Homicidal

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Homicidal
Film poster
Directed by	William Castle
Produced by	William Castle - Producer Dona Holloway - Associate Producer
Written by	Robb White
Starring	Glenn Corbett Patricia Breslin Richard Rust James Westerfield Eugenie Leontovich Alan Bunce Gilbert Green Jean Arless
Music by	Hugo Friedhofer
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	July 26, 1961
Running time	87 min.
IMDb profile

Homicidal is a 1961 thriller film produced and directed by the self-proclaimed "King of Showmanship", William Castle. The film stars Glenn Corbett, Patricia Breslin, Eugenie Leontovich, Alan Bunce and the enigmatic Jean Arless. The film was released with a "fright break" that allowed patrons to receive a refund if they were too scared to stay for the climax of the film.

1 Plot (No spoilers)
2 Production
3 Reviews
4 Trivia
5 External Links

[edit] Plot (No spoilers)

An attractive mysterious blonde, a long time family nurse confined to a wheel chair and unable to speak and the nurse's soon to be 21 male charge all share a brooding isolated mansion where many unseamly events occur.

[edit] Production

[edit] The King of Showmanship

After 15 years directing a string of B films for Columbia, Universal & Monogram Studios William Castle mortgaged his house and formed "William Castle Productions" in 1958. His first release "Macabre", was a modest thriller. To draw attention to this standard programmer he offered every audience member a $1,000 life insurance policy from Lloyd's of London against death by fright during the film. Castle promoted the film with TV commercials and previews that focused more on the life insurance policy than the film. The public bought it and the film was a financial if not critical success. For most of his films over the next 10 years William Castle added a gimmick.

[edit] Prologue

As with most of his films William Castle spoke directly to the audience in a prologue similar to those Alfred Hitchcock used for his then popular TV show. William Castle told the audience: "The more adventureous among you may remember our previous excursions into the macabre - our visits to haunted hills - to tinglers and to ghosts. This time we have even a stranger tale to unfold.....The story of a loveable group of people who just happen to be homicidal."

[edit] The Mystery of Jean Arless

Jean Arless aka Joan Marshall

This was the only film credit for enigmatic star Jean Arless. Many have assumed this was her only film. In truth Jean Arless was actually actress Joan Marshall. She appeared in television and films from 1958 through 1969. She also played the mother in the pilot for "The Munsters" but was replaced by Yvonne DeCarlo because of Joan's physical resemblance to The Addams Family star Carolyn Jones when the pilot was picked up . Joan's last role was a cameo in the film "Shampoo" (1975), a film husband Hal Ashby based on experiences from Joan's own life. Joan also acted as Barbra Streisand's personal assistant for the 1976 film "A Star is Born". She died in Jamaica in 1992. Her ashes were spread under her favorite tree.

[edit] The Fright Break

Fright break timer

As an on screen timer ticked away the seconds William Castle advised audience members they could leave the theatre and receive a full refund if they were too frightened to see the climax of the film. To receive the refund any "coward" had to follow a trail of yellow steps implanted in the aisles to the "Coward's Corner" set up in the lobby and remain there until the film was over and the exiting audience filed by. William Castle insured the more wily did not stay for a second showing and leave during its finale by giving each audience member a "Coward's Certificate" color coded for each performance. The "coward" had to turn the certificate in to receive the refund.

[edit] Reviews

Time Magazine said "It surpasses "Psycho" in structure, suspense and sheer nervous drive" and placed it on its top 10 films of the year list for 1962, an honor not bestowed on "Psycho" the previous year. For the most part the other critics were not so kind. Even today most critics dismiss the film as a cheap imitation of the Alfred Hitchcock style.
Eugene Archer of the New York Times said it was "A dismal imitation of Psycho".
Glenn Erickson from DVD Savant said it was "a perfectly wretched movie, bad enough to make Castle's other hits seem like flukes". Warning: This review contains many spoilers.

[edit] Trivia

Glenn Corbett began his career as a skimpily clad male model for Bob Mizer's Athletic Model Guild physique magazines under the name Glenn Robinson. In 1959 he moved to films. The risque photos caused no apparent harm to his career.
The mini mall used as the location for Karl's drugstore and Miriam's flowershop still stands today at 1532 Mission Drive in Solvang, California. It remains relatively unchanged in the 45 years since the film was made.