Search - Homicidal on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Not For Children Movie Release: 1961 DVD Release: 03/12/2002 Format: DVD - Black and White Edition: Restored/Remastered Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, French SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 27 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Members Wishing: 7 Genres: Horror, Slasher Film

Homicidal represents producer/director William Castle's slant on Hitchcock's Psycho. The film concerns a young woman named Miriam Webster (Patricia Breslin) who seemingly has everything a girl could want - including a successful flower shop business, and a handsome beau, Karl (Glenn Corbett), who works as a pharmacist. Events take a turn for the worse, however, when Miriam's half-brother, Warren, returns from Europe - with a rather unpleasant friend in-tow: a blonde named Emily (Jean Arless). Emily promptly sets about destroying Miriam's life: the newcomer attempts to wheedle Karl away from Miriam, then rips the flower shop to pieces, then ultimately reveals a little taste for knife-wielding that directly threatens Miriam's safety. Like The Tingler and other Castle outings, this one originally featured a gimmick, preserved in the video release: a "fright-break" just prior to the climax, which allowed terrified audience members approximately 45 seconds to get out of their seats and leave the theater - to avoid the prospect of being "frightened to death." One look at Jean Arless's credit in the cast listing betrays the final twist in this one, directly (and unapologetically) lifted by Castle from Psycho. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Glenn Corbett - Karl
Patricia Breslin - Miriam Webster
Jean Arless - Emily/Warren
Eugenie Leontovich - Helga
Alan Bunce - Dr. Jones
Ralph Moody - 1st Clerk

Columbia's DVD edition of Homicidal is mostly worthwhile for the film's fans, but has a few unexpectedly disappointing aspects. The big disappointment is the film's transfer, which foregoes the widescreen transfer for a full-frame image. It is handsomely remastered and reproduces the film's stark black-and-white cinematography nicely, but the cropping required to make it work in a full-frame format is frustrating. Considering that Columbia did widescreen transfers for their other William Castle DVDs (13 Ghosts, Strait-Jacket, and Mr. Sardonicus), this a curious decision on their part. The audio is limited to mono, but it delivers a crisp soundtrack despite its lack of stereo effects. In terms of extras, the Homicidal DVD includes a fun short documentary entitled "Psychette" that utilizes interviews with horror film historians and some period footage to put together an amusing portrait of how the film was made. Highlights of the short include the revelation of who Jean Arless really was and the "Coward's Corner" gimmick that Castle invented to keep people from asking for their money back. The disc also offers trailers for 13 Ghosts and Strait-Jacket, but strangely lacks a trailer for Homicidal itself. In the end, this DVD edition of Homicidal remains worthwhile to William Castle fans thanks to its short documentary, but its curious omissions keep it from being a definitive edition of this film. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide