Strait-Jacket

[lordofdance]

"Lucy Harbin took an axe, gave her husband 40 whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave his girlfriend forty-one!”

I never thought much about Joan Crawford (though I do like her in Johnny Guitar), probably because she is one of the least attractive old school actresses that I've ever seen. In Strait-Jacket, though, her harsh looks seem very appropriate.

I assume that Strait-Jacket was influenced by Psycho, but it's much more campy and weird. Joan Crawford is naturally good at looking unhinged, it seems, and so I found her more interesting than Anthony Perkins. Most people aren't going to claim that Strait-Jacket is better than Psycho, certainly, but it does have an on-screen beheading. So yeah, I'd place Strait-Jacket somewhere between Psycho and Blood Feast on the mad killer movie continuum.

The story involves Crawford's character, Lucy Harbin, who ends up in an asylum for twenty years after hacking her husband and his mistress to bits with an axe. Her young daughter witnesses the whole thing, but somehow grows up to be a seemingly well-adjusted sculptress with a wealthy fiancé. Lucy gets out of the nuthouse and comes to stay with her daughter, hopefully to start a new life. Not surprisingly, people start turning up dead around the farmhouse where they live.

Crazy Joan Crawford is the biggest selling point for this movie, but the axe murder element helps as well. True, there isn't much graphic axe murdering, but just having it in there is good enough. If this movie were made today, I'm sure that it would be presented much sillier and over the top, but Strait-Jacket still manages to have some dignity despite the subject matter, perhaps because of the time in which it was made. And Joan Crawford is a classy broad.

Cruelty **
Grossness *1/2 (the beheading is funny because it's so obviously fake)
Overall Disturbing Content **
Nudity None
Film Quality ***

[criterionmaster]

I just looked up Joan Crawford, since it seems like I would have seen a movie with her in it, but nope, I haven't. The only movie she was in that I have wanted to see is Mildred Pierce, which was directed by Michael Curtiz. It could be good, her name is so familiar that it seems like she would have been in more movies that I had heard of. Doubt I would check this out, unless it was on TCM or something. I will check to see if this film ever turns up anywhere, but I don't think I would go out looking for it. Isn't that Johnny Guitar on Something Weird or something, or was that some other film?

[lordofdance]

Johnny Guitar is one of the more unusual westerns because the primary characters are women. Joan Crawford plays the hero and Mercedes McCambridge (the demonic voice in The Exorcist!) playse her wacko nemisis. The director, Nicholas Ray, went on to make Rebel Without a Cause. It's not a Something Weird release, but it's almost odd enough to be one. I don't think it's even available on Region 1 DVD right now, but I'm going to pick it up if it comes out. It looks like it might be available eventually: www.amazon.com/Johnny-Guitar-Joan-Crawford/dp/B00005JMYM/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-6750757-4195134?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1179373690&sr=1-1

As for Strait-Jacket, it's a fun movie but definitely not a blood bath. After seeing Crawford in both movies, I'm intrigued enough to check out her other stuff. She has a strange screen presence.

[criterionmaster]

lordofdance said:

Johnny Guitar is one of the more unusual westerns because the primary characters are women. Joan Crawford plays the hero and Mercedes McCambridge (the demonic voice in The Exorcist!) playse her wacko nemisis. The director, Nicholas Ray, went on to make Rebel Without a Cause. It's not a Something Weird release, but it's almost odd enough to be one. I don't think it's even available on Region 1 DVD right now, but I'm going to pick it up if it comes out. It looks like it might be available eventually: www.amazon.com/Johnny-Guitar-Joan-Crawford/dp/B00005JMYM/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-6750757-4195134?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1179373690&sr=1-1

As for Strait-Jacket, it's a fun movie but definitely not a blood bath. After seeing Crawford in both movies, I'm intrigued enough to check out her other stuff. She has a strange screen presence.

Oh, it's Nicholas Ray? I really enjoyed Rebel Without a Cause and was wondering what other films the man had done. That actually gives me more reason to check it out. How did you get to see the film without it being on DVD? VHS?