Anatomy of a Psycho (1961)

Best movie of this year hands down!

the audience applauded

Excellent but underrated film

Blistering performances.

some of same music as "Plan 9" scar came and went as well as changed size killed guy--made it look like another guy killed him.The title "Anatomy of a Psycho" would certainly lead you to believe this would be an exciting and most likely salacious film. I was very surprised, as the film was anything but like this. It was, surprisingly, a bit dull. The story is about a screwed up young man whose older brother was convicted on murder and was executed. However, the guy won't believe that his brother was guilty and he's sworn to get revenge on those who convicted him. Now considering that much of what he does for revenge requires planning and a cool head, this isn't exact what anyone would term psychotic! Sociopathic....sure...but NOT the behaviors of a psycho. So, I was expecting a wild-eyed and over the top performance by the guy...but got very, very little of this. What a disappointment. In addition to not living up to the title and being a bit dull, the film also suffers from occasional poor acting and a moving and disappearing scar! What do I mean by this? Well, the troubled young man gets his face slashed in the beginning of the film but the continuity is so bad that in some scenes it's gone and in later scenes it's back! And, often the scar grows and shrinks before your eyes! It should also be noted that some of the music was previously used in "Plan 9 From Outer Space"--need I say more?The bottom line is that this is a bad though not horrible film. And, it's not bad enough to be funny--just pretty dull. Probably not worth your time.

The son of Burns and Allen plays a cold, messed up 25 year old teenager with a group of 25 year old high school friends. His brother is sent to the electric chair and he gets tunnel vision concerning him. There is nothing wrong with the premise. It's just that the acting is atrocious and the plot so stupid. There are two kinds of kids: the punks and the Leave It to Beaver crowd. The scene where the psychotic guy is invited to a party by his sister's boyfriend is absolutely ludicrous. You almost expect him to say, "They're going to have a clown and everything." Anyway, the good guy gets framed and the movie is about how that is handled. One thing I've noticed in watching all these films of the forties and fifties. If you kill someone, no matter the circumstances, they send you to the chair. They try really hard to make this one social commentary, but it's beyond help.

It takes a certain type of person to enjoy Anatomy of a Psycho. If you like watching good movies, this will not be your thing. I mean imagine a horror movie in which no one dies. (Unless you count that opening scene with the gas chamber. And I suppose technically one guy did semi-accidentally get stabbed.) This has to be the most mild mannered psycho of film history. He comes up with a pretty good plan to get back at the witness, which seems to contradict the end of the movie where the main character has no idea what he's doing. But, I enjoyed Plan 9 From Outer Space, so to everyone out there who has a love for bad movies, this one is kind of fun. If you don't get enjoyment out of bad movies save yourself some time and watch your wife knit for a while.

It may be that I am out of touch with 60's movies, but I am still waiting for the psycho. Great plot idea (man going insane over the wrongful death of his brother)- lousy deliverance, and was the dance scene really necessary??? I picked this movie up in a garage sale set of horror schlock and was extremely disappointed in this low budget afterthought of a movie. I couldn't even bring up the energy to make fun of it. The only good thing I can report on this was it was only 70 minutes. one minute longer and the psycho would be running through my house, cruelly torturing my DVD player. Say goodnight Gracie - this movie is toast.