I am a big fan of William Castle's films, but this one seems a little confusing to me. I love the performances, the overall beautiful look of the film, the music, scares, etc. I need someone to break the plot down for me. Thanks.
shareIt is a bit confusing, but here's my take. Warren's father wanted a boy. A girl was born. Only Sam Abrams, the Justice of the Peace, and Helga, the nurse, knew that "Warren" was really a female. "His" mother kept the secret from the tyrannical father. The mother and father were killed in a car wreck. With Warren due to inherit a fortune, it's necessary that "his" true gender be kept secret, thus he "invents" Emily, posing as a woman to kill Sam and Helga, the only ones who know that Warren is really a woman and thus not eligible for the estate -- Warren is really a woman disguised as a man. Emily is an alter ego he invented to take the rap for the murders. tjhe film implies that Helga took "him" to Sweden for a sex change, but such is not actually stated in the film.
Thanks keithruth, that really clears things up. After looking at the film again, it has suddenly become my new favorite. The character of Warren is such a tortured soul, more than I had ever really understood. His anguish and rage at his lot in life must run very deep indeed. After piecing it all together, I realized what a fascinating character he was, and what an original one, thanks to William Castle's daring screenplay. I think it goes without saying that Joan Marshall's performance as Warren/Emily is beyong extraordinary, as well as being brave, unique, and very memorable.
Patricia Breslin has a wonderful, warm quality on film that I just adore. She seems to have made a handful of films, as well as co-starring for some time on the television series "Peyton Place". It's out on DVD and I'm looking forward to seeing more of her work. And what a screamer!
Richard Rust is the likeness of Kevin Bacon, and I think he gives a solid supporting performance. There's a realness to his acting that is very appealing.
Helga freaks me out for some reason...I guess it's that pitiful scene of her drinking the milk from the bowl, and knowing what she did to Warren, and her being mute.
I also really like the guy who played Carl. He was quite handsome, yet his character didn't get in the way of things. He and Miriam made a fine and believable couple.
I love the quaint setting of Solvang, and there's an overall quaintness to the film that contrasts the creepy plot so marvelously.
Sweden is never mentioned in the movie. Helga took "Warren" to Denmark where "he" subsequently "met Emily". Was Denmark substituted as a kind of euphemism for Sweden?
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Was Denmark substituted as a kind of euphemism for Sweden?Why would that have been necessary? Christine Jorgensen's sex-reassignment surgeries were performed in Denmark in the 1950s.
Well, if you read keithruth's reply to the original post you would've known that I was responding to keithruth's statement in which he/she mistakenly says that Helga had taken Warren to Sweden, to which I replied "Sweden is never mentioned in the movie. Helga took "Warren" to Denmark...".
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Well, if you read keithruth's reply to the original post you would've known that I was responding to keithruth's statement in which he/she mistakenly says that Helga had taken Warren to Sweden, to which I replied "Sweden is never mentioned in the movie. Helga took "Warren" to Denmark...".I did read the whole thread, you don't need to recap it for me.
Oops, my bad! Her surgery was originally to be performed in Sweden so I (and apparently keithruth, too) was under the impression that's where she had it done but while on a stopover, she met a doctor who offered to do the surgery in Denmark so you are right, there's no need for assumed euphemisms in the first place.
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Wherever the surgery was done, the surgeons did help (unwittingly) to create one whacko killer! One of the most complex and interesting killers in horror films, certainly up to that time. I LOVE Patricia Breslin's screams in the film, like when she confronts the truth about Warren/Emily near the end of the film, in the darkened old house. The house, the performances, the writing, the lighting, etc (even the coward's clock lol) all add up to one unique and well-made horror film!
shareFor those in Southern California, it's fun to drive to Ventura. The hotel in which Emily stays is still there, on Main Street, but it's now seemingly some sort of halfway house. The doors to the shops that Emily passes, including the diamond shop, are still there. The strip mall that contains Miriam's flower shop is still there and virtually unchanged. It's across from the Hamlet Motel...
shareI was thinking of the sex-reassignment thing as well. I love piecing together the cultural context movies were made in, especially exploitation movies. Obviously Psycho was huge at the time this movie came out, and obviously that's the primary reason for this movie to even exist, but at the time Christine Jorgensen was no doubt still very big news, and William Castle no doubt saw great potential for exploitation in that theme, especially with its ties to Psycho's now largely taken for granted themes of transvestism. Sometimes I think Castle is the best exploitation filmmaker of all time. Not only was he a brilliant showman, he knew how to tap into the zeitgeist better than anybody I can think of, even Corman or Dave Friedman. Long live Castle.
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Dear keithruth:
A small correction, if I may. The Justice of the Peace was named Alfred S. Adrims.