The Psychopath (1966 film)

Last updated

The Psychopath
The Psychopath film Theatrical release poster (1966).png
UK theatrical release poster
Directed by Freddie Francis
Written by Robert Bloch
Produced by Max Rosenberg
Milton Subotsky
Starring Patrick Wymark
Cinematography John Wilcox
Edited by Oswald Hafenrichter
Music by Elisabeth Lutyens
Color process Technicolor
Production
company
Distributed by Paramount British Pictures
Release date
  • February 4, 1966 (1966-02-04)
Running time
82 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Psychopath (also known as Schizo) is a 1966 British horror film directed by Freddie Francis and starring Patrick Wymark and Margaret Johnston. [1] It was written by Robert Bloch and was an Amicus production. [2]

Contents

Plot

Police inspector Holloway investigates a string of murders where the victims have dolls attached to their bodies. The trail soon leads to a disabled German woman named Mrs. Von Sturm, who knows a set of dark secrets that may hold the key to the murders.

It develops that Mrs.Von Sturm's late husband was found guilty of war crimes and the family's multi-million dollar estate seized by the Allies. Four murder victims were a part of that Allied War crimes tribunal, and they may have illegally seized the industrial empire for themselves, which would give the Von Sturm family good reason for personal vengeance.

The murderer's M.O., except for the leaving of the realistically carved dolls, differs with each killing. Inspector Holloway, who at times can seem like the only sane man in London, doggedly pursues the case to a successful conclusion...and salvages the romance of Louise Saville and her Number One Suspect fiancé, Donald Loftis, a medical student with the presumed technical knowledge to commit the murders.

Cast

Production

Shooting started September 1965. [3]

The Psychopath was an attempt to capitalize on the success of Hammer Films' recent series of psychological thrillers, including Taste of Fear (1961). [4]

Robert Bloch recalls in his autobiography being taken with his wife to the country in England by Ronald Kirkbride, and "the next morning a limo took us to Shepperton Studios, where we lunched after watching Freddy Francis helm a scene for The Psychopath. The scene that morning was one I had indicated as taking place at the bottom of a staircase leading to the upper floor of a house. But everything they actually shot now took place at the top of a staircase which descended to the cellar. What I wrote up they put down. And when I took director Francis aside and questioned him about the change he pointed out that building a set with a stairway was expensive. Shooting from a high angle into the redressed recess beneath a soundstage trapdoor saved money. In other words, I was right back on The Couch (1962) with The Night Walker (1964). A low-budget film always operates on the same principle, that is to say, no principle whatsoever except saving a buck, even if it means losing the potential of the picture". [5]

Reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Despite the variable colour and some confusion in the tortuous script, this is an outstandingly enjoyable whodunnit. Or rather, it begins as a whodunnit – with the jong murder sequence of the opening being followed by the Inspector's visit to a quit, oldfashioned salon where three members of a string quartet gravely indulge in Mozart while awaiting their colicague – and gradually shifts gear until it blossoms into a fully-fledged horror film. Much less flashy with his camera than usual, Freddie Francis is content to let his scenes speak for themselves ... Much of the pleasure comes from a really splendid cast, with Margaret Johnston enjoying herself hugely as the crazy widow, and Patrick Wymark much less mannered than he has been of late. John Standing, restless, explosive, and with just the suggestion of a manic prance in his step as he plays cat-and-mouse with the Inspector, is equally good. ... It is a pity, though, that the attractive compositions and art direction are constantly let down by indifferent colour processing." [6]

The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 1/5 stars, writing: "Hammer's main rival, Amicus, produced some highly original shockers but, despite a screenplay by Robert Bloch, author of Psycho, this isn't one of them. Once again, a psychopath murders his enemies one by one, leaving a model of the victim next to each body, and it doesn't take much imagination to work out who the culprit is. There's little atmosphere, and Margaret Johnston overplays to the point of burlesque." [7]

Leslie Halliwell said: "Complicated horror thriller in which the actors go further over the top the more the plot winds down." [8]

The film was very popular in Europe, particularly Italy. [4]

Michael Weldon writes of the film as "a good shocker". [9]

Related Research Articles

Amicus Productions was a British film production company, based at Shepperton Studios, England, active between 1962 and 1977. It was founded by American producers and screenwriters Milton Subotsky and Max Rosenberg.

