Anatomy of a Psycho

1961 "A Psychotic Killer prowls the night! ... Will he be stopped before he kills again?"
4.1| 1h15m| NA| en| More Info
Released: 14 June 1961 Released
Producted By: Unitel
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

The crazed brother of a condemned killer sent to the gas chamber swears vengeance on those he holds responsible for his brother's execution.

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Director

Boris Petroff

Production Companies

Unitel

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Anatomy of a Psycho Audience Reviews

TinsHeadline Touches You
Console best movie i've ever seen.
Onlinewsma Absolutely Brilliant!
Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.
BA_Harrison When condemned killer Duke Marco is sent to the gas chamber, his younger brother, juvenile delinquent Chet (Darrell Howe), vows to take revenge on those responsible, his hatred and bitterness gradually twisting his mind.This early '60s crime drama was going great guns for a while, Chet's revenge leading him to arson, the troubled youth burning down a judge's house, and murder, pinning the blame on Mickey (Ronnie Burns), the son of the chief witness in his brother's case. I was intrigued as to what even darker places Chet's spiral into insanity would take him; unfortunately, it takes him to court, where the film turns into a really dull legal drama, as Mickey tries to prove his innocence, and Chet watches on, hoping that witness Bobbie (Frank Killmond) doesn't crack under pressure. Yawn!At the end of the film, Bobbie spills his guts, naming Chet as the guilty party. Chet makes a bid for freedom, pursued by cop Lt. Mac (Michael Granger), but the film wimps out on a fitting demise for the young hoodlum, instead opting for a happy(ish) ending, the misunderstood lad being taken safely away, rather than being pumped full of lead.4.5 out of 10, rounded up to 5 for IMDb.
Wizard-8 "Anatomy of a Psycho" has a premise that I'm pretty surprised that hasn't been copied to death by other movies - someone swearing revenge against those who were responsible for sending his brother to the gas chamber. There could have been a lot of perverse pleasure seeing judges, district attorneys, and jury members get snuffed. Unfortunately, the filmmakers don't seem to understand the potential they had. Despite a 73 minute running length, the movie is really slow- moving, and the central character only enacts revenge on three people - and two of those people are just RELATED to the people who were actually responsible for the central character's brother's death. With that in mind, the only way the movie could have been saved would be with unintentional humor. While there are some laughs here - miscast actors, bad acting, dopey dialogue - for the most part the movie is just drab and dull. If you want to see a more successful telling of the movie's theme, watch "Law Abiding Citizen" instead.
Woodyanders Hypersensitive Chet (endearingly overplayed with considerable scenery-gnashing panache by Darrell Howe) is left despondent over the conviction and execution of his hoodlum older brother. Despite the fact that his brother was guilty, Chet nonetheless decides to exact revenge by setting up the son of a witness for murder. The tepid direction by Boris Petroff and the blah script by Jane Mann and Don Devlin alas allow the meandering narrative to never pick up the steam it needs in order to really cook and be effective; as a direct result of this, the movie fails to build much in the way of both tension and momentum (for example, a major trial set piece doesn't pack any real dramatic punch to speak of). Moreover, the sudden moments of violence tend to be clumsily staged and hence unconvincing. That said, the decent acting from the game cast prevents the picture from being a total wash-out, with especially commendable work by Ronnie Burns as the likable Mickey, Pamela Lincoln as Chet's sweet sister Pat, Michael Granger as the diligent Lt. Mac, co-writer Devlin as the short-tempered Moe, and Frank Killmond as the wimpy Bobbie. Howe's occasional hilariously histrionic outbursts provide a few unintentional belly laughs. Joel Colman's snazzy black and white cinematography makes nifty use of fades, dissolves, and super-impositions. Michael Terr's overwrought score hits the rousing melodramatic spot. A merely acceptable time-waster.
Nozze-Foto Ronnie Burns, the star of this movie, is the adopted son of George Burns and Gracie Allen. He guest starred on their TV show many times but I guess he wanted to branch out on his own. Unfortunately this movie, directed by the same guy who did THE UNEARTHLY, is as far as he got. Actually it is quite good as JD films go. Ronnie is a kid bordering on psycho already whose older brother is sent to the gas chamber for murder. Ronnie does not know, or does not want to know, that the brother he used as a role model was a thug, robber and general no-good. Instead he decides to avenge his death by getting rid of everyone responsible for the trial and sentencing. This would be okay if Ronnie's character were any good as a delinquent but in truth he is just an amateur. Early in the film he tries to beat up a guy who insults his brother but only ends up getting slashed with a broken bottle. For the rest of the movie you can watch the scar change size and location. He does manage to burn down the house where his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend lives and surprisingly no one catches on that he did it. We think the whole plot will be about him seeking revenge but the movie takes a turn when Ronnie kills his best friend and frames his sister's boyfriend for the crime. Will goodness win out? Hey. it's just a 73 minute picture, it won't be long before you find out. One thing you will notice right away is how very low the budget was. For key dramatic scenes the music is instantly recognizable as coming from PLAN NINE FROM OUTER SPACE (1959). A fight scene is backed up by the music where Tor Johnson rises from his grave. That is sure to distract all B movie fans.