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William Castle claims that he had the idea for this film while he was sleeping. If so, I can only assume that he was dreaming about Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece, 'Psycho' because the blatant homage to the earlier film is difficult to ignore. Castle injects all the same themes and many of the ideas from Psycho into this film, but luckily; the master of entertainment has enough ideas of his own to ensure that Homicidal isn't merely a rip-off. Besides, Castle himself had a small hand in the events leading up to the release of Hitchcock's low-budget thriller...so I guess he earned the right to homage. The film starts off with one of Castle's campy intro features, and we also get a 'Fright Break' towards the end; but on the whole, this film is slightly more serious than earlier films such as The Tingler and House on Haunted Hill. The film opens properly with a sequence that sees a beautiful blonde woman pay a hired hand at a hotel to marry her. One thing leads to another, and she quite shockingly ends up sticking the knife into the Justice of the Peace...the plot thickens with the introduction of the elderly Helga and an inheritance of $10 million.

This film is never as good as Hitchcock's Psycho, but the master of entertainment always ensures that there's enough going on to ensure that it doesn't get boring. Much of the plot takes place in a dark, creepy house; which helps the director to implement a morbid and macabre atmosphere. One of the major faults with the film with regards to the scare factor comes from Castle's own showboating. The 'fright break' towards the end kills the shocking atmosphere that Castle has spent the rest of the film implementing, and as a result; the final macabre sequence is not nearly as effective as it could have been. The final twist is a clear derivative of Psycho, but it's actually quite well worked. The film introduced the talents of Joan Marshall (appearing here as Jean Arless) to the cinematic world, and her performance is what makes the film what it is. It's a shame that she never went on to make much of a splash after this film. I wouldn't hesitate to label Homicidal as one of William Castle's better efforts, as even though it's not quite what audiences have come to expect from the master of entertainment, and it's purely derivative; Homicidal is still a fine quality B-movie shocker.

William Castle's 1950s camp classics 'The Tingler' and 'House On Haunted Hill' are lots of fun, and highly recommended to all horror fans with a strong sense of the absurd. I expected 'Homicidal' to be a similarly silly but entertaining affair, especially as it was also written by Robb White, but was quite surprised at just how dark and effective it was. Apart from Castle's typically hammy introduction, and the "fright break" towards the climax (a not too dissimilar idea to the one Gaspar Noe used several years ago in his shocking 'I Stand Alone'!), 'Homicidal' is nowhere near as gimmicky and tongue in cheek as most of Castle's best known movies. Maybe that is why it is rarely mentioned when his work is discussed. Too bad, to me it is one of his most interesting and effective shockers. While obviously inspired by 'Psycho', and made on a shoe-string budget with variable acting, I was quite impressed by it. The opening sequence is memorable - a beautiful blonde (Jean Arliss) checks in to a swanky hotel, and offers a shocked bellhop cash to marry her, assuring him that the marriage will be annulled immediately after the event. He is puzzled but agrees, and at the ceremony the next day the mysterious blonde quite unexpectedly murders the JP! We then follow her to a house where she looks after an elderly woman (Eugenie Leontovich) who is mute and confined to a wheelchair after a stroke. The old woman is obviously terrified of her, but is unable to convey this to any visitors to the house. Pretty soon we meet the other characters, and learn of a $10 million inheritance, and things start to get real interesting... I won't elaborate any further for fear of spoiling the plot. The major twist will no doubt be guessed by the viewer fairly quickly but there are still some surprises and shocks in store. Arliss (actually Joan Marshall) gives an intriguing performance. Why she didn't go on to bigger and better things after this is beyond me. I urge fans of Castle's better known movies to check out this little gem. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it to all fans of b-grade thrillers and horror movies.

Homicidal is one of the most blatant rip offs of Psycho you're likely to see, but it has such a good time trying to hide that fact and go in its own direction that you can't help but love it. It's about a young woman who might have a little killing problem and a mysterious brother who makes life even more difficult for her.