<i>The Spiral Staircase</i> (1946 film) 1946 film by Robert Siodmak

The Spiral Staircase is a 1946 American psychological horror film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Dorothy McGuire, George Brent, and Ethel Barrymore. Set over the course of one evening, the film follows a mute young woman in an early-20th century Vermont town who is stalked and terrorized in a rural mansion by a serial killer targeting women with disabilities. Gordon Oliver, Rhonda Fleming, and Elsa Lanchester appear in supporting roles. It was adapted for the screen by Mel Dinelli from the novel Some Must Watch (1933) by Ethel Lina White.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freddie Francis</span> English cinematographer and film director (1917–2007)

Frederick William FrancisBSC was an English cinematographer and film director whose filmmaking career spanned over 60 years, from the late 1930s until the late 2000s. One of the most celebrated British cinematographers of his time, he received numerous accolades for his photography, including two Academy Awards and five BAFTA Awards. As a director he was best known for his horror films, notably those made for production companies Amicus and Hammer in the 1960s and 1970s.

<i>The Blood Beast Terror</i> 1968 British film by Vernon Sewell

The Blood Beast Terror is a 1968 British horror film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Peter Cushing, Robert Flemyng and Wanda Ventham. It was released in the UK by Tigon in February 1968, and in the United States by Pacemaker Pictures on a double-bill with Slaughter of the Vampires (1962).

<i>The House That Dripped Blood</i> 1971 British film by Peter Duffell

The House That Dripped Blood is a 1971 British anthology horror film directed by Peter Duffell and made by Amicus Productions. It stars Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Nyree Dawn Porter, Denholm Elliott, and Jon Pertwee. The film is a collection of four short stories concerning a series of inhabitants of the eponymous building. All of the stories were originally written, and subsequently scripted, by Robert Bloch.

<i>Torture Garden</i> (film) 1967 British film by Freddie Francis

Torture Garden is a 1967 British horror film directed by Freddie Francis and starring Burgess Meredith, Jack Palance, Michael Ripper, Beverly Adams, Peter Cushing, Maurice Denham, Ursula Howells, Michael Bryant and Barbara Ewing. The score was a collaboration between Hammer horror regulars James Bernard and Don Banks.

<i>I, Monster</i> 1971 British horror film by Stephen Weeks

I, Monster is a 1971 British horror film directed by Stephen Weeks and starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. It was written by MIlton Subotsky, adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, with the main characters' names changed to Dr. Charles Marlowe and Mr. Edward Blake. It was produced by Amicus.

<i>Psycho</i> (novel) 1959 novel by Robert Bloch

Psycho is a 1959 horror novel by American writer Robert Bloch. The novel tells the story of Norman Bates, a caretaker at an isolated motel who struggles under his domineering mother and becomes embroiled in a series of murders. The novel is considered Bloch's most enduring work and one of the most influential horror novels of the 20th century.

<i>The Deadly Bees</i> 1967 British film by Freddie Francis

The Deadly Bees is a 1967 British horror film based on H. F. Heard's 1941 novel A Taste for Honey. It was directed by Freddie Francis, and stars Suzanna Leigh, Guy Doleman, and Frank Finlay. The original screenplay was by Robert Bloch but was rewritten by Anthony Marriott. The film was released theatrically in the United States in 1967 and was featured in a 1998 episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

<i>The Skull</i> (film) 1965 British film by Freddie Francis

The Skull is a 1965 British horror film directed by Freddie Francis for Amicus Productions, and starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, Patrick Wymark, Jill Bennett, Nigel Green, Patrick Magee and Peter Woodthorpe. The script was written by Milton Subotsky from a short story by Robert Bloch, "The Skull of the Marquis de Sade".

<i>Night Must Fall</i> (1964 film) 1964 British film by Karel Reisz

Night Must Fall is a 1964 British film directed by Karel Reisz and starring Albert Finney, Mona Washbourne and Susan Hampshire. It was written by Clive Exton.

