Tense and atmospheric, with delightful performances from Andi Garrett, Sarah Lane and Sharyl Locke as the kids, and strong ones from John Ireland as the psychopath, and the one-and-only Joan Crawford (straight from Castle's "Strait-Jacket") as his blackmail-minded neighbor, who's inexplicably in love with him. Unfortunately, one of their calls hits the bullseye-a homicidal maniac who has just murdered his wife. They especially enjoy crooning "I saw what you did and I know who you are" to their victims. Left alone one night while their parents are out of town, teen-aged Libby, her little sister Tess, and Libby's visiting friend Kit amuse themselves by making crank phone calls. William Castle's "I Saw What You Did" is a great little suspense drama, with a perky cast and an intriguing story. That's what the poster ads warned! UXORICIDE! (look it up). Not a bad little film, but hardly great or memorable. It was totally inappropriate for the mood of the film but I assume it was used to appeal to the younger audience-while probably alienating older viewers or people in the 21st century that view the DVD. Plus, although I hate to admit it, they were both such brats I was kind of hoping they WOULD be killed! The other low-point of the film is the crappy beach party-type music at the beginning and end. But, in between the beginning and the end, the movie drags a bit-and some of it is due to the fact that the two teenagers who star in the film just don't have enough magnetism to sustain the film. The best aspects of the film are the excellent realistic performance by John Ireland as a menacing murderer, Joan Crawford's decent performance in which she is murdered before she gets a chance to over-act, and the creepy conclusion where the girls are chased about the property by the madman-all really good stuff. However, despite this it's still a pretty good film with some occasionally chilling moments. This is a William Castle film and has all the earmarks of a made for the drive-in movie-crappy teen music, teen actors and lots of violence (for its day). And since we're already knee-deep in 60s sitcoms with the trite score and giggly teenaged actors, we're given an ending that would have been right in place on Dobie Gillis or the Patty Duke Show. The two teenage girls are straight out of 60s sitcom land, and the younger sister joins the ranks of "most annoying child actors." There are some tense moments, including a ripoff of the shower scene from "Psycho" (except with a naked man instead of Janet Leigh). (Virtually the whole film was shot on a sound stage, except for some rear projections.) The plot itself is clichéd, but decently "executed." The casting is a problem, with Joan Crawford at age 60 trying to be the hypotenuse in a love triangle between 50-year-old John Ireland and some young bimbo (or we should say, ex-bimbo). You know you're in trouble from the first few scenes, with corny eyeball-shaped framing devices, then the intrusion of Van Alexander's completely out-of-place bouncy score, with its recurring principal theme of "Ninny nanny noo-noo." (Most of his credits are for 60s sitcoms, and it shows.) Then we're treated to exteriors of the Mannering house which are nothing more than Thomas Kincade- style paintings. ![]() Yes, good old William Castle is on the loose again, with a low budget and a creepy plot.and Joan Crawford, whose salary probably used up most of Castle's available cash. It was obviously inserted to give the movie a star and to pad out the running time. Ironically, the only thing in the movie that feels wrong is the subplot involving Crawford. Also, I don't know whether this was really the filmmakers' intention or not, but they have captured the excitement of a teenage adventure and carried it effortlessly into a suspenseful conclusion. ![]() The first murder is an ironic ripoff of "Psycho", with the person in the shower committing the murder instead of being slashed, and I was surprised at how graphic it really is. I don't know if any of the other viewers felt the same way, but I really think the movie's violence is a bit shocking for its day. Everyone knows the plot, which involves two teenage girls who spend an evening making prank phone calls and, through the miracle of plot contrivance, stumble into the path of a psychotic man who has just committed murder. And she knows who you are! This is another strange William Castle concoction that features Joan Crawford in one of the B-horror movies she made near the end of her career, and yet the only way they could fit her into this story was to make her a kooky neighbor lady who wears tacky jewelry that looks like some sort of bizarre Aztec armor.
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