The Psychopath

 

"Some of those dreams are fantasies of revenge. Some of those dolls existed in real life."

When lawyer Reinhardt Klermer (John Harvey) is found dead in the streets of London with a doll effigy of himself nearby, Inspector Halloway (Freddie Wymark) is called to investigate. The victim's friends,  including Frank Saville (Alexander Knox), his daughter, Louise (Judy Huxtable) and her fiancee, Donald (Don Boriensko) are all questioned and no one is ruled out as a suspect. When more murders are discovered, accompanied by similar dolls, the investigation leads to Mrs. Von Sturm (Margaret Johnson), a frail, invalid doll collector with a grudge against Klermer. But how could she have committed the murders from her wheelchair? The answer to the killer's identity lies in a dark secret - can the inspector discover it before he becomes the next victim?

After reviewing a run of amateurish, artless films it's a real breath of fresh air to see a giallo made by skilled professionals. The Psychopath is gorgeous to look at, sensitively acted, beautifully paced and expertly edited to a brisk 88 minutes. There are even a few good action scenes and an explosion to punctuate the story. My only quibble is that the mystery aspect is a little weak. Suspicion is cast on several different characters throughout and the exact motivation of the killer is withheld until late in the film, but the broad strokes of the story are pretty evident early on. Still, this is definitely one worth seeking out.

• The screenplay was written by Robert Bloch, author of the book "Psycho," upon which Alfred Hitchcock based his 1960 movie. You'll see a few similarities between the Von Sturm and the Bates families.

• Perhaps the reason this movie is so beautifully shot is because it was directed by a cinematographer. Freddie Francis won two Academy Awards for Cinematography (for Sons & Lovers in 1960 and Glory in 1989) and has worked with Martin Scorsese on Cape Fear and David Lynch on The Elephant Man, Dune and The Straight Story.

• The actual cinematographer for this movie was John Wilcox, who worked on The Third Man with Orson Welles.

• When Inspector Holloway visits Mark at his job, Mark is playing a record of Mozart's Clarinet Quintet in A Major, K581, 1st movement. Shortly after Mark is seen stopping the record player, the 2nd movement starts on its own.

What the Hell Am I Watching?

This movie pays close attention to detail, so it's disappointing that they couldn't get someone to show the actors how to hold musical instruments. A music stand is shown in this very room in a later scene, but it's anyone's guess why they couldn't use it while playing.

Fashion Moment:

Take some time to luxuriate in the gorgeous camera work in this movie, starting with the Saul Bass-inspired opening credits.