Simply Perfect

Instant Favorite.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Psychic Killer (1975) ** (out of 4)Arnold Masters (Jim Hutton) is in jail serving time for killing the doctor who let his mother die. The truth of the matter is that he's actually innocent and is released once the real killer confesses. Before getting out another inmate gives him a special amulet, which gives him a psychic power to kill. Before long Arnold is killing off those he blames for his mothers death and it's up to a couple detectives to try and figure out what's going on.PSYCHIC KILLER isn't what I'd consider a good movie but at the same time it has some rather interesting things that make it worth watching. Obviously the film tries to copy that son-mother relationship of PSYCHO but it throws in some also fits in with the "psychic" horror films that were quite popular throughout the decade. The film benefits from having an all-star cast and they certainly help add to the entertainment value.For the most part I thought Hutton was good in the lead, although I'd argue that the screenplay does less for his character than any other. He's at least believable in the part of this mama's boy who wants revenge. The supporting players are all good in one way or another and this includes Julie Adams (CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON) as well as other familiar faces to the genre inclduing Whit Bissell, Rod Cameron, Aldo Ray and Neville Brand. If you're a fan of the horror genre then those faces are going to be very familiar.The one major issue I had with the film was that it was a tad bit too slow for its own good. I thought a little faster pace would have helped things and I'd also argue that the film had a rather flat look to it. The film is rather weird in regards to what it's going for as there are times it seems happy to be a PG-rated horror film but then, out of nowhere really, we get some rather graphic, if not all that creative, violence. There's a shower sequence that's certainly the highlight of the picture.

Former mental patient and falsely accused killer Arnold Masters (an intense and convincing performance by Jim Hutton) uses the psychic power of astral projection to exact a harsh revenge on the people who he believes wronged him. Director Ray Danton keeps the compelling story moving along at a snappy pace, builds a good deal of tension, and stages the lively murder set pieces with lip-smacking ghoulish gusto. The sound acting by the able cast of familiar B-cinema veterans helps a whole lot: Paul Burke as hard-nosed detective Jeff Morgan, Julie Adams as compassionate psychiatrist Dr. Laura Scott, Nehemiah Persoff as cagey parapsychology expert Dr. Gubner, Aldo Ray as Morgan's gruff partner Dave Anderson, Neville Brand as irascible butcher Lemonowski, Whit Bissell as horny old goat Dr. Paul Taylor, Della Reese as sassy welfare recipient Mrs. Gibson, co-writer Greydon Clark as ill-fated cop Sowash, Stack Pierce as the helpful Emilio, and Mary Wilcox as sexy, yet sadistic nurse Burnson. Moreover, this movie is surprisingly gory and sleazy for a PG-rated item, with the definite trashy highlight occurring when yummy blonde Wilcox happily dances around in her underwear before taking a shower. Herb Pearl's fairly polished cinematography boasts a few funky stylistic flourishes. William Kraft's spirited shivery score hits the stirring shuddery spot. A really fun fright flick.

We've all heard the expression "if looks could kill," but how about thoughts? What if it were possible to kill somebody, no matter the distance, using the power of the mind to manipulate objects. Well, that is precisely the setup of Ray Danton's 1975 horror outing "Psychic Killer," an undeniably shlocky yet undeniably fun exercise in out-of-body homicide. In the film, we meet a 33-year-old mental patient named Arnold Masters (Jim Hutton, father of Timothy, 42 here in his final film), who repeatedly declares his innocence of the charge of murdering his dying mother's doctor (his mother had had no health insurance, and so that doctor had refused to perform a lifesaving operation on her; a situation that resonates even more strongly today, 36 years later!). Masters' luck soon takes a decided turn for the better, however, when his innocence is established, a fellow inmate gifts him with a voodoolike amulet, and he is released from confinement. Too bad, though, for all the folks who crossed Masters in the past, as the amulet soon confers on him the ability to slay from afar. As the film's trailer proclaimed back when, "The Evil of the Future Has Arrived"...."Psychic Killer" has a rather simple, straightforward story line, but to the film's credit, it also boasts a cast of pros who seem to be having fun with it. As the investigating cops on the case, we have TV vet Paul Burke and Aldo Ray (not quite 50 here but looking much older). Masters' therapist (and God knows he needs one; the poor guy has almost as many mother issues as Norman Bates!) is played by Danton's then-wife, Julie Adams, who viewers will perhaps best remember as the bathing-suited beauty who is carried off in "The Creature From the Black Lagoon," and Israeli-born Nehemiah Persoff chews the scenery winningly as an expert on parapsychology and Kirlian auras. As for Arnold's victims, three of the unfortunate bunch are Whit Bissell, here nudging toward the end of his remarkably prolific career, Mary Wilcox, who had recently greatly impressed me playing the beautiful necrophiliac in the highly underrated film "Love Me Deadly," and Neville Brand, as a butchered butcher. It is a pleasure to watch these old pros dig into this dubious material and help put the conceit over. As for former actor turned director Danton, he does just fine in this, his third film (his two earlier pictures were "Crypt of the Living Dead" and "Deathmaster"), giving "Psychic Killer" some nice jolts and really keeping things moving; still, the picture cannot help but give off a decided Kirlian aura of cheese. The film is hardly a sleek-looking affair, and seems at times a bit crudely put together, but again, the enthusiasm of the cast, Danton's evident skill and William Kraft's occasionally freaky-deaky background score help smooth over the rough patches. Really, my only beef here is with that car that topples over a cliff, falls hundreds of feet...and fails to give the viewer a nice, satisfying fireball explosion to cap things off. Danton, apparently, should have watched some '60s Bond films to learn how to give such scenes a nice dramatic topper! Other than this quibble, though, my seal of approval to "Psychic Killer"...straight through to its incinerating conclusion.

As a result of being wrongfully accused of murdering a doctor and being put in a mental institution, Arnold Masters plans bloody vengeance on everyone directly or indirectly responsible for the death of his poor old mother. Luckily (for him) he inherited a medallion carrying a supernatural force and this allows Arnold's spirit to step out of the body and to commit the murders without leaving a trace. The premise of "Psychic Killer" is giant nonsense but it does guarantee a lot of fun and thrills. Besides, there are more than enough elements that indicate that this movie shouldn't be taken too seriously, like the over-the-top acting and the exaggeratedly ludicrous killings. This movie looks suspiciously much like a standard Roger Corman production: the budget is extremely low, but the ingeniousness of the script and the enthusiasm of the B-cast widely make up for it (Neville Brand and Julie Adams are particularly splendid). In case you like older horror and you have a morbid sense of humor, you're destined to like this cute piece of 70's schlock. The climax is tremendously hilarious and it looks quite a lot like a demented version of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho". No essential viewing whatsoever, but a gigantically entertaining 'video-nasty' I can't recommend highly enough.