The Psychopath

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.

First of all, I have to say that my copy of this film is poor in the extreme and so I might not have got 'the full effect'. But even so, Freddie Francis' The Psychopath is a rather mundane thriller that takes most of its influence from superior works such as those of Alfred Hitchcock, and doesn't particularly do anything new. The plot focuses on post-world war 2 revenge, and follows the murder of four men. The men were involved in the murder of a German millionaire, and the only other clue that Inspector Holloway has to go on is the fact that small dolls were found next to each corpse. Are the murders something to do with a doll maker and her son? Freddie Francis made a lot of the best films that Amicus had to offer, and although this is both an Amicus and a Freddie Francis film; it's not a high point for either. The plot has just about enough about it to hold the audience's interest for the film's duration, although it does drag at times and I think I'd have enjoyed this film more if it was a little more streamlined. The dolls are what ties the film to the horror genre, as they're eerie looking and creepy; but otherwise, this is more of a by the numbers thriller with only a couple of twists thrown in. The Psychopath is rather difficult to come by, and since it's not all that good; I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to find a copy.

Freddie Francis continues to be one of my all-time favorite directors(not to mention his superb work in Cinematography) and here's another fine effort from him for Amicus.

A serial killer seems bent on striking at 4 men involved in a common conspiracy. Each victim is found murdered under bizarre and unusual circumstances and in each case a little doll in the victim's likeness is left at the death scene. One Inspector Holloway(played by the then promising talent Patrick Wymark) investigates and uncovers a whole bunch of unusual connections between nearly every character in the film.

This film is terrific visually and in terms of story(it does display some similarities to Alfred Hitchcock's PSYCHO)--one is always left guessing. Great stuff!

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.

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.