Psychic Killer Details

This sensationalist low-budget thriller rips off Psycho so blatantly it's surprising that Hitchcock never sued. We have the gothic house, the mummy's boy, even a murder in a shower. Yet it remains remarkably topical given its story of a psychiatrist who unwittingly secures the release of a mental patient, who then uses psychic powers to revenge himself against those who wronged him in the past. Director Ray Danton, perhaps best known for his acting career playing flashy hoods such as “Legs” Diamond in numerous B-movies, crudely mixes comedy with scenes of brutal murder, including a butcher put through his own meat grinder. Jim Hutton, father of Oscar-winner Timothy, makes for a chilling killer, displaying both unsettling charm and plausible insanity.

Low-budget exploitation movie that draws heavily on Hitchcock, even if it substitutes heavy-handedness for his teasing style.