to the "Coward's Corner" and wait there until the film ended and the rest of the audience filed past. Apparently no one took the offer.
    • Goofs
      Toward the end of the film when the police detective and Karl drive to the Hotel Ventura to show the bellboy the photo of Emily, the clock just above the corner drugstore says 8:24 p.m., but when they walk from the car into the hotel, the clock above the registration desk says 7:50 p.m.
    • Quotes

      Karl Anderson: Is there any way to tell?

      Doctor Jonas: [Distracted after a long pause] Hah? Tell what, Karl?

      Karl Anderson: Well. If a person's homicidal?

      Doctor Jonas: [giving him a prescription] There you are. No... That's what makes them so dangerous. They can change from being your friend into your murderer in a second's time!

    • Crazy credits
      At the end of the film Joan Marshall's characters Emily/Warren come out to face the audience, via split screen, and take a bow!
    • Connections
      Featured in Zotz! (1962)
    • Soundtracks
      Homicidal
      Performed by Rawniggaz

      Written by D. Michaeltine & B. Handsum

      Lyrics by Scary D Satanik Buztz & Doorclosing

      Courtesy of God Bap Ltd., AEP Inc.

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    FAQ13

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 28, 1961 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Homicida
    • Filming locations
      • Solvang, California, USA
    • Production company
      • William Castle Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 28m(88 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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