"I saw what you did...and I know who you are!" This is what teenagers Kit and Libby say to Steve Marak (John Ireland), whom they've randomly dialed as a prank. Trouble is, they don't know that Marak's just killed his wife, who was about to leave him, and has buried her in a shallow grave. Now he thinks his mysterious caller knows too much - and he's out to find her.This is another post-gimmick horror movie from the legendary William Castle, and like The Night Walker and Strait-Jacket, there are plenty more genuine scares than campy laughs. This is also the kind of movie that couldn't quite be duplicated in this day and age, of course. The girls find their numbers not by just dialing random digits but by picking names out of the phone book. That's because back then, many numbers weren't even used (even though the full number consisted of a two-letter designation for the town/exchange and then five numbers), so Kit and Libby could have tried a score of phone numbers before getting an answer.But the use of the phone book adds to the story in another way. Kit and Libby think Steve's voice sounds darn hunky, so they decide to snag Libby's mom's car and head to good ol' Steve's house. You know, just to see what he looks like. Late at night. They're not even going to get out of the car! They drag along Libby's kid sister Tess, because they're not going to leave her alone in their secluded forest house! They're responsible! There's a side plot. Steve's a little crazed (even before killing his wife, played by Joyce Meadows), but he's almost stable compared with his neighbor Amy, played by the inimitable Joan Crawford. Amy is obsessed with Steve - it's unclear whether they'd been having an affair, but Amy's intentions are transparent - to the point where, once she realizes what Steve's done, she attempts to blackmail him into marrying her and having a whopping fun life together. It's wacked-out Crawford at her late-career best. This was supposed to be a cameo, but she nails the role so perfectly that she gets extra time for bad behavior.Prank calls, kids. They were a bad idea in 1965, and they're a really bad idea in 2014, when anyone can either tell who is calling them or call them back with that old standby the *69. You know, for those who don't have call-waiting. So you can't pull this malarkey nowadays - too likely that you get some crazed lunatic with no sense of humor.Another fun Castle thriller with some pretty solid work from even the kid actors (Sara Lane, Andi Garrett, Sharyl Locke). The moody fog surrounding the isolated home also sets the perfect tone for an underrated thriller.

Things get dicey for two teenage girls after they play what was supposed to be a harmless prank in 'I Saw What You Did'. Kit and Libby are spending the night babysitting Libby's younger sister Tess at their deserted mansion on a farm. The three of them decide to play prank phone calls on random people. It's all fun at first, until they decide to call Steve Marak and say the line "I saw what you did, and I know who you are!". What they don't know is that Steve just murdered his wife! So of course when Steve hears this over the phone, he suspects that the caller is onto him. This begins a fun game of cat and mouse in which Steve must deal with his nagging lover Amy (Joan Crawford), and get to the mysterious caller in order to shut her up... not knowing the caller is simply a teenage girl playing a game. I really love this film, one of my favourite's by William Castle. It runs at a bit of a slower pace than my all time favourite Castle movie (Strait Jacket), but has enough going for it to keep my attention. I'd say a con to this was that Joan Crawford was not utilized enough, but her character Amy was really secondary to the movie - and it worked. Amy was a supporting character, and although Crawford put in a good performance, 'I Saw What You Did' is more about the teenagers and the psychotic murderer out to keep them quiet.'I Saw What you Did' was likely the first horror movie to introduce the "helpless babysitter versus killer" storyline, which of course 'Halloween' used brilliantly in '78. The overall acting was good, especially from the main characters Libby, Kit and little Tess! You feel for all three of them and worry for their safety against Steve. Only con to it is that the ending felt a bit rushed. I highly recommend this one if you can find it, it's pretty hard to get on DVD or even VHS.8/10

I Saw What You Did is an odd mix of different styles. It starts out lighthearted and slightly goofy with 2 girls making plans to meet up for the evening. It alternates between melodrama, horror and silliness not sure what direction to go or unsure of what it wants to be. Does it want to be super scary? There are scenes that are very creepy and that hold your attention. Or does it want to be a harmless, made-for-TV tepid drama? Much of it seems this way. Or is it a murder mystery? That never really comes to fruition. It can be exasperating for sure. Just when it get's going it loses steam and leaves one frustrated. Joan Crawford displays her controlling, overbearing self in this. It's odd to see her behave this way after all the stories about her. Here she is drinking and trying to control her man. I wish I could say very positive things about this but it's disappointing. It could have been much better.

Another camp Castle classic, "I Saw What You Did" presents an amazingly good premise that gets seriously botched by the usual amount of plot holes and implausibilities these kinds of teen horror flicks are rife with. No sense rehashing the plot; you already know it. But we already know villainous John Ireland is twisted. Why else would he murder his sexy wife (Joyce Meadows) in order to carry on with neighbor, Joan Crawford, who possesses all the feminine allure of a '63 Chevy Suburban? It's always fun to watch Joan in these later films, seen here wearing industrial-strength costume jewelry and a hairdo that would survive a nuclear disaster. She is quite good here, and provides the few real dramatic sparks in the film. Too bad her murder in the second reel is so anti-climactic.The one character we actually want to see murdered is head teen prankster Libby (Andi Garrett), if only because she won't die from her own stupidity!In one "good" scene, neighbor Joan catches a peeping Libby snooping next door at the house of her intended future hubby, Ireland. In a spiteful move, Big Bad Joan rips the vehicle registration card from Libby's car, and inadvertently provides Ireland with the name and address of his next victim. OOPS! Much of the film is oddly scored with peppy beach party-type music which doesn't lend an altogether convincing sense of suspense and dread. The final scene probably sums up the film's ineptitude best. Crying and shaking one moment after almost being strangled to death, Libby and her kid sister Tess then share giggles and laughter while the murderer lies slumped over dead in the car's back seat. Say, who's up for some cocoa!You certainly won't be wondering how many Academy Awards this was nominated for. It's a definite curio and good for lots of unintentional laughs.