Rating: 
Summary: Creepy Castle camp classic!
Review: This film has been a favorite of mine for years, and I saw it long before "Psycho". A great setup from William Castle, with some genuine chills and a truly scary performance from Jean Arliss. The dialogue is laughable at times, but every nearly every scene offers a witty line or creepy plot twist. Hopefully on DVD, this above-average B-movie will get the attention it deserves.
Rating:
Summary: Castle Goes Crazy!
Review: This has been a LONG time coming officially to home video, never even released on VHS. Castle fans are still awaiting official releases of (among others) his classics MACABRE, and his remake of James Whale's OLD DARK HOUSE (HINT!). Anyway, HOMICIDAL is a great deal of fun, and "Jean Arless" gives a terrific performance as...well, you'll have to see. These days you'd have to be blind not to anticipate the classic twist ending, revealing that...well, you'll have to see. I will say there are a few great shocks, and delicious dialogue from Castle's best writing collaborator, Robb White. As for the DVD - the "Psychette" (as in 'a less-grand version of PSYCHO') is OK but too darn short (under 7 minutes), like Columbia's other recent Castle releases (13 GHOSTS, MR. SARDONICUS). It would also be nice if they could track down some original cast or crew rather than interviewing contemporary film critics and horror buffs. They seem not to have good source materials as the DVD is full-frame, and there is no trailer for Homicidal on the disk. The clips from the original trailer used in the featurette seem to come from a shaky VHS. Similarly the "trailer" for STRAIT-JACKET is only a 30 second TV spot. The movie's image quality is very decent but nothing special. Absolutely worth taking a "Fright Break" to see.
Rating: 
Summary: Trippy
Review: This William Castle thriller is a good rip-off of "Psycho".
I suggestion viewing this one while sipping a toxic highball.
Rating:
Summary: SOMETHING NOT EXPECTED!!!
Review: WHEN I FIRST SAW THIS MOVIE WHEN IT PLAYED ORIGINALLY IN THE THEATERS, I WAS YOUNG AND DID NOT EXPECT TO SEE A MAN PLAY A WOMEN. IMAGINE MY SUPRISE WHEN THE MOVIE WAS RELEASED ON DVD AND I FOUND THAT IT WAS A WOMEN PLAYING A MAN!!! MUCH BETTER THAN PSYCO BECAUSE IT WAS MADE BY THAT MASTER SHOWMAN WILLIAM CASTLE OF HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL AND TINGLER FAME. GLAD TO SEE CASTLE FILMS COME TO DVD!!!
Rating:
Summary: jaw dropping
Review: Wonderfully twisted thriller from director William Castle.Clearly inspired by Psycho,this is however, a superb film in its own right.I won't give anything away plot-wise except to say the casting is inspired.The dvd presents a nice crisp transfer and the sound is strong and forceful for mono.
Rating:
Summary: Entice, Ice, and SLICE
Review: WORD OF WARNING. The DVD has a small but enjoyable package of extras including a making-of-documentary called "Psychette." If you have never seen HOMICIDAL, do NOT watch the documentary until you've seen the film: in true spoiler fashion, it reveals the film's famous surprise ending. That said-- William Castle "borrowed" rather liberally from Hitchcock's slightly earlier PSYCHO for this tale of a knife-wielding blonde beauty--but as usual, he gave it his showman's spin. In theatrical release, the film featured a "fright break." As the action approaches a climax, a clockface appears on the screen and Castle himself urges those too terrified to return to the lobby for a full refund. But there was, of course, a catch: you had to walk (usually in yellow footsteps applied to the carpet) past the jeering audience and agree to sit in "The Coward's Corner" until the movie was over and every one had filed out past you! Needless to say, few (if any) movie-goers ever took him up on it. But the famous "Fright Break" isn't the only thing HOMICIDAL has going for it. The story itself is more sophistocated than that of most William Castle films, and the female leads are quite effective. Jean Arless, a surprising beauty, is quite startling as "The Homicidal Girl"--a blonde bombshell who has a way with a knife--while both Patricia Breslin and Eugenie Leontovich are quite convincing as two of those on her list of intended victims. And lastly, the film offers a surprise conclusion that can still blindside some less suspecting viewers even today. That aside, HOMICIDAL has plenty of camp appeal, all of it resting on Jean Arless' WAY over the top performance as she entices, ices, and slices her way from one victim to the next--and as one reviewer has already remarked, you'll feel pretty sure that Annie Lennox borrowed Arless' look (and in some pretty unexpected ways, too) for several of her videos. I must admit that I don't consider HOMICIDAL in the same league with other William Castle schlock-favorites such as 13 GHOSTS, HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, or STRAIT-JACKET--largely, I think, because it seems Castle really is making a bid for cinematic respectability here and that sorta detracts from the fun. But all the same, most fans of Castle's silly horror flicks should get a stab--I mean, a KICK--out of it!
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