User Reviews

Inspector Holloway (Patrick Wymark) is in charge of investigating the murder of Reinhardt Klermer (John Harvey), Victor Ledoux (Robert Crewdson), Frank Saville (Alexander Knox) and Martin Roth (Thorley Walters) and his main lead is a doll in each crime scene. He finds that the dolls belonged to the crippled doll collector Mrs. Von Sturm (Margaret Johnston), who lives with her son Mark Von Sturm (Sir John Standing). Further he learns that the victims had investigated and incriminated her husband in the end of World War II. Inspector Holloway proceeds his investigation with a couple of suspects.

"The Psychopath" is a reasonable horror thriller by Amicus. The plot is strange with a creepy resolution. Anyway it is worthwhile watching this little film. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "As Bonecas da Morte" ("The Death Dolls")

Cinematographer and Director Freddie Francis who is best known for his work at Hammer Studios in Britain, (a classy outfit that remade the Universal Horror classics with verve and in color and produced some of the most remembered movies of the 50's and are Baby Boomer favorites), was behind the camera on this one.

With the help of Psycho (1960) author Robert Bloch, they went into familiar turf here with this little seen, and slightly disappointing, entry.

It does look pretty good and has some creepy setups, but suffers from some poor editing (some say it was re-edited after initial screenings) and a bit of a talky atmosphere. The ending is memorable and it is worth staying for the denouement, it just takes its time getting there and is clumsy at times, but not at all to be dismissed.

Is it a thriller or is it a horror? I don't know; the only thing I'm sure of is that this Freddie Francis' movie is a little jewel in its own genre. Supported by a solid plot and well acted, "The Psychopath" has got a real thrilling atmosphere, owed to the experience of its director. After starting as a detective story, towards the end it becomes a horror, cleverly avoiding a ridiculous or banal ending. In my opinion, Freddie Francis at his peak.

First of all, I have to say that my copy of this film is poor in the extreme and so I might not have got 'the full effect'. But even so, Freddie Francis' The Psychopath is a rather mundane thriller that takes most of its influence from superior works such as those of Alfred Hitchcock, and doesn't particularly do anything new. The plot focuses on post-world war 2 revenge, and follows the murder of four men. The men were involved in the murder of a German millionaire, and the only other clue that Inspector Holloway has to go on is the fact that small dolls were found next to each corpse. Are the murders something to do with a doll maker and her son? Freddie Francis made a lot of the best films that Amicus had to offer, and although this is both an Amicus and a Freddie Francis film; it's not a high point for either. The plot has just about enough about it to hold the audience's interest for the film's duration, although it does drag at times and I think I'd have enjoyed this film more if it was a little more streamlined. The dolls are what ties the film to the horror genre, as they're eerie looking and creepy; but otherwise, this is more of a by the numbers thriller with only a couple of twists thrown in. The Psychopath is rather difficult to come by, and since it's not all that good; I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to find a copy.

I have to admit that my copy of this film is very poor. I bought it on e-bay; and, it looks to have been transferred from VHS (white fuzzy bars on each side; and, very dark; and, it skips all the time.) But, you get what you pay for; and, this one is awful hard to find.

The story is that a London killer is bent on revenging a wartime conspiracy; each victim is found with a little doll in the victim's likeness.

This stylishly done thriller unfolds as the investigators uncover the unlikely connections between the varied characters in the film. I think the plot is quite solid; and, plausible. The story is well acted, as well.

The director has given THE PSYCHOPATH a taught, thrilling atmosphere that keeps you off balance throughout… even when the story drags a bit.

The dolls definitely land this film in the horror genre. When we first meet the doll maker and her son, these innocent dolls already seem eerie and sinister.

And, WOW, watch out at the end!

Freddie Francis directed The Psychopath, a 1966 horror/thriller. The stars are Patrick Wymark, Margaret Johnson, Alexander Knox, and Judy Huxtable.

