best movie i've ever seen.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

When Lucy (Joan Crawford) arrives home a day early, she catches her second husband (an uncredited Lee Majors) asleep in bed with a young woman. Flipping out, she takes an axe to the dozing couple, lopping off their heads in plain sight of her three-year-old daughter Carol (Vicki Cos).After twenty years in an asylum, Lucy is finally declared sane and goes to stay with Carol (now played by Diane Baker ), who has been raised on a farm by her Uncle Bill (Leif Erickson) and Aunt Emily (Rochelle Hudson). Lucy is understandably ill at ease, her behaviour erratic, but it looks as though she might still be more than a little deranged when people start to fall victim to a psycho brandishing an axe.Even though Strait-Jacket comes from the pen of Robert 'Psycho' Bloch, it's a rather disappointing shocker, the film's plot entirely predictable from the outset; there won't be many people fooled into thinking that Lucy is really responsible for the latest murders. Director William Castle handles matters well enough (all without the need for one of his trademark gimmicks), and coaxes a solid performance from Crawford, but the film delivers very few surprises, at least until the hilarious Scooby-Doo ending, complete with rubber mask disguise—I didn't see that coming (on account of how dumb it is!).Look out for a young(ish) George Kennedy as shifty farmhand Krause, one of the suspects, at least until he also loses his head.

Joan Crawford's performance is masterful, ranging all the way from pitiful to frightening. Crawford was a great movie actress. She commands the screen and has thoroughly prepared for every scene and every word of dialogue, however good or bad the dialogue might be. The whole film is never dull for a moment and is well made within the limits of the guilty pleasure sort of style. Like a train wreck, you can't look away. Supporting cast acting is adequate, especially Diane Baker who works well with Joan Crawford as they create a memorable mother/daughter team. For the ultimate in absurd, guilty pleasure brilliance by director William Castle and star Joan Crawford, view "Straight Jacket" when you get the chance.

"Lucy Harbin took an axe, gave her husband forty whacks, when she saw what she had done, she gave his girlfriend forty one." So is the life of Lucy Harbin, played by dynamite Joan Crawford. After spending twenty years in an insane asylum for her crime, she is released and goes to live with her daughter on their farm property, but it is not long before goings on around the farm seem to point to Lucy's questionable sanity (and innocence).While William Castle earned his reputation for schlock-ridden gimmicky horror films, his pictures with Crawford are true gems; this film and "I Saw What You Did," to be specific. While Crawford's meditated approaches to performance are part of what made these films so effective, it is inarguable that these films were well written and well directed. Penned by Robert Bloch, the author of "Psycho," "Strait-Jacket" plays on Harbin's potential madness like piano keys— it's routine, sure, but for 1964, it's still a fresh approach to insanity on film. What's most surprising though is, as in "Psycho," the way in which the film's conclusion turns on its audience, and the plot twist is just as unexpected to a 21st century audience as it was in 1964.Crawford's dedication to her role in the film is astounding, and in "Strait-Jacket" she is able to take a stab at the madwoman villainess whom she played opposite to in "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" two years earlier. Crawford's determination and gall really pay off for her, because the role, no matter how dramatic or emotive it is, is convincing. Diane Baker plays opposite as Crawford's tormented daughter and is able to hold her ground against the grand dame of madness. Overall, "Strait-Jacket" is a solid thriller with Castle's schlocky touch, but its writing is sophisticated and its performances impressive enough to elevate it far beyond any sort of gimmick. The plot twists and Crawford's anti-demure playing of her character make this worth a watch. Along with "I Saw What You Did," "Strait-Jacket" is among Castle's classiest and most calculated thrillers. 7/10.

Given its reputation and the first thirty seconds, "Strait-Jacket" might be envisioned as a campy, over-the-top, horror fest, a movie to laugh at. And indeed, it does contain elements of camp: Crawford's excessive makeup in some scenes, some of her acting, some special effects, the title sequence, and some of the music. These campy elements make the film fun to watch.And yet there's another side to this film, an interesting overall story that actually treats viewers to genuine suspense and some surprises toward the end. Long tedious sequences that are boring in the plot's middle section do have relevance, in retrospect. But they render the plot structure imperfect.Important story events occur off-screen, consistent with effective plot misdirection. Viewers are thus led down the garden path, but rewarded at the end. Clues are effectively subtle.Joan Crawford dominates this film. How could it be otherwise? Even when she's not physically present, the general thrust of the scene pertains to her character, Lucy Harbin, a middle-aged woman with some psychological issues. Crawford is best in those scenes where Lucy is an older mom, fragile, unsure of herself after being confined to an institution. Crawford is less effective, even ridiculous, as a youthful hussy, slinky and tawdry, wearing jewelry that jangles, and sporting caterpillar eyebrows and a horrid dark wig. But again, the blatant excess here generates the film's camp appeal.The director uses B&W lighting effectively, especially toward the end, to create suspense and a sense of mystery. Rearview projection in a few scenes makes the film look dated.I was expecting a total camp fest. And that's how most people probably perceive this film. But viewers who like thrillers will surely appreciate a story with a clever premise and a terrific ending, both of which redeem "Strait-Jacket" as credible, despite the camp.