Plot: What’s it about?
Emily (Jean Arless, aka Joan Marshall) has just checked in at a hotel, but as soon as she arrives, she sets a plan into motion. It seems more than a little strange to the bellhop when Emily asks him to marry her, but she explains the situation and as he is quite taken with her beauty, he agrees and the couple head off to be wed. She informs him that the marriage is not a genuine one, that she just needs him to say the vows and soon after, the legal side will be annulled and both will be single again, for better or worse. So he drives to the home of a Justice of the Peace at her request and the ceremony is performed in the usual manner, but once the Justice has wrapped up his part, things get a little odd. As the vows have been said and the wedding has ended, Emily decides to celebrate with a murder and stabs the Justice but good, then runs off into the night, leaving her ex-husband scratching his head. Who is this mysterious woman and why has done such mysterious things, for all that’s good & decent in the world, why?
As a fan of cult cinema, I have come to be quite attached to the films of William Castle, which often lack real substance, but are tons of fun to watch and when first released, had all sorts of inventive gimmicks to pack the crowds. Of course, he also made a lot of films not of this kind, but he has become best known for these movies and one of them is Homicidal, which offers the viewer a chance to leave before the climatic closing sequences, thanks to Castle’s Fright Break. But even with this memorable gimmick, Homicidal varies from Castle’s usual approach, as it is more serious and less about campish fun. If you watch it as a lift of Psycho however, you should be much more entertained, as it is obviously just that and even then, Castle makes some great choices that result in hilariously bad results. I mean, look no further than the makeup in a number of scenes and you’ll find enough laughs to last through two films, let alone the other elements seen here. So no, this is not the kind of picture Castle has become a cinema legend for, but I find Homicidal to be an offbeat, very entertaining motion picture.
This is by no means the prototypical William Castle film, but Homicidal has some of his usual touches and if you ask me, is a terrific picture. He does include the humorous “Fright Break” sequence, but that has lost some gas, like most of his other gimmicks, now that the movie is being seen on home video, instead of a real theater. But Castle takes a more serious, stylish approach with Homicidal, as opposed to the campish, more relaxed and fun textures most of his movies held, which could alienate some of his regulars. Yes, the low budget often sacks any kind of visual style and it is obvious Castle is aping Hitchcock at times, but come on, Castle was well known for cashing in on trends, so no reason to be a critic all the sudden. Other films directed by Castle include The Tingler, Mr. Sardonicus, 13 Ghosts, House on Haunted Hill, The Old Dark House, Macabre, and I Saw What You Did. The cast includes Joan Marshall (The Great Sex War, Shampoo), Glenn Corbett (The Violent Years, Chisum), and Patricia Breslin (Tv’s General Hospital).
Video: How does it look?
Homicidal is presented in a full frame transfer, which is an open matte edition of the intended 1.85:1 aspect ratio. This is not a good sign from Columbia, who usually supports widescreen releases, but has been slipping in some full frame only titles of late. Yes, you can zoom in if you own a widescreen television and get the frame as intended, but without an anamorphic treatment, you lose resolution and by turn, the image is not as impressive. So who knows why Columbia has chosen Homicidal to be full framed, but on a technical basis, the image here looks solid and shows no serious signs of age. I mean, the print looks clean, the image is sharp, and black levels seem well balanced, but even so, the end result is lacking. I mean, no matter how clean and sharp the image is here, the lack of a widescreen option forces a lower score.
Audio: How does it sound?
The mono track houses here is terrific, with a clean overall sound and no real age related defects to report. I was kind of stunned by the clarity at times, I guess some excellent source materials were found or some restoration was done, as this sounds as good as new, very impressive indeed. The dialogue is clean and crisp at all times, while the music & sound effects also sound great, with minimal flaws to be heard. This disc also includes subtitles in English and French, should you need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The sole extra is a brief featurette titled Psychette: William Castle and Homicidal, in which some folks discuss the film’s origins & comparisons to Psycho. This is a well made and sometimes informative piece, but I do wish it was more substantial.
