John Savage (an appropriate name for an actor playing a Norman Bates type character in a horror film) costars as Ann Sothern's son, and he's just come home from a two-year stint in prison. He had been caught up in a gang rape, depicted in the opening moments of the film, but was innocent at the time. Now that he's out and living with mama again, he wants revenge on the people who put him behind bars. He becomes a serial killer, and as the film progresses, we watch him deal with his homicidal rages. In an interview years later, director Curtis Harrington said that people praised the film for accurately showing what motivates a young man to be a compulsive murderer. I am not sure if a guy being kissed by his mother would exactly prompt him to go off on a bunch of killing sprees. Also, there are some scenes where he flirts with the idea of killing someone-- specifically, an incident in a swimming pool where he violently dunks Cindy Williams but does not drown her. If he had such impulses to kill, what would have stopped him? Why is he toying around with the idea of killing an innocent girl staying at his mother's place. If he was full of rage, wouldn't he just take care of business and get it over with the first time (he ends up killing her later in the movie). While I think the film definitely has some weak spots, the similarities between THE KILLING KIND and PSYCHO are obvious. In a way, this 1973 film plays out like a version of Norman Bates being released and coming back to the motel, where his mother is still alive after all. Can a guy like this ever be cured? Curtis Harrington suggests in this story that he cannot be cured, cannot be saved, and that eventually the mother must do away with him, in order to save the rest of society from the monster she's created. Perhaps we can look at the scene where his mother murders him to be a form of incestuous suicide (my phrase). Seems like heady stuff, doesn't it? The subtext that Harrington weaves throughout the story is that the young man was innocent of the incident that sent him to prison in the beginning, because he was impotent and couldn't get it on with the victim of the gang rape. So maybe when he's toying with Cindy Williams in the pool, he is toying with his own power over females. But how much of this is meant to be an indictment about his own sexuality, we cannot really tell. Instead, as the murderous impulses flare up, we are shown that he is now increasingly violent-- perhaps because when he was in prison, he learned to start liking things rough. Or is it because he's been smothered with so much mother love, like Norman and Mrs. Bates, that he is lashing out, like any good boy would...?

Troubled 20 year-old Terry Lambert(John Savage)returns from prison after serving two years for rape.His doting mother Thelma(Ann Sothern)runs a boarding house for old people but takes in a young girl Lori Cindy Williams).Terry can't control his violent impulses around women;in addition to his bitterness over the rape charge he thinks his mother is a tramp and is ashamed of his own illegitimacy.Repressed neighbor Louise(Luana Anders of "Dementia 13" fame)is attracted to Terry because of the danger he represents.Terry begins stalking the women who sent him to jail-the rape victim and his lawyer."The Killing Kind" is a disturbing 70's character study with three powerful murder scenes and overwhelming atmosphere of sexual tension.The acting is great and there are some short scenes of animal cruelty.8 out of 10.

I watched this early 70's flik last night expecting a decent film. While it wasn't too bad, I was disappointed by it. After being forced to participate unwillingly in a rape by his friends one day at the beach, our unfortunate son gets sent to prison for 2 years. Upon his release at first things seem somewhat normal as he adjusts to life on the outside once again. But after calling the girl him and his friends raped 2 years before and vaguely threatening her, he starts reliving the rape in his mind and starts thinking that revenge is a good thing. A few murders later, which by the way, are basically bloodless and not at all violent despite other reviews, his mother whom he lives with, starts putting the pieces together that her son may not be a very good boy. With an ending that is meant to draw sympathy from the audience, I found it completely unbeleivable and very down played. The acting by the mother and son was strangely accurate, yet something about the film left me disappointed.

After WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH HELEN?, this is director Curtis Harrington's most effective thriller. The film opens with 19-year-old John Savage being forced by his friends to participate in the brutal gang rape of sexy beach girl Sue Bernard. Pic then jumps forward two years with Savage being released from prison and heading for the boardinghouse run by his dotty, doting mother(Ann Sothern). At first, Savage seems well enough adjusted, but naturally spending two years behind bars for a crime he unwillingly committed has made him bitter and confused, and pretty soon he becomes obsessed with the idea of revenge. After Savage becomes involved in three terrifying deaths, Sothern realizes that her son needs much more than a mother's love and determines that she must put an end to the madness herself, but does she have the strength to do what she feels has to be done?This is a superior thriller, with terrific performances(Savage and Sothern are unforgettable), some darkly humorous moments, and plenty of genuine suspense. Unfortunately, the film is very difficult to locate but if you should come across it either on tape or on late-night TV, you won't want to miss it!FUN FACTS: The film was to originally be titled "Are You a Good Boy?", a line that is used several times in the film. Co-star Ann Sothern wrote a song for the opening credits, but when the title was changed, the song was cut.