Il les veut toutes... mais mortes

John Savage is the acting force driving this film. Just getting out of prison for rape, or forced rape, when you see the film in it's opening, Terry (Savage) turns up at his favorite aunts, unannounced. Aunt Thelma takes him under his wing, not forgetting how much he likes chocolate milk, (a favorite of mine too). After a nap, she fixes him a ripper meal of a cake which he downs hungrily. Every things hunky dory. But deep down in Terry's mind is a penchant for revenge. A few of the tenants die, plus a cat, at his violent hand, including a wannabe model (Cindy Williams before her Laverne and Shirley days) who Thelma doesn't consider to be attractive or like. Williams takes the compliment politely. After all, she just wanted a room. One scene has Savage, an acting great, in a truly believable performance, practically tearing off her clothes in the pool, although she was asking for it, a little, I guess. Another has him masturbating, after making a obscene phone call to a slutty girl, shacked up with another fella, the same girl he was forced to rape, years earlier, using some funny and effectively scary dialogue on her. Budding guitarist Savage is, as Williams is a model, (though Savage's character is more the quiet achiever) in one explosive scene he goes ballistic, flying out a door and diving into a pool, to cool himself, after Thelma rabbles with old memories. The following scene at the dry cleaners with another regular, who's really a babbling type is an amusing touch. Savage's psychotic moments where he loses it are frighteningly real, like when forcing his crappy woman lawyer to drink herself dry before he burns her place down with her in it. Another scene, like the pool one just mentioned, that stays with me, is when he runs this girl (no prizes for guessing who I'm talking about here) off a cliff, in his car, plummeting to her death below. Void of any remorse, he actually cracks up, making a cooky, laugh, that's quite chilling. This is a well formulated drama, the kind that made early seventies cinema good, with strong support from it's co stars, Savage walking away with honors here. It has a sad dramatic conclusion that just goes to prove, some people in this world just don't have a fighting chance. I've seen this seventy type horror film a few times, the first on the t.v, mainly because of Savage, an actor I love.

Ann Sothern and John Savage go for broke in The Killing Kind. They're so good in their roles that they make the script seem better than it really is. The story just meanders from scene to scene without much connecting them and, right when it's really starting to get interesting, it ends. Still, the characters and performances are strong enough to keep one interested throughout.

Story about an innocent boy, Terry, forced by friends to participate in a gang-rape. His pants were down, but he couldn't perform, especially after seeing that the girl seemed to be enjoying the whole thing, leaving a lasting impression in his mind. Making matters worse, he was sent to prison as the girl named him to be a participant, which was untrue. After his release, it was back to Momma's boarding house where he spent his time lounging around the pool, doing odds and ends for the neighbors and keeping Momma company. He was everything to his Momma and she was jealous of other women's advances, especially the new boarder, Laurie, who seemed to fancy Terry. In fact, Terry was desired by most of the lonely ladies around who deemed him misunderstood. But, it seemed that Terry developed an interest in death and gore. He also had a different idea about sex. He wanted to be tough and he wanted it to be rough - just like he envisioned it to be with the young girl who was raped by his friends. One by one, the local ladies were dying and even Momma had to help dispose of one of the bodies! Before long, Terry could not stop what he started and in the end, he got what he deserved.

John Savage was totally adorable in this movie and I think he carried off his character well. Also, look for Cindy Williams as Laurie. The only downside to this movie is that Terry's fascination with death and gore are not thoroughly explained. If we are to believe that one almost-rape makes a person obsessed with rough sex and killing - there seems to be more to it than we are shown. Still, I think it's one of Savage's better earlier performances.

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.

Solidly well-done thriller is an effectively disturbing gem that stands out from the many drive in horror flicks of the early 70's.

After serving jail time for being accused of rape, a repressed young man returns home to his dominating mother where his desire for revenge may lead him down a murderous path.

The Killing Kind reminds me quite a bit of another relatively undiscovered gem - 1982's Night Warning, although The Killing Kind pre-dates that film by nearly 10 years. As with that film the power behind The Killing Kind lies in the sympathetic characters that drive this story. Not to mention that both films deal with the subject of unhealthy motherly obsession.

The Killing Kind though does stand firmly on it's own as a twisted character study. The story is a compelling brooder of insanity, the suspense is tightly woven, there's a good share of shocking scenes, and the performances of Sothern and Savage are excellent. Ultimately this film becomes quite the emotional roller-coaster, especially in it's somber conclusion.

Well worth seeking for those who like strong, character-driven thrillers. A shocking little rarity.

*** 1/2 out of ****