Bizarrefilmfrom196eee
Inthissurprisinglywatchablechillerfrom1960,ahypnotistDesmond(Bergerac)getshisentertainmentbyhavingbeautifulyoungwomendisfigurethemselvesinprettygraphicways—settingtheirhaironfire,washingfaceswithacid,drinkinglye,puttingtheirfacesinfans—well,yougettheidea.Withallofthisgoingon,thelocalpolicesendadetectiveandapolicepsychologistouttosolvethecases.
Thismoviefeaturesundoubtedlythedumbestduoofpoliceofficersever,detectiveSteveKennedyandDr.PhilipHecht.Thesetwoguysaresuchidiotsthattheirincompetenceisfascinatingtowatch.Atfirst,theycan’tdecidewhetherallofthesedisfigurementcasesarerelated(duh!)andspendtherestofthemovietrying—sortof—tocatchtheperpetrator.
ThemanyunintentionallyfunnyscenesincludeSteve’sgirlfriend(Henderson)beingkissedandgropedbyDesmond(whileSteveblanklywatchesfromadistance),thefirsthypnosisscene(“Youarethemeanestofallthedogs!!”),thebeatnikbarscene,andthefinalsceneatatheater,wherethe“secret”isrevealed,butonlyaftertheaudienceismesmerizedintodoingprettyoutrageousthings—likebadacting.
Releasedduringthehypnosisandbeatnikcrazesoftheearly1960s,thisbizarremovieisaninterestingtimecapsuleandstarscultactressAllisonHayes.BesureandcatchHecht’s(GuyPrescott)jaw-droppingclosingline…it’sguaranteedtoleaveyouspeechless.
