THE COUCH

Grant Williams

THE COUCH (1962). Director: Owen Crump

Charles Campbell (Grant Williams of The Monolith Monsters), psychiatric patient and ex-con, phones a police lieutenant (Simon Scott) and tells him he is going to kill someone exactly at 7 PM that evening -- and he does, more than once. Is there method to his madness? Campbell is dating Terry (Shirley Knight) -- the niece of his doctor (Onslow Stevens of Outside the Law) -- who also works as the shrink's receptionist, and boards in the home of the upbeat Mrs. Quimby (Hope Summers) and her nubile daughter Jean (Anne Helm). 

Shirley Knight with Williams

Robert Bloch scripted this post-Psycho "thriller" from an idea by Blake Edwards and director Crump but the results aren't as impressive as you might hope. Even though we know who the culprit is and what he'll do from the first (although there are still some minor surprises on that score), there are still plenty of opportunities for suspense, none of which are exploited that much by Crump, whose direction is generally uninspired. Frank Perkins' score is often quirky and interesting, but it does little to help the picture. On the plus side are the performances, with an especially notable Williams (The Incredible Shrinking Man) making a favorable impression, as does Knight. Another nifty element is that eerie old estate that is visited by the main couple while they're on a date. The amusing postscript is left to Hope Summers, who also scores as the sunny landlady who gets quite a shock at the finale. This is another movie that was in some ways influenced by Agatha Christie's classic "The A.B.C. Murders." Crump mostly directed documentaries and TV shows; this was his only American theatrical film.

Verdict: Williams certainly scores as an especially handsome psycho. **3/4.