moonspinner55 Angry, deranged kid is paroled after serving two years in prison for taking part in a gang-rape; he returns home to his mother's boarding house in a cheaper section of Los Angeles but, with no plans (and no prodding from his gimme-a-little-kiss mommy), he goes after the women who did him wrong. Grimy, ineffectual Curtis Harrington-directed shocker, with a lame-duck screenplay credited to Tony Crechales and co-producer George Edwards. The plot cobbles together various ideas and scenes from a myriad of other thrillers (with a failed overlay of Hitchcock, besides), and the stray cruelty and general bad taste are often excruciating to wade through. Veteran actress Ann Sothern and the newcomers in the cast can possibly be forgiven, but what was Harrington's excuse? After jump-starting his career behind the camera with interesting curios, Harrington got stuck in a kind of post-"Baby Jane" rut, concentrating primarily on stories of delusional bottom-feeders operating on little money or brains; his sense of squalid atmospherics are far stronger than his talent in handling actors. A young John Savage is blobby and unformed in the leading role, while his character goes after female acquaintances without a provocative plan--he just seems restless and trapped by mama. Harrington must have known this script was a loser, injecting arty accouterments into the stew (slow-motion takes, flashback edits, and a really silly dream sequence). It doesn't work at all, and the movie failed to find the proper distribution after Universal passed. *1/2 from ****

rwbj4 I first saw this film by accident on cable television years ago, and it haunted me ever since. Thankfully, the 2007 DVD release is of a quality that does justice to this undeservedly obscure film. Director Curtis Harrington details in the supplementary interview the unfortunate problems this film had being distributed, and I sought a copy of it for years before (again almost by accident) learning it was to be released on DVD. The actors are uniformly fine, but the primary reason to seek this film out is the great Ann Sothern. Far from giving a perfunctory performance in what was obviously an inexpensive film even for its time, she imbues her role as a smothering but well-intentioned mother with such dignity and compassion and a lost longing for a better life, that by the time the film ends, her plight brings a lump to the throat. Sothern was an underrated actress who had success in many B-movie roles in the 30s and 40s (the Maisie series, etc., April Showers), and in a few A pictures (e.g., Joseph Mankiewicz's A Letter to Three Wives). She also enjoyed great success in 50s comedy series (Private Secretary, The Ann Sothern Show). In her last film, The Whales of August (1987) she was finally rewarded with a supporting actress Oscar nomination. Had there been any justice in the awards process (we know there is little), she would have had a best actress nod for The Killing Kind. It is a remarkable performance in a film that one expect to be exploitative, but which ends up being psychologically complex and touching and tragic. Highly recommended.

Randall Phillip Sensitive guy, Terry (John Savage), can't give into peer pressure to participate in a gang rape, so his pals "force" him. It's kind of ambiguous, since he had to have been aroused to penetrate. In any case, he gets put in a mental hospital for awhile. Our story really begins when he returns home to his lonely mother (Ann Sothern), whose wig is somewhat flipped as well- perhaps, from having her son taken away under such horrid circumstances. It doesn't take long before Terry is peeping in a nude girl's window while strangling his mommy's cat to death. I guess the rehabilitation didn't work. The chemistry between Savage and Sothern is priceless! For the trashy movie this is, it is amazingly well acted. A modern day equivalent to Savage's screen persona could be compared to a combination of Tom Cruise and Crispin Glover. While Sothern could be compared to a combination of Kathy Bates and Bette Davis. The supporting cast is excellent as well. And the dialog is cleverly written.One can't help smiling when Terry causes a woman to crash her car, and as it goes up in flames, he is cheerfully clapping his hands. Also, the rat killing scene is just beautifully twisted! Kudos to John Savage!I'll admit it, the ending choked me up, which is a testament to the great Ann Sothern's performance.Unfortunately, this hasn't been given the proper DVD release it deserves. The current DVD out there is absolutely awful in picture quality. The VHS tape is far superior, although it's not perfect either.

chadledwards After WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH HELEN?, this is director Curtis Harrington's most effective thriller. The film opens with 19-year-old John Savage being forced by his friends to participate in the brutal gang rape of sexy beach girl Sue Bernard. Pic then jumps forward two years with Savage being released from prison and heading for the boardinghouse run by his dotty, doting mother(Ann Sothern). At first, Savage seems well enough adjusted, but naturally spending two years behind bars for a crime he unwillingly committed has made him bitter and confused, and pretty soon he becomes obsessed with the idea of revenge. After Savage becomes involved in three terrifying deaths, Sothern realizes that her son needs much more than a mother's love and determines that she must put an end to the madness herself, but does she have the strength to do what she feels has to be done?This is a superior thriller, with terrific performances(Savage and Sothern are unforgettable), some darkly humorous moments, and plenty of genuine suspense. Unfortunately, the film is very difficult to locate but if you should come across it either on tape or on late-night TV, you won't want to miss it!FUN FACTS: The film was to originally be titled "Are You a Good Boy?", a line that is used several times in the film. Co-star Ann Sothern wrote a song for the opening credits, but when the title was changed, the song was cut.