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Let's Kill Uncle

  • 1966
  • Approved
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
574
YOUR RATING
Mary Badham, Pat Cardi, Nigel Green, and Linda Lawson in Let's Kill Uncle (1966)
ComedyHorrorThriller

A 12-year-old orphan who has just inherited a fortune is trapped on an island with his uncle, a former British Intelligence commander who intends to kill him. A young girl is the boy's only ... Read allA 12-year-old orphan who has just inherited a fortune is trapped on an island with his uncle, a former British Intelligence commander who intends to kill him. A young girl is the boy's only ally against the sarcastic uncle, who uses hypnotism, a pool of sharks, fire, and poisonou... Read allA 12-year-old orphan who has just inherited a fortune is trapped on an island with his uncle, a former British Intelligence commander who intends to kill him. A young girl is the boy's only ally against the sarcastic uncle, who uses hypnotism, a pool of sharks, fire, and poisonous mushrooms as weapons.

  • Director
    • William Castle
  • Writers
    • Mark Rodgers
    • June O'Grady
  • Stars
    • Nigel Green
    • Mary Badham
    • Pat Cardi
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.7/10
    574
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • William Castle
    • Writers
      • Mark Rodgers
      • June O'Grady
    • Stars
      • Nigel Green
      • Mary Badham
      • Pat Cardi
    • 20User reviews
    • 19Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos25

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    Top cast9

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    Nigel Green
    Nigel Green
    • The Uncle - Major Kevin Harrison
    Mary Badham
    Mary Badham
    • Chrissie
    Pat Cardi
    Pat Cardi
    • Barnaby Harrison
    Robert Pickering
    • Sgt. Frank Travis
    Linda Lawson
    Linda Lawson
    • Justine
    Ref Sanchez
    • Ketchman
    • (as Reff Sanchez)
    Nestor Paiva
    Nestor Paiva
    • Steward
    William Castle
    William Castle
    • Russell Harrison - in Car Wreck
    • (uncredited)
    Raven Grey Eagle
    • Minor Role
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • William Castle
    • Writers
      • Mark Rodgers
      • June O'Grady
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews20

    5.7574
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    10

    Featured reviews

    Wizard-8

    A fun little thriller!

    Though it starts off somewhat slowly, things instantly pick up when Nigel Green enters the scene. He is a hoot as the coniving uncle, and his various activities (like practicing judo in the house) and dialogue are hilarious (the breakfast conversation with his nephew is the best such scene. I would say the movie gets better as it goes along, getting more twisted with its black comedy. However, the final minute of the movie is a real disappointment. It's as if the screenwriter was running out of time to submit the script to the studio, and wrote in an ending both strange and feeling unfinished.

    It's still worth a look - if you can find it. It seems that Universal has withdrawn the movie for some reason, and currently the only way to watch the movie is through bootlegs. Perhaps the current owners of the studio are uncomfortable with the whole uncle-trying-to-kill-nephew/nephew-trying-to-kill-uncle thing, even though all this is never presented in a serious manner. Let's hope they eventually find a sense of humor.
    6Coventry

    Let's Play at Castle Kiddie!

    William Castle perhaps wasn't the greatest horror director in history, but he remains - and deservedly so - a favorite of many fans who don't take themselves, nor the genre, too serious. Castle is most legendary for his gimmick-featuring semi-classics, like "The Tingler" and "House on Haunted Hill", but he also made a variety of lesser-known films, like the child-friendly, but certainly not too childish, "Let's Kill Uncle".

    When a millionaire (cameo by Castle himself) dies in a vicious car crash, his only son is escorted by a police officer to go and live on the island mansion of his uncle Kevin Harrison; - his only living relative and a former war-hero. The arrogant kid, Barnaby, and the police officer arrive on the island first, and make friends with a woman and her niece. When uncle Kevin finally arrives, he makes it abundantly clear to Barnaby straight away that he intends to kill him, because he's broke and needs to inherit the complete fortune of his brother. Since the adults don't believe him, Barnaby teams up with the little niece and decide it's best to kill the uncle before he kills them.

    The goofy but effective premise only kicks in gear when Nigel Green (as uncle) arrives on the island in his plan, and for some strange reason this takes more than half an hour. The start is thus slow, but Green compensates for this tremendously with a fantastically over-the-top performance. The death traps are also very ingenious with a shark in the hotel pool, tarantulas, and a walk towards the edge of cliff while hypnotized. The ending is a bit of a downer, but by then the film already earned a place in your heart.
    hillari

    Odd Little Known Thriller

    One of Castle's oddest entries concerns an orphaned boy who is due to get an inheritance. However, his evil uncle has plans to kill the boy before he can collect. Between the boy and a girl he meets on the island where he's staying with friends, they cook up a plan to thwart the uncle's plans. There is a long sequence near the end involving hypnotism, a shark and a pool that is too strange for words.
    4moonspinner55

    Kiddie movie about murder...awkward and under-developed, but certainly unusual

    Orphaned, imaginative youngster (Pat Cardi), living on an isolated (some say haunted!) island with his uncle (Nigel Green), learns that his bug-eyed relative wants him dispatched permanently in order to cash in on the lad's $5M inheritance. The boy then involves his bickering playmate (Mary Badham) in turning the tables on the nefarious grown-up, who seems to take delight in this deadly game of cat-and-mouse. Screenwriter Mark Rodgers, working from a novel by Rohan O'Grady, and Castle appear to be targeting the family audience with this thriller. Much like their goal, the film is curious and intriguing without being truly provocative. The kids plot to poison Uncle with mushrooms but are somehow thwarted, while Uncle--armed with a can of gasoline--attempts to set the two on fire (but how would he explain their deaths to the authorities?). You absolutely cannot look for logic in a Castle screamer, but imagine how good--if not great--his films might have been with a little smarts! *1/2 from ****
    6gridoon2025

    William Castle is a great children's director

    "Let's Kill Uncle!" is an enjoyable black comedy, though a little too soft at the end. Its strongest point is the genuine, natural relationship between Barnaby and Chrissie; both look and act like real (early) teens, smart and resourceful but not "Disneyfied", and both young actors are bright and talented. **1/2 out of 4.

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    Related interests

    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby (1968)
    Horror
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      William Castle: The man driving the car in the opening scene.
    • Quotes

      Chrissie: Barnaby, your uncle's trying to kill you, right?

      [he nods]

      Chrissie: Well, let's kill uncle first.

      Barnaby Harrison: Chrissie, that's a marvellous idea. Why didn't I think of it before?

      Chrissie: You didn't think of it. I did.

    • Connections
      Featured in Cinemacabre TV Trailers (1993)

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    FAQ13

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • March 9, 1967 (Mexico)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Let's Kill Uncle, Before Uncle Kills Us
    • Filming locations
      • Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production companies
      • William Castle Productions
      • Universal Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      • 1h 32m(92 min)
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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