(MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD) First, I'll say that I loved the movies of William Castle. From "Macabre" through "House on Haunted Hill," "The Tingler," "13 Ghosts" to "Homicidal," with all those great gimmicks, Castle was the epitome of a drive-in horror showman genius in the late 50's.
Second, Hitchcock copied Castle when he made "Psycho." Hitchcock was well aware of the big bucks made by "Macabre" and "House on Haunted Hill" and wanted to make something like William Castle did "for the teenage drive-in crowd." Robert Bloch's novel "Psycho" came out in 1959 and Hitchcock pounced on it. Like many a William Castle movie, "Psycho" was made cheaply in black-and-white, and set in a small town backwater area like Castle movies. Hitchcock also included an "upscale William Castle gimmick." Rather than tingling seats or "death insurance," Hitchcock simply stamped a demand on all "Psycho" advertising: "No one
can enter the theater after 'Psycho' begins!" Hitch said he wanted to protect his secrets, but he was also making "Psycho" feel completely like a Castle picture.
Third, William Castle saw what a blockbuster hit Hitchcock had in "Psycho," so he rushed "Homicidal" into production. Look at the release date: June 1961. Plenty of time for Castle to see "Psycho," have a script written, and film his copycat.
The plot specifics and murders in "Homicidal" are different from "Psycho," but the film has these match-ups: 1. After years of making "haunted house" type movies, Castle makes in "Homicidal" a slasher movie like "Psycho." 2. The story begins with a title: "Ventura, California," like "Psycho"'s "Phoenix, Arizona." 3. The story starts on a pretty blonde making a journey in a car.
NOTE: Here comes BIG TWIST on "Psycho" : instead of killing the beautiful girl at the 30 minute mark, Castle surprises us by having the GIRL commit the bloody murder instead. Nice.
4. Eventually, the story moves to a lonely house near a small California town: Solvang (a real town, instead of the fictional Fairvale in "Psycho.") 5. A hero and heroine are introduced in that small town. A police detective , instead of a private eye, introduces himself.
6. SPOILER: the twist ending is just like "Psycho": a man dressed like a woman has been committing the murders.
Like most William Castle movies, "Homicidal" is cheesy fun on its own terms, and scary enough. Fair play: Hitchcock homaged Castle with "Psycho," so Castle homaged him back.
But "Time" magazine was absolutely crazy to say that "Homicidal" was better than "Psycho." That's insane.
Hitchcock's command of cinematic art is everywhere in "Psycho." Compare the editing of the shower scene to any of the murder in "Homicidal" (which involve animated cartoon blood on one victim and a dummy head on the other.) Compare Hitchcock's great camera move over Anthony Perkins, the dialogue, the acting, the other murder scene, the climax.
"Homicidal" is fun, but comes nowhere near the artistry of "Psycho."
Second, Hitchcock copied Castle when he made "Psycho." Hitchcock was well aware of the big bucks made by "Macabre" and "House on Haunted Hill" and wanted to make something like William Castle did "for the teenage drive-in crowd." Robert Bloch's novel "Psycho" came out in 1959 and Hitchcock pounced on it. Like many a William Castle movie, "Psycho" was made cheaply in black-and-white, and set in a small town backwater area like Castle movies. Hitchcock also included an "upscale William Castle gimmick." Rather than tingling seats or "death insurance," Hitchcock simply stamped a demand on all "Psycho" advertising: "No one
can enter the theater after 'Psycho' begins!" Hitch said he wanted to protect his secrets, but he was also making "Psycho" feel completely like a Castle picture.
Third, William Castle saw what a blockbuster hit Hitchcock had in "Psycho," so he rushed "Homicidal" into production. Look at the release date: June 1961. Plenty of time for Castle to see "Psycho," have a script written, and film his copycat.
The plot specifics and murders in "Homicidal" are different from "Psycho," but the film has these match-ups: 1. After years of making "haunted house" type movies, Castle makes in "Homicidal" a slasher movie like "Psycho." 2. The story begins with a title: "Ventura, California," like "Psycho"'s "Phoenix, Arizona." 3. The story starts on a pretty blonde making a journey in a car.
NOTE: Here comes BIG TWIST on "Psycho" : instead of killing the beautiful girl at the 30 minute mark, Castle surprises us by having the GIRL commit the bloody murder instead. Nice.
4. Eventually, the story moves to a lonely house near a small California town: Solvang (a real town, instead of the fictional Fairvale in "Psycho.") 5. A hero and heroine are introduced in that small town. A police detective , instead of a private eye, introduces himself.
6. SPOILER: the twist ending is just like "Psycho": a man dressed like a woman has been committing the murders.
Like most William Castle movies, "Homicidal" is cheesy fun on its own terms, and scary enough. Fair play: Hitchcock homaged Castle with "Psycho," so Castle homaged him back.
But "Time" magazine was absolutely crazy to say that "Homicidal" was better than "Psycho." That's insane.
Hitchcock's command of cinematic art is everywhere in "Psycho." Compare the editing of the shower scene to any of the murder in "Homicidal" (which involve animated cartoon blood on one victim and a dummy head on the other.) Compare Hitchcock's great camera move over Anthony Perkins, the dialogue, the acting, the other murder scene, the climax.
"Homicidal" is fun, but comes nowhere near the artistry of "Psycho."