William Castle might not be as masterful with the suspense as Hitchcock, but he knows how to spin an entertaining story.

This is yet another classic from William Castle, the king of the gimmicks. The gimmick used for this film, often compared with "Psycho", was the idea of a "Fright Break" during which the viewer has 30 seconds to determine if they want to see the 'terrifying' conclusion to the film. When released in theaters initially, there was a separate section that patrons could go to during the "Fright Break". Gimmicks aside this is a very well crafted, often goofy, and quite effective little thriller. The murders, acting, and storyline are all over the top and everyone in the movie puts on quite an effective performance. Standing out in her role as Emily is Jean Arliss. It seems that Emily is quite disturbed as the movie opens with an alarming murder sequence. The story goes downhill from there and, just when you think you have all of the answers, the film changes the questions! The ending is very shocking for first time viewers and yet this is the kind of film that also gets more and more entertaining with each additional viewing. Highly recommended for horror fans, even though it's often compared with "Psycho" I feel that the film stands out on it's own and it's ending is actually more effective than Hitchcock's. Watch this movie, you won't regret it!

"Homicidal" is a very strange movie. It's among the best of William Castle's gimmicky horror films, but unlike any of them. Fans of "camp" should have a field day with this one. Jean Arless plays a fascinating part, but her obvious disguises and stilted acting are sorely out of step with everyone else's naturalistic looks and behavior. However, the story is absorbing, clever and ultimately entertaining. Films that take their cue from "Psycho" normally make me bristle, but this time it's actually quite interesting to catch the references as they continue to pile up (There are so many). Would love to know what Hitchcock thought of this movie.

This movie has not received much attention through the years all the way back to its initial release.During that time period it was second on a double bill featuring "the brides of Fu Manchu".Recently viewed Homicidal for the the third time with many years between each viewing.Each time I found the movie entertaining and have to admit the story becomes clearer each time.Although I've done a lot of ad libbing during movies this is one tense and serious not deserving of it.For that reason I'm not in agreement with those calling this movie corny or having unintentional amusing parts.The main character is a tortured abused soul striking out in rage.The overall plot is believable and would fit right in to the current evening newscasts.Comments have been made how this movie does not compare well to the film Psycho.When Psycho was first released I saw it in the movie theater,after viewing it some persons were saying "too much #*#% publicity!". Someone seeing Homicidal for the first time is not likely to be saying that. The film has extra interest for me because some of the filming is done in the town of Solvang,Calif. which I've visited at least half a dozen times.The scenes outside the drug store and flower shop are recognizable,last I knew that spot had not changed.For those not aware,Solvang is known as the Danish capitol of America.The filmmakers may of thought that was a good tie-in to some of the characters spending time in Denmark.A good movie I think I'm ready to watch it a fourth time

HOMICIDAL is an obvious PSYCHO "homage". Scene after scene, one gets a vivid sense of deja vu while watching the William Castle shocker. The main problem with HOMICIDAL, other than the fact that it's very derivative of PSYCHO, is that it's way too tame, certainly compared TO the Alfred Hitchcock classic. The beginning is intriguing and weird, and the ending is good and surreal but everything in between is rather flat and dull. It seems the only thing we see are people walking in and out of doors, in and out of cars, etc. And the well thought out story is too brief for its own good.

The truly great thing in HOMICIDAL is Jean Arless, or Joan Marshall. WOW! Jean/Joan was great. It's hard to believe her career didn't take off after her appearance in HOMICIDAL. Her unusual performance is the film's most intriguing and original aspect.

This is among the director's most popular works, being the one that overtly played him up as a potential rival to Alfred Hitchcock (complete with Castle's cheeky introduction a' la Hitch's own TV appearances); at the same time, its deliberate nods to PSYCHO (1960) did not really endear it to critics but, of course, audiences at the time lapped it up… which only goes to prove just how much of a milestone the Hitchcock classic was when it first emerged and has remained so over the years through countless imitations!

