THE PSYCHOPATH
UK, 1966, 82 minutes, Colour.
Patrick Wymark, John Standing, Alexander Knox, Margaret Johnston, Judy Huxtable.
Directed by Freddie Francis.
An expert British horror thriller. In wide screen and colour with excellent performances, directed by Freddie Francis, who over many years has made all kinds of horror films from The Ghoul, Hysteria and various Vampire films. John Standing is quite effective in the central role and an atmosphere of menace is well created, especially in doll symbols and other special effects.
1. An effective British thriller: police, crime situation, atmosphere of fear and menace?
2. The contribution of the horror elements: the dolls, the manner of the deaths, the menace, the bizarre ending?
3. The focus of the title, its meaning and application. to whom? The atmosphere of the credits and the dolls? Use of colour, Techniscope, the visual presentation of the dolls and the dolls’ music?
4. The impact of the initial murder and the doll clues? The visual atmosphere of the other killings? Bizarre and grotesque? The transition from the murder to the chamber music and the introduction to the four? The revelation of their plot during the war?
5. The varying types of business men: sculptor, nervous worker at the embassy, solicitor? Their reaction to police interrogation? How well. were their characters delineated - their work, appearance? Deaths?
6. The importance of Saville's daughter and her fiance? Human interest, love interest, suspects? Their role at the end?
7. Inspector Holloway and the typical British policemen? Mode of investigation, interrogations, mannerisms? Threat to his own life? in the shipyard?
8. Mrs von Sturm and her son Mark? The dolls, her house full of dolls? Memories of the war, madness in her own created world? Her mannerisms, calling for justice? The fact that she did leave her home? The visit to the shipyard? Her erratic behaviour? Medical comments? Her menace at the end? The violence of her death? Mark as her doll, his character, protection of his mother, murder of the girl from the toy shop? The final visuals and his being
imprisoned? How real, how plausible the story? Crime horror films as symbolising evil and evil conflicts?
