After winding down June with discussions of Ben Stiller’s genre-adjacent black comedy The Cable Guy (listen) and Emerald Fennell’s divisive sophomore effort Saltburn (listen), we’re covering our very first William Castle film with a look at his Psycho homage Homicidal (1961).
In the exposition-heavy film, homicidal Emily (Joan Marshall, credited as Jean Arless) murders a prominent justice of the peace before retreating to the home of her lover Warren, acting as nurse to his mute former caretaker Helga (Eugenie Leontovich). After witnessing the abuse that Emily subjects Helga to, Warren’s half-sister Miriam (Patricia Breslin) becomes suspicious that Emily is not who she claims she to be. Her investigation into Emily’s past sets the stage for one of William Castle’s most outrageous films with an even more outrageous ending.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Amazon Music, and RSS.
Episode 392: Homicidal (1961)
Grab your favorite surgical knife and call your mobile knife sharpener because we’re discussing our very first William Castle film in his 1961 Psycho homage (or rip-off…you decide) Homicidal!
Join us as we discuss the origins of William Castle, aka “The Gimmick Guy”, before diving into a film that has a fantastic first and last 15 minutes, but also a middle hour filled with obscene amounts of exposition. And don’t forget about the Fright Break!
Plus: Alyssa Edwards chatter, humans drinking bowls of warm milk, all the praise for Jean Arless’ (aka Joan Marshall’s) dual performance, and a primer on Christine Jorgensen, the first person to become widely known in the United States for having gender reassignment surgery.
Cross out Homicidal!
Coming Up Next: We’re celebrating Independence Day in style with a look at queer writer/director Roland Emmerich’s decade-defining alien invasion film Independence Day!
P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 500 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal Season 3 Episodes 5 & 6, Backrooms, Passenger, Leviticus, an audio commentary on the original Scary Movie (2000), and the return of our Requel Tier as we begin our episode coverage of AMC’s The Vampire Lestat.