Anyway, taken on its own merits, the film is certainly an above-average chiller for Castle – yet one is left wondering whether he was audacious or foolhardy in his approach towards the all-important plot twist; Hitchcock was certainly wiser in keeping "Mother" in the background, whereas Castle throws the secondary personality of the titular figure in our faces almost from the get-go! Indeed, the prologue should have been omitted entirely – as it really gave the game away to discerning viewers. The transvestism element, then, elicits unwarranted comparisons throughout with Ed Wood's notorious GLEN OR GLENDA? (1953) – but the PSYCHO borrowings, at least, are fairly well integrated into the narrative: a stint by the blonde leading lady at a run-down motel, a near-brush with the Law, a nosy investigator, an invalid also staying at the house, the put-upon young couple, etc. Having said that, the aforementioned prologue, the sadistic mistreatment of the latter character and the underlying "greed is the root of all evil" theme clearly anticipate the next phase in Horror film-making: the "Grand Guignol" chillers spearheaded by Robert Aldrich's WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (1962)…

Still, while it also has an early and would-be shocking (because apparently unprovoked) murder – that could have pointed out to yet another childhood sexual trauma in other scenarios – one cannot sensibly compare the impact of the bloody yet extremely clumsy stabbing of James Westerfield with the legendary shower sequence from PSYCHO involving Janet Leigh! Incidentally, even if we do get to hear the two personalities speak in the same sequence (as Anthony Perkins did in the earlier film), their never actually appearing together – to say nothing of the man's distinctly effeminate appearance – should have alerted audiences as to the nature of the ruse (not that her eventual uncovering – preceded by the gimmicky 45-second "Fright Break" – is totally ineffective, unlike her ultimate come-uppance…which comes off as rushed)! Casting-wise, it is obviously Jean Arless (actually Joan Marshall, who adopted the pseudonym so as not to be typecast, but her subsequent roles were negligible at best!) who makes the biggest impression, whereas Eugenie Leontovich's stroke victim – with her incessant banging to attract attention – gets on one's nerves very quickly!

This film deserves to be watched more than it is. I discovered it by accident. It's quite an important film in the history of psychological horrors. Recommended. Alert - Don't read reviews before watching the film!

I fell in love with horror at an early age and before my parents bought a VCR I had to stay up and watch these movies on late night TV, I have very fond memories of doing so. I must have been 12 or so when I watched Homicidal for the first time and I'm not afraid to admit that it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and sent shivers down my spine. I have just re-watched it, this time on Blu-Ray, sadly it did not have the same scare effect but I still found it to be a good watch. Made just one year after Hitchcock's masterpiece "Psycho" this was an early entry in the popular 1960's and 70's psycho thrillers, indeed one could say that these and Italian Giallo would later mould what we call "slasher" movies. The psycho here is a young attractive blonde woman called Emily who is nurse to a mute and crippled old lady in a large Californian house. Emily's murderous habit is revealed early in the film when she stabs to death a man, very graphic for the time. The movie is now rated 12 in the UK, this first killing is the only gory point to be fair and the rest of the film is pretty tame. Jean Arless plays Emily, a 30 year old rather unconvincingly playing a 20 year old. The film was made by William Castle, king of the gimmicks, Homicidal is perhaps best know for its 45 second "Fright Break" just before the finale. In 1974 Amicus films had a "guess the werewolf" break in their "The Beast Must Die". So Homicidal wasn't as scary as I first remembered it to be but it is still a good psycho, gender bending thriller that comes not only with a fright break but also an introduction by Castle himself and looks great in black and white.

Just watch it- don't read anything about it. This movie is truly entertaining and I was wondering what happened to Emily that made her this way? Emily is a mess, a homicidal mess.

Lucky for us all, there is an explanation as to WHY Emily is so crazy, and I personally appreciate that because I always want to know why people do crazy things.

