|
I Saw What You DidRating:
Release Date: 25 June, 2002 Retail Price: $14.98 Sorry, this product is not currently available. Cast: Complete Cast (6 total) |
I Saw What You Did Reviews
See What William Castle Did with a promising idea...
One of William Castle's later efforts. "I Saw What You Did" was made the year after the terrific "Strait Jacket", and also stars Joan Crawford. She must have got on well with Castle as this was a much smaller role, in what it is a less impressive movie all round. The film stars two teenage girls who have been left to babysit the much younger sister of one of them in a remote house. To relieve the boredom, the pair decide to make lots of prank calls, whispering the movie's title down the telephone to lots of random people they pick out of the phone book. Trouble is, one of their victims really DID do something - he just murdered his wife! And once the call has been made, he decides he has to act fast and remove any potential witness.
Now, on paper this all sounds like it has the potential to make a really suspenseful and exciting movie. But for some reason, Castle sabotages the atmosphere by seemingly directing it for an audience about the same age as his two girl stars. Right from the opening credits, swinging beat music blares out over shots of the two friends gossiping over the phone, followed by nearly half an hour of cutesy family orientated comedy-melodrama. It's a problem shared by the original "13 Ghosts", in which a similarly spooky setting was spoiled by the irritatingly humerous sparring of the happy family involved. Why does Castle do this, when he's showed he has the know-how for creating real suspense if he wants to? My only guess is that a hard-hitting, adult film about a murderer terrorising two teenagers is not what Castle felt comfortable making here. But if that is the case, why is the film (and Castle's whole career) marketed at "scaring the pants off America" (to quote his autobiography)? He managed to make "Strait Jacket", "The Tingler" and "Homicidal" pretty effective, but he really drops the ball here.
Which is a shame, because in places, the film shines. The main murder, which leads to all the trouble, is a knockout. Although it's totally stolen from "Psycho" (it takes place in a shower), the roles of killer and victim are cleverly reversed, and it is short, sharp and surprisingly brutal. But once this is over, the plot really creaks as the machinations of the phone call and the murderer's discovery of who made it get awkwardly spun out on the screen. The script makes a real meal of setting up the drama... I'm sure they didn't need to make it quite this complicated, with lots of phoning, scheming and re-phoning going on. As a result, it takes forever for the film to reach it's climax in which the murderer finally starts terrorising the teenagers at their home, but when it does, there's some more real tension as he breaks in and starts his chase. I won't reveal the climax, but after it, as the film comes to a close, it's all ruined with a stupidly jaunty burst of music and some unbelievably inappropriate merriment (along the lines of "That's the last crank call I'll ever make - ha ha!"), which wipes out the whole dark mood of the preceding 15 minutes. Unforgiveable.
So I was disappointed. Shame really, as the two girls playing the lead roles make good work as the giggly teenagers - not too annoying, and turning realistically scared when things become nasty. Even the little sister isn't bad. Castle must really like working with children, as all his child actors seem pretty relaxed and natural to me. Joan Crawford also makes an impact, in a very small role that she's really acting too well for. It's worth re-watching just the scenes she is again a second time. And there are brief moments of very good suspense. But basically, this could be a film aimed at kids about the perils of making prank calls, in fact if you took out the rather graphic (in this context, anyway) shower murder scene, it would be little more than a piece of Saturday morning matinee fluff.
"Don't Answer It! You May Not Know Who's Waiting For You On The Other End!"
William Castle's B thriller is very suspenseful and ideal for dark, late Saturday night viewing. Top-billed Joan Crawford is dressed glamorously throughout, although her character barely makes it half way through the picture. It's also rather obvious that she came directly from "Strait-Jacket", and this would cement her as a camp icon. Of course, you can't help but think, "Mommie Dearest, I promise I'll be good!"
Two teenage girls (Andi Garrett and Sarah Lane) bored on a Saturday night, decide to make prank phone calls (oh, those glory days before caller ID!), and use the interpretive phrase, "I saw what you did - and I know who you are!" Be careful how you dial, girls, because macho psychopath John Ireland has just brutally murdered his young wife (while he was taking a shower, no less - "Psycho" parallels, anyone?), and thinks you saw him do the dastardly deed. And, in good old psycho killer fashion, he will do anything to silence any alleged witnesses.
Although it's unmistakably el cheapo camp, Castle's gimmicky trademark, it's a nail-biting ride, and when it comes down to it, just a fun scarefest! Don't touch the phone, don't answer the door, don't go off on your own to meet your mystery guy, and don't live out in the middle of nowhere with no place to run!
And don't try to steal Joan's man - she'll be ridding your closet of wire hangers!
AND STAY AWAY FROM THAT RETARDED 1988 TV REMAKE!
More Customer Reviews (15 total)
You like I Saw What You Did?
|
© 2004, 2005, 2006 DVD Booty | Don't Plunder Our Cache of Booty, Matey!
Hosting made possible by donations from emergency debt relief, credit counseling, and Debt Management Department