<i>Hour of Decision</i> (film) 1957 British mystery film directed by C.M. Pennington-Richards

Hour of Decision is a 1957 British mystery film directed by C. M. Pennington-Richards and starring Jeff Morrow, Hazel Court and Anthony Dawson. It is based on the 1954 novel Murder in Mayfair by Frederic Goldsmith.

Strange Evidence is a 1933 British crime film directed by Robert Milton, produced by Alexander Korda and written by Lajos Bíró and Miles Malleson. Starring Leslie Banks, George Curzon, Carol Goodner and Frank Vosper, it is a film made by Alexander Korda's London Film Productions at British and Dominions Imperial Studios, Elstree, with art direction by R.Holmes Paul.

<i>Home to Danger</i> 1951 British film directed by Terefnce Fisher

Home to Danger is a 1951 British second feature film noir crime film directed by Terence Fisher starring Guy Rolfe, Rona Anderson and Stanley Baker.

<i>Girl in the Headlines</i> 1963 British film by Michael Truman

Girl in the Headlines is a 1963 British detective film directed by Michael Truman and starring Ian Hendry, Ronald Fraser, Jeremy Brett, and Jane Asher. It is based on the 1961 novel The Nose on my Face by actor Laurence Payne.

<i>The Brain</i> (1962 film) 1962 British-German film by Freddie Francis

The Brain, also known as Vengeance and Ein Toter sucht seinen Mörder, is a 1962 UK-West German co-production science fiction thriller film directed by Freddie Francis and starring Anne Heywood and Peter van Eyck. It was written by Robert Banks Stewart and Philip Mackie adapted from the 1942 Curt Siodmak novel Donovan's Brain. In this film, differing from earlier adaptations, the dead man seeks his murderer through hypnotic contact with the doctor keeping his brain alive.

<i>Hysteria</i> (1965 film) 1965 British film by Freddie Francis

Hysteria is a 1965 British murder mystery film directed by Freddie Francis and starring Robert Webber and Anthony Newlands. It was produced by Hammer Films and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

<i>The Doctor and the Devils</i> 1985 British film by Freddie Francis

The Doctor and The Devils is a 1985 gothic horror film directed by Freddie Francis and starring Timothy Dalton, Jonathan Pryce, Stephen Rea, Julian Sands, Patrick Stewart and Twiggy. It is based upon the true story of Burke and Hare, who in 1828 Edinburgh, Scotland, murdered at least 16 people and sold their bodies for anatomical dissection.

<i>Devils of Darkness</i> 1965 British horror film by Lance Comfort

Devils of Darkness is a 1965 British horror film directed by Lance Comfort and starring William Sylvester, Hubert Noël and Carole Gray. It was written by Lyn Fairhurst. It was the last feature film directed by Comfort.

<i>Assault</i> (film) 1971 British film directed by Sidney Hayers

Assault is a 1971 British thriller film directed by Sidney Hayers and starring Suzy Kendall, Frank Finlay, Freddie Jones, and Lesley-Anne Down. The screenplay was by John Kruse based on the 1962 novel The Ravine by Phyllis Bretty Young and tells about a police attempt to track down a dangerous rapist/killer on the loose.

References

  1. ↑ "The Psychopath". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  2. ↑ "The Psychopath (1966) - Freddie Francis | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie".
  3. ↑ Ed. Allan Bryce, Amicus: The Studio That Dripped Blood, Stray Cat Publishing, 2000 p 40-42
  4. 1 2 Nathaniel Thompson, "The Psychopath", Turner Classic Movies accessed 23 February 2014
  5. ↑ Bloch, Robert (1993). Once Around the Bloch: An Unauthorized Autobiography. New York City: Tor Books. p. 328. ISBN   978-0312853730.
  6. ↑ "The Psychopath". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 33 (384): 165. 1 January 1966 – via ProQuest.
  7. ↑ Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 744. ISBN   9780992936440.
  8. ↑ Halliwell, Leslie (1989). Halliwell's Film Guide (7th ed.). London: Paladin. p. 822. ISBN   0586088946.
  9. ↑ The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film. London: Plexus, 1989, p. 569
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.