Homicidal (1961) | Presenting Hitchcock Podcast

Gooooood evening. In this month’s episode of Presenting Hitchcock, Cory and Aaron have a killer secret to uncover as they discuss Homicidal.

Written by: Robb White

Starring: Glenn Corbett, Patricia Breslin, Eugenie Leontovich, Alan Bunce, Richard Rust, James Westerfield, Gilbert Green and Joan Marshall (credited as Jean Arless)

Directed by: William Castle

Trailer:

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Hitchcock comparisons:

• Psycho

This was one of the most successful knock-offs of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960). William Castle and Columbia had this in theaters a year after the release of Psycho. Part of the reason for the delay was that, at the time “Psycho” went into release, Castle was still working on 13 Ghosts (1960).

Originally, Castle had intended to cast two different actors for the roles of Emily and Warren. After auditioning for the role of Emily, Marshall returned to visit Castle at his office dressed as a man to audition for the part of Warren. Marshall’s effective auditions for both parts convinced Castle to cast her in the dual role.

For her scenes playing Warren, star Marshall had her hair cut like a man’s and dyed brown, wore brown contact lenses and had prosthetic appliances made to alter the shape of her nose, mouth and hands. In order to carry off the deception, all of Warren’s dialog was actually dubbed in by an (uncredited) male actor.

In the final reel, when Miriam is about to go into the house for the big climax, there was a one-minute “Fright Break” in which producer/director William Castle advised the audience that anyone too scared to see the climax could go into the lobby and get their money back. For this gimmick, Columbia shipped a cardboard “Coward’s Corner” to theaters playing the film. Supposedly, audience members too frightened to see the climax could go to the “Coward’s Corner” and wait there until the film ended and the rest of the audience filed past. According to Castle, the gimmick worked “great,” and that theaters earned an average of $20,000 weekly in box office sales, with only $100 in refunds.

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Next up, we’ll be discussing Knight Without Armor.

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