Emily is Helga's caretaker and it is obvious that Helga is terrified. Did Emily kill the real Emily and take her place? Is she planning on killing Miriam and taking her place? Does she even have a plan?

I felt so much sympathy for Helga, who is mute and confined to a wheelchair. It is obvious that she has been menaced by Emily for quite a while.

But sometimes, sympathy is misplaced...

William Castle-directed shocker involves a murderous nurse and her 'husband' complicating an inheritance matter. Jean Arless has the flashy leading role, but in the end it's just a gimmick and she's not quite up to the stunt (to her credit, nobody in the cast comes out looking particularly good, as Castle's direction and Robb White's script are equally unsure). The film was photographed by the highly-adept Burnett Guffey, but only the outdoor scenes have a competent appearance; the interiors are over-lit, with heavy shadows, mundane art direction and design (with a staircase only Norman Bates might be happy to own). The film is full of amusingly square attempts at hysteria, but this script is over-complicated and the pacing dawdles. The plot doesn't bear close scrutiny--with a tag at the finish that seems like an apology. Still, you gotta love that "fright break"! ** from ****

Leave it to William Castle, the master showman, to always keep you on the edge of your seat. Actually, part of the credit goes to writer of the macabre Robb White, who worked with Castle on many projects, notable HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL.

Some of the reviewers have compared this thriller to PSYCHO, and with good reason. Alfred Hitchcock was actually a fan of William Castle, amazed at how he produced HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL. So much, he incorporated the idea of Norman Bates' haunted home on the hill in PSYCHO . Get it? Also filmed in dreary black and white. Castle returned the favor with HOMICIDAL, and many complimentary shocks.

Actually, in a wry sort of way, "Homicidal" is a macabre salute to the iconic soap opera, PEYTON PLACE. It's set in a small town with a lot of secrets, and the mystery mansion with even more secrets! People will gossip, right? Standout performance by Jean Arless, later known as Joan Marshall, playing Emily and Warren, Castle's own version of Norman Bates. Patricia Breslin (as Mariam) returns to the old homestead after many years and, of course, has Emily --or is it Warren(?) -- to keep her company.

Handsome Glenn Corbett leads the male support, playing Karl, but all eyeballs are obviously on Jean Arless.

Not too long after this film, Jean joined Warner Brothers/ABC TVand appeared in some top cops shows, like 77 SUNSET STRIP and HAWAIIN EYE. She worked quite steadily in tv through the 60s.

One of her husbands was New Age director Hal Ashby who based his hit comedy, SHAMPOO (1975) on their own life together. Jean was lukewarm to the whole idea. Good trivia question.

A film not to miss due to the fact it has its moments, and some grisly shocks at that. Castle will definitely give you something to think about long after the film is over. Look for silent screen comedian Snub Pollard (the guy with the famous handlebar moustache) playing a bellhop and tv favorite Hope Summers from the ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW.

Filmed in the beautiful small town of Solvang, California, about 30 miles north of Santa Barbara. Solvang's claim to fame are its windmills, and just a nice, quite place to visit --and catch a murderer.

Always on dvd and re-mastered blu ray for Castle fans of all ages.

William Castle's Homicidal straddles a mile wide line between Hitchcock's consensus classic Psycho and Ed Wood's no budget foray into transvestitism, Glen or Glenda. That's probably reason enough for a lot of people to check Homicidal out, though apart from some nice details, there isn't a whole lot there. A couple of scenes on a stairway with a special track for a wheelchair, where a disabled old woman descends aren't bad, especially the latter, which is done in the semi-darkness as the film heads into those final ten minutes of terror, where the audience is warned in advance to clear the theater. Before that final act, a knife sharpener has to drive twenty miles to the big house to sharpen the special knife, a rush job, so that it can be used for the next victim. There's other little parts here and there that sort of make up for a general lack of direction, a newspaper headline blares "Homicidal Maniac!", and a subplot about Denmark and transsexual surgical procedures, that at the time were a bigger, darker, and juicier subject.