Joan Crawford had quite a career, starting as a stunning siren in the silents. By the 1960s, she was reduced to playing caricatures of herself, or ghouls, as in this William Castle thriller.
Robert "Psycho" Bloch penned this slasher film, about a jealous woman who spends 20 years in an asylum after she "took an axe and gave her husband 40 whacks...and gave his girlfriend 41." She's finally released to the custody of her brother and his wife, and her long-lost daughter (who witnessed the murders as a child).
It's not hard to guess how it's going to end, but it's kind of fun watching it all spin out, with a few beheadings along the way to keep one's interest. The early scenes where the daughter shows Joan around the farm are priceless (as she keeps tripping up when talking about slaughtering animals), as are the various foreshadowing scenes involving knives. George Kennedy plays a gruff and creepy farm hand, beheading a chicken. Keep your eyes open for Lee Majors in his first screen role (as the #1 axe victim). And watch for the Pepsi product placement, thanks to Joan's contract (she was on the Pepsi board).
Joan gets to run the gamut here, from mad slasher to timid wallflower to over-the-top vamp. It's all hokey and hackneyed, but enjoyable for fans of Joan Crawford or William Castle.
Robert "Psycho" Bloch penned this slasher film, about a jealous woman who spends 20 years in an asylum after she "took an axe and gave her husband 40 whacks...and gave his girlfriend 41." She's finally released to the custody of her brother and his wife, and her long-lost daughter (who witnessed the murders as a child).
It's not hard to guess how it's going to end, but it's kind of fun watching it all spin out, with a few beheadings along the way to keep one's interest. The early scenes where the daughter shows Joan around the farm are priceless (as she keeps tripping up when talking about slaughtering animals), as are the various foreshadowing scenes involving knives. George Kennedy plays a gruff and creepy farm hand, beheading a chicken. Keep your eyes open for Lee Majors in his first screen role (as the #1 axe victim). And watch for the Pepsi product placement, thanks to Joan's contract (she was on the Pepsi board).
Joan gets to run the gamut here, from mad slasher to timid wallflower to over-the-top vamp. It's all hokey and hackneyed, but enjoyable for fans of Joan Crawford or William Castle.