EDITOR’S NOTE: The Psychopath was on the CBS Late Movie on July 23, 1973; January 30 and December 17, 1974. 

Between Die! Die! My Darling! and the poster for this film featuring the killer, Glenn Danzig clearly found plenty of inspiration in British horror movies.

Directed by Freddie Francis for Amicus, this film revolves around a series of murders in which each victim is found with a doll that looks exactly like them attached to their body.

It embodies the early elements of Giallo cinema, highlighted by a striking scene of a room filled with dolls. If it had some stylish fashion, a jazzy soundtrack, a few bottles of J&B, and a touch of nudity, it could easily fit into that genre. I would also consider it a slasher, and I’d support your choice in that classification.

Patrick Wymark, known for Blood on Satan’s Claw, plays Inspector Holloway. Margaret Johnson, from Night of the Eagle, portrays the mysterious, wheelchair-bound doll maker Mrs. Von Sturm. John Standing, known for his role in The Elephant Man, plays her obsessive son Mark.

If you’re reading this and thinking, “A movie where a man with mommy issues turns into a murderer sounds a lot like Psycho, you’d be right—this was written by the same author, Robert Bloch.