Inspector Holloway (Wymark) investigates murders by what appears to be a serial killer, who leaves a lookalike of the victim in the form of a doll next to each body. Four men are killed, none in the same way. These men play in a string quartet but actually knew one another in the war.

The dolls are traced to Mrs. Von Sturm (Johnson) who lives with her son in a house that has dolls everywhere. She considers them human, and talks to them. The men killed were in fact part of a committee that discredited Mrs. Von Sturm's husband during the war, so she seems a likely suspect. However, Mrs. Von Sturm, though she seems bonkers, is confined to a wheelchair. Holloway's interest turns to the fiancée of Louise (Huxtable), who is the daughter of one of the men (Knox) who was murdered.

This is pretty good - some people reviewing on this site saw the film as children, and I can see where it would have left a major impression on them. It is a derivative story, very strange, and Francis has a good atmosphere going, if the pace at times is a little slow. If you like this kind of film, you will like seeing this one.

When a series of strange murders is found to contain a miniaturized doll next to the victim, the resulting police investigation leads to a mysterious doll collector and her deranged son that has far more connections than they expected.

Not all that particularly memorable 60s-era slasher, as it's mostly helped along by a clever little twist that adds immensely to the chill-factor of the film by having the dolls' be a likeness of their victim left at the murder scene and they're quite creepy when shown. Several of the stalking scenes are overall above-average and rather thrilling, and the ending revelation is overall one of the better parts of the film, though there's several difficult areas here. The biggest is the slow-pace involved where it tends to focus on the police investigation and their rather laid-back nature that doesn't make for a real exciting time, the series of red herrings doesn't have any real value since they don't impact the investigation at all, and there's a few mishandled scenes that don't really need to be there. Overall, there's a lot to like and not a lot to dislike here.

Today's Rating/PG: Violence.

This is one of Amicus's lesser-known films and not one in their usual omnibus format. But it's an effective, creepy tale in what would be known today as the "serial killer" genre. Patrick Wymark is good as the detective, and director Freddie Francis, a multi-Oscar winning cinematographer, always brings a fine visual sense to his films. According to director Subotsky, the ending was re-edited and overdubbed to change the identity of the murderer (!) although this is not discernible on screen.

Another Robert Bloch story/screenplay. On his latter days favorite subject. Disturbed young men. Having difficulties freeing themselves from their mothers. Like in "Psycho" and "Enoch" for example. John Standing portraits this bipolar disorder. Some clever ideas including a large number of puppets. And Margaret Johnston as master puppeteer. make things happen occasionally. Patrick Wymark configure his usual clever and creaky DI, detective inspector. A smaller shipyard serves as an exciting environment in one great scene. The Birds "How can it be?" are heard from a jukebox during an art class. Great clattering British R&B. A red Volvo Amazon B18 plays a certain role in the intro. Freddie Frances is not at his very best. Judy Huxtable and Gina Gianelli are the figureheads.

Amicus's The Psychopath could be considered a British giallo, the film bearing several of the hallmarks of the genre: a mysterious killer in leather gloves; many suspects; a sexy young woman (blonde beauty Judy Huxtable); the use of a haunting music-box melody; and creepy dolls aplenty. Made in 1966, just three years after the first true giallo, Bava's The Girl Who Knew Too Much, the film is written by Robert 'Psycho' Bloch, directed by Hammer stalwart Freddie Francis, and stars Partrick Wymark as Inspector Holloway, the detective trying to solve a string of murders in which a doll is left by the side of each victim. However, despite these hefty credentials, the film is strictly routine stuff, with little of the bizarre plot twists, creative death scenes, and hyper-stylised visuals that the giallo is renowned for.

Francis does make great use of colour in his film, especially in the home of wheelchair-bound doll collector Mrs. Von Sturm (Margaret Johnston), and performances are solid all round, but the film needed a little something special to make it a more memorable experience (some bright red gore wouldn't have gone amiss in my opinion).

