The Killing Kind

Director Curtis Harrington (1926-2007) had an extremely varied career that included experimental shorts, telefilms, independent films, horror pictures, episodes of television series, and a single studio movie (1967's Games). Until recently, the 1973 thriller The Killing Kind was virtually lost (as Harrington explains in a 2007 interview included on this disc); due to distribution problems, the film went more or less unseen during its original release, and was afterward locked away in a vault. An intriguing riff on the Psycho template, The Killing Kind explores what might have happened if Norman hadn't murdered Mother Bates (one murder here is even a homage set in a bathtub). Veteran Ann Sothern plays a flamboyant Los Angeles landlady who welcomes her son Terry (played by a very young John Savage, later one of the stars of The Deer Hunter) back after a jail term for rape. But Terry is a seriously troubled dude—obviously the result of his mother's excessive attention, with strong incestuous undertones—and he begins killing off the women he blames for his imprisonment, along with others who simply trigger his rage. In the end, mom has to clean up his mess as best she can. The Killing Kind is unquestionably lurid, but it's also a gripping film (Harrington knew how to generate tension), helped by the two strong leads. Presented with an excellent widescreen transfer, this is recommended. (F. Swietek)