I Knew Something Was Off

I knew something was off with that chicken soup I ate last night. I knew it the moment I found myself on a journey I now think of as, "Midnight Express: All Roads Lead to Flatulence."

Oops. I don't mean to gross anyone out. Let's start over. This post is actually about a 1961 William Castle movie called, "Homicidal."




The movie is about Emily, an icy blond caretaker, Helga, her mute, wheelchair-bound charge who herself was a former caretaker and the now grown up Miriam and Warren, the half siblings that Helga used to care for. Miriam is now a budding flower shop owner while Warren, soon to turn 21 years old, is about to inherit his Father's millions... or is he?

Not only is the movie one bizarre scene after another but you will also begin to notice that something is off with Warren. First, he looks vaguely like someone you've seen before. Then, you can't help but wonder about his teeth and how they just don't look right. His voice is suspect. Your mind also flashes back to the opening scene where young Miriam and Warren fight over a doll. And then there's his walk. Strange, very strange.

You know what else is strange? One day, on the number 49 bus, a woman gets on. She's all tatted up with hair dyed in fluoro green, a look that's very appropriate for this bus route. The strange part is, she is holding a dog leash with no dog. My eye follows the leash, from her hand, twisting up to her arm and then on her shoulder where it so gently encircles the neck of a rat. A rat. A RAT!!!

Going back to Homicidal, watch it if you can. It was released a year after Hitchcock's Psycho but Homicidal certainly holds its own, with a feel that is way ahead of its time.