In 1959, "Anatomy of a Murder" was released. In 1960, "Psycho" hit the theaters. One year later, "Anatomy of a Psycho" debuted. The only thing this film has in common with the previously mentioned classics is that "Anatomy of a Psycho" is also a film.
Chet (Darrell Howe) is down in the dumps. His big brother Duke (William Salzwedel) is being sent to the gas chamber for a murder. Duke helped raise Chet and their sister Pat (Pamela Lincoln), and Chet still believes in Duke's innocence. Even though the family is from the wrong side of the tracks, Pat has taken up with well-to-do Mickey (Ronnie Burns, son of George Burns and Gracie Allen). As coincidence would have it, Mickey is the son of the anonymous star witness (Russ Bender) who sent Duke to death row. And what of Chet's love life? He was taking up with the questionable Sandy (Judy Howard) who, as ANOTHER coincidence would have it, is now canoodling with the son of the judge who presided over Duke's trial. In the opening minutes of the film, Chet is slashed in the face with a broken bottle, and sports a large mobile scar on his cheek, and a giant chip on his shoulder. He and his gang beat up the son of the district attorney who prosecuted Duke's case, and Chet becomes a one-man crime spree until another fight results in a stabbing and suddenly Mickey is put on trial for murder...have you got all this?
Rumor has it that Ed Wood had a hand in the screenplay, and I totally believe it. I didn't even mention peripheral characters like the tough police lieutenant who is always hanging around, or the other members of Chet's shanty-dwelling gang. It's a lot for a seventy-five minute movie. The film is cheaply made, with some scenes making me laugh out loud. The life journey of Chet's facial scar could have been a film in itself. I think Pam and Mickey are high school students even though the actors were in their mid-twenties, and one hilarious scene has Pam begging Chet to go back to school, I assume to finish up his master's degree studies? Aside from Bobbie (Frank Killmond), all of the young male cast look alike. They have nice parted black hair, swarthy looks, and I was often confused about who was who, with the exception of Chet and his magical scar. Although the plot moves at a lightning fast pace, the first few scenes take place in a matter of hours, it's strange that most of the footage bored me. The pitch of the film is doable, but the execution (sorry, unintentional pun) is a disaster. The climax is very unsatisfying. This is a harmless, juvenile delinquent movie that isn't very good but might provide a few laughs, and is a prime candidate for any riffing project. (* 1/2) out of five stars.
*Get a physical copy of "Anatomy of a Psycho" on Amazon here*
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