Freddie Francis continues to be one of my all-time favorite directors(not to mention his superb work in Cinematography) and here's another fine effort from him for Amicus.

A serial killer seems bent on striking at 4 men involved in a common conspiracy. Each victim is found murdered under bizarre and unusual circumstances and in each case a little doll in the victim's likeness is left at the death scene. One Inspector Holloway(played by the then promising talent Patrick Wymark) investigates and uncovers a whole bunch of unusual connections between nearly every character in the film.

This film is terrific visually and in terms of story(it does display some similarities to Alfred Hitchcock's PSYCHO)--one is always left guessing. Great stuff!

This film reminds me a lot of the Dr. Phibes movies or "Theater of Blood"...all films about psychopaths who kill people in the most creative and strange ways. It's a little confusing...particularly when it comes to the killer's motivations...but it's still worth your time.

When the film begins, there's been a killing. But it's no ordinary killing...the murderer left a strange calling card...an identical doll likeness of the victim near the body and the doll has been 'killed' in the same manner! This makes for a truly interesting string of murders. The only problem is that the solution to all this is both pretty cool AND kinda dopey at the same time.

The movie won't be anyone's favorite...but it is decent and quite entertaining. And, if you're looking for it, it's currently posted on YouTube.

"The Psycopath" is a story penned by the great Robert Bloch (author of Psycho), and directed by Freddie Francis for Amicus Studios starring Patrick Wymark and Margret Johnston. The plot focuses on post second world war two revenge and follows the murder of four men. The only clue that Inspector Holloway (Wymark) has, is that small eerie dolls were found next to each corpse. After starting off as a detective story, towards the end it becomes a tale of horror, by in my opinion, Freddie Francis at his peak. The acting is also very good and a wry sense of humour is always evident which is typical of these 1960s British horror movies. I also appreciate the respect shown in their restoration. It's amazing what modern video software can do today to get rid of marks on the print, removing broken frames and splices, and bring faded colouring back etc, making it more presentable for the viewer watching it on a modern television set. bcarruthers-76500

THE PSYCHOPATH is a thriller in the vein of an Italian giallo. But it has a very British feel to it. It was one of Amicus' few non-anthology films and unlike their better known non-anthology works such as THE BEAST MUST DIE for example, this one fell into obscurity for a long time. It remains hard to find today, with no official UK DVD release to date, which is surprising.

The plot involves a police inspector investigating a series of murders in which a doll of each victim is found at the scene. Luckily this is not one of those so-called police procedural gialli, where there are frequent boring scenes with the police talking endlessly at the station. The inspector in this film gets out and about, trying to piece together the puzzle, and that's a definite plus point in its favour.

The film has many good things going for it - good acting, an interesting mystery, some fairly decent murder scenes and a short running time (ensuring the film doesn't outstay its welcome).

But there are a few flaws that need mentioning.

Patrick Wymark doesn't have the screen presence of Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and many other British horror actors I could name from the time period the film was made. There's nothing wrong with his acting or anything but his lack of screen presence, combined with other factors such as the flat feel the film has at times, drags the film down a bit. I thought Wymark was at his best in Roman Polanski's REPULSION, in which he played a landlord. He was great in that film. He's just nowhere near as compelling to watch in THE PSYCHOPATH, though, it has to be said. His part is written as though he was intended to just go through the motions, which is what happens.

The murder scenes are decent but lack the macabre shocks associated with the Italian gialli. It's true that most of the early giallos were like this, bar BLOOD AND BLACK LACE. But there is a flat feel that makes you suspect you're not watching anything particularly disturbing or shocking. This is accentuated with the denouement, when we find out the killer's identity. The solution to the mystery lacks the shock that a thriller should have. It doesn't pack a wallop at all. I couldn't help but suspect that the whole film may have been a slightly rushed production. It would explain why Freddie Francis's usual strength in creating shocks and surprises isn't fully exploited.

