This is among the director's most popular works, being the one that overtly played him up as a potential rival to Alfred Hitchcock (complete with Castle's cheeky introduction a' la Hitch's own TV appearances); at the same time, its deliberate nods to PSYCHO (1960) did not really endear it to critics but, of course, audiences at the time lapped it up… which only goes to prove just how much of a milestone the Hitchcock classic was when it first emerged and has remained so over the years through countless imitations!Anyway, taken on its own merits, the film is certainly an above-average chiller for Castle – yet one is left wondering whether he was audacious or foolhardy in his approach towards the all-important plot twist; Hitchcock was certainly wiser in keeping "Mother" in the background, whereas Castle throws the secondary personality of the titular figure in our faces almost from the get-go! Indeed, the prologue should have been omitted entirely – as it really gave the game away to discerning viewers. The transvestism element, then, elicits unwarranted comparisons throughout with Ed Wood's notorious GLEN OR GLENDA? (1953) – but the PSYCHO borrowings, at least, are fairly well integrated into the narrative: a stint by the blonde leading lady at a run-down motel, a near-brush with the Law, a nosy investigator, an invalid also staying at the house, the put-upon young couple, etc. Having said that, the aforementioned prologue, the sadistic mistreatment of the latter character and the underlying "greed is the root of all evil" theme clearly anticipate the next phase in Horror film-making: the "Grand Guignol" chillers spearheaded by Robert Aldrich's WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (1962)…Still, while it also has an early and would-be shocking (because apparently unprovoked) murder – that could have pointed out to yet another childhood sexual trauma in other scenarios – one cannot sensibly compare the impact of the bloody yet extremely clumsy stabbing of James Westerfield with the legendary shower sequence from PSYCHO involving Janet Leigh! Incidentally, even if we do get to hear the two personalities speak in the same sequence (as Anthony Perkins did in the earlier film), their never actually appearing together – to say nothing of the man's distinctly effeminate appearance – should have alerted audiences as to the nature of the ruse (not that her eventual uncovering – preceded by the gimmicky 45-second "Fright Break" – is totally ineffective, unlike her ultimate come-uppance…which comes off as rushed)! Casting-wise, it is obviously Jean Arless (actually Joan Marshall, who adopted the pseudonym so as not to be typecast, but her subsequent roles were negligible at best!) who makes the biggest impression, whereas Eugenie Leontovich's stroke victim – with her incessant banging to attract attention – gets on one's nerves very quickly!

As an attention-grabbing title for a slasher-thriller picture of this one's twisted nature, I'd say that the use of a single word, like "Homicidal", was very effective in grasping my curiosity and interest.But, on the other hand, since Homicidal was apparently William Castle's sneering and envious answer to Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, then this off-kilter, second-rate, maniac movie repeatedly fell short of its intended goal. It neither shocked me, nor held my attention for more than a few minutes at a time.Out of this whole movie there were only 2 memorable scenes in its entire 90-minute running time that I thought were stand-outs and worthy of any mention.The first scene happens at about the 15-minute point when Emily pulls a razor-sharp carving knife out of her purse and immediately begins to brutally stab the old Justice of the Peace in the stomach, over and over again, while 2 horrified witnesses look on.The second scene containing any fright-value takes place in the last 10 minutes of the story.In between these 2 moments there's about an hour's worth of story that literally goes nowhere and, believe me, this is more than enough to put most viewers off to sleep while the characters continually bicker away with each other.Even though I knew from the start that the 2 characters of Emily & Warren were being played by the same person, what came as a real surprise to me was to find out that it wasn't an effeminate man playing these dual roles, but rather a somewhat butch woman.I understand that it's never been officially revealed as to whether Jean Arless' voice as Warren was really hers, or if it was dubbed. All the same, her performance as a man was very convincing.I found it really puzzling that if William Castle had really wanted Homicidal to be a much more memorable rip-off of Psycho, then he should've made it a point to include a horrific "shower scene" in his film, as well. But, he didn't do this (much to my disappointment).All that Castle added to Homicidal, for novelty effect, was a somewhat ridiculous tongue-in-cheek "fright break" of 60 seconds which allowed those in the audience (who were easily frightened) to safely leave the theater before the story's climatic moment of terror got underway.

Homicidal is directed by William Castle and written by Robb White. It stars Jean Arless, Glenn Corbett, Patricia Breslin, Richard Rust and James Westerfield. Music is by Hugo Friedhoffer and cinematography by Burnett Guffey.From the showman stable of William Castle, comes this weird psycho chiller that hinges on its twist reveal and comes out in credit. Story essentially follows the unravelling of one off kilter family, enter gruesome murder, inheritance issues and cruelty. Gone is the camp value normally associated with this period of Castle's career, though we do get one of his gimmicks here, a 45 second countdown clock as Castle gives the audience chance to leave the cinema before the ending is revealed, they would then have to go and stand in "cowards corner" before claiming a refund on their admission ticket.Nicely shot in broad black and white by the talented Guffey, Homicidal is often considered as being either a homage or a rip-off of Hitchcock's Psycho released the previous year. Which ever way you view it, it is hard not to refer back to Hitch's superior movie, but what film of its type can compare to Psycho? With that in mind, Homicidal is one of the best there is, and it's not as if Castle's movie is not without its own ideas. Critics remain divided on the film's quality, though it should be said that there were one or two who stood up say it was better than Psycho. That appears to be folly now and still further gives Homicidal an uphill battle to be judged on its own entertaining terms. It's a tough ask, but if first time viewers can do this then they should enjoy a devilishly constructed picture made by a man with a glint in is eye and a cigar on his lips. 7/10

Call it inspiration or homage or ripoff, this is clearly influenced by PSYCHO from the previous year. Whether Castle was capitalizing on that film's success or simply knew a good idea when he saw one, the similarities are all too obvious. Castle's take on it has some ludicrous stuff in it, but is a ton of fun. The film really keeps you guessing for the first half, you're dying to know the story behind Joan Marshall's (here credited under the alias Jean Arless) ruthlessly psychotic behavior. There's a final reveal that's telegraphed far too early (who knows, it may have fooled 1961 audiences) but it hardly matters when it's all so giddily twisted and enjoyable. Marshall is a delight and the film has pretty good production value. The score is well done, and although Burnett Guffey's cinematography isn't as striking as his noir work, there are some terrific shots. On, and the gimmick this time around? A "Fright Break" clock that counts down 45 seconds before the climax, giving scared viewers a chance to go out in the lobby and stand in the "Coward's Corner." Hee hee! Definitely one of the better Castle productions, one that makes you wish there was someone of his showmanship making movies today.