The Psychopath

Freddie Francis directed The Psychopath, a 1966 horror/thriller. The stars are Patrick Wymark, Margaret Johnson, Alexander Knox, and Judy Huxtable.

Inspector Holloway (Wymark) investigates murders by what appears to be a serial killer, who leaves a lookalike of the victim in the form of a doll next to each body. Four men are killed, none in the same way. These men play in a string quartet but actually knew one another in the war.

The dolls are traced to Mrs. Von Sturm (Johnson) who lives with her son in a house that has dolls everywhere. She considers them human, and talks to them. The men killed were in fact part of a committee that discredited Mrs. Von Sturm's husband during the war, so she seems a likely suspect. However, Mrs. Von Sturm, though she seems bonkers, is confined to a wheelchair. Holloway's interest turns to the fiancée of Louise (Huxtable), who is the daughter of one of the men (Knox) who was murdered.

This is pretty good - some people reviewing on this site saw the film as children, and I can see where it would have left a major impression on them. It is a derivative story, very strange, and Francis has a good atmosphere going, if the pace at times is a little slow. If you like this kind of film, you will like seeing this one.

Cinematographer and Director Freddie Francis who is best known for his work at Hammer Studios in Britain, (a classy outfit that remade the Universal Horror classics with verve and in color and produced some of the most remembered movies of the 50's and are Baby Boomer favorites), was behind the camera on this one.

With the help of Psycho (1960) author Robert Bloch, they went into familiar turf here with this little seen, and slightly disappointing, entry.

It does look pretty good and has some creepy setups, but suffers from some poor editing (some say it was re-edited after initial screenings) and a bit of a talky atmosphere. The ending is memorable and it is worth staying for the denouement, it just takes its time getting there and is clumsy at times, but not at all to be dismissed.

This is one of Amicus's lesser-known films and not one in their usual omnibus format. But it's an effective, creepy tale in what would be known today as the "serial killer" genre. Patrick Wymark is good as the detective, and director Freddie Francis, a multi-Oscar winning cinematographer, always brings a fine visual sense to his films. According to director Subotsky, the ending was re-edited and overdubbed to change the identity of the murderer (!) although this is not discernible on screen.

Is it a thriller or is it a horror? I don't know; the only thing I'm sure of is that this Freddie Francis' movie is a little jewel in its own genre. Supported by a solid plot and well acted, "The Psychopath" has got a real thrilling atmosphere, owed to the experience of its director. After starting as a detective story, towards the end it becomes a horror, cleverly avoiding a ridiculous or banal ending. In my opinion, Freddie Francis at his peak.

Inspector Holloway (Patrick Wymark) is in charge of investigating the murder of Reinhardt Klermer (John Harvey), Victor Ledoux (Robert Crewdson), Frank Saville (Alexander Knox) and Martin Roth (Thorley Walters) and his main lead is a doll in each crime scene. He finds that the dolls belonged to the crippled doll collector Mrs. Von Sturm (Margaret Johnston), who lives with her son Mark Von Sturm (Sir John Standing). Further he learns that the victims had investigated and incriminated her husband in the end of World War II. Inspector Holloway proceeds his investigation with a couple of suspects.

"The Psychopath" is a reasonable horror thriller by Amicus. The plot is strange with a creepy resolution. Anyway it is worthwhile watching this little film. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "As Bonecas da Morte" ("The Death Dolls")