Overall, THE PSYCHOPATH is a decent British giallo, worth a watch for giallo fans and fans of British/horror thrillers. It is hard to track down and I wouldn't recommend anyone going out of their way to find it. But if you can buy it cheap or see it for free then you might enjoy it.

Everything is wrong with this film. First it should not have been shot in widescreen. There is not enough action or interest in the frame to justify its use. It just come off as being static. Second, it was a mistake to film in such vivid color. It only works in the films few outdoor scenes. In the films "dollhouse" the set design and color and lighting is flat and headache inducing where you are so annoyed and distracted by the cluttered but boring set that you are not paying enough attention to the actors. There is no visual complexity to the lighting. It's one big bright light. It looks like a TV show set. This should not happen with a former world class cinematographer like Freddy Franics. Third the performances. The wheelchair bound mother is just so shrill and overwrought that it makes the scenes with her excruciating. She overpowers in a negative way the scenes with her son so much that it becomes difficult to follow the dialogue of the son. Like nails on a chalkboard. Fourth, Patrick Wymark cannot carry the film as the police inspector. He just doesn't appear sharp or interested enough for the audience to follow a convoluted plot A Jack Warner type actor would have been perfect. Now don't let me get into the conclusion. It's absurd. Who discovered the injured police detective and what happened to the son? I think Freddy Francis was all wrong for this film as a director. He poorly directed the actors, allowed poor color choices and set design, framing and lighting, can't capture any inner emotion and complexity of the characters, and with exception of a few scenes, allows the film to move at a talky snail's pace.

The film has it's ups and downs, thrilling parts and long drawn out boring parts. I had to fast-forward to the ending due to the long lull and the ending is a little neat and Psycho-ish. I would not chase down a copy of this film but if you are able to see it, it's not all that bad. There is a decent copy of this movie on YouTube if someone is interested in viewing it... that is how I was able to see this one because it is a rather hard to find movie.

It's really about an inspector who is chasing down a murder. A few murders have been committed with dolls next to their bodies as a sorta calling card.

This is more of a dramatic thriller-mystery than it is a horror film. The horror comes from the creepy dolls as others have mentioned and the ending has elements of horror.

4/10

....when I was around 9 years old, and it scared the HELL out of me. The ending, especially, haunted me for many years. I even slept with the covers over my head for several weeks! As I got older, I desperately wanted to find and view this movie again, but couldn't remember the name of it or anyone who was in it. Thank God for IMDb! The message boards, here, helped me to finally recall the title. Then it was off to eBay to - hopefully - find and purchase a VHS copy. I was thrilled that repeat viewings proved to be just as creepy as I remembered, and that ending? WOW. If you can find a copy (it's never been made available for retail purchase), I highly recommend checking out this movie!

THE PSYCHOPATH (1966) is an attempt by Amicus to emulate the psycho-thrillers that were proving so popular for Hammer, and it has an impressive director in Freddie Francis and a screenplay by Robert Bloch to boot. The film involves a quartet of men who are being murdered by a mysterious killer who leaves a doll of each victim at the scene. Can Inspector Holloway catch the killer before he completes his dastardly plan?

This film was a hit in Italy and you can see why, as it feels very giallo-like especially with the mystery surrounding the villain and their back story. While I enjoyed the cinematography, the plot is a bit fractured and disjointed, slow in some parts but rushed through at other times. Patrick Wymark is a delight as the detective and there are solid cast members like Thorley Walters, John Standing, Margaret Johnston and Alexander Knox in support. However, this film lacks the element of high suspense needed to make it a classic of its kind.

This is a strange movie,not really convincing because Hitchcock did all that before,and infinitely better:The over-possessive mother ,her son 's final scene which recalls some "psycho"-in -reverse.The settings are sometimes intriguing,particularly the house full of dolls.The historical allusions are far-fetched and Alfred Hitchcock ...(well see "notorious"). If you haven't seen it,you do not miss an awful lot.