Der Puppenmörder

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.

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!

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).

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!

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.