Strait-Jacket (1964)

Lack of good storyline.

Charming and brutal

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

When Lucy (Joan Crawford) arrives home a day early, she catches her second husband (an uncredited Lee Majors) asleep in bed with a young woman. Flipping out, she takes an axe to the dozing couple, lopping off their heads in plain sight of her three-year-old daughter Carol (Vicki Cos).After twenty years in an asylum, Lucy is finally declared sane and goes to stay with Carol (now played by Diane Baker ), who has been raised on a farm by her Uncle Bill (Leif Erickson) and Aunt Emily (Rochelle Hudson). Lucy is understandably ill at ease, her behaviour erratic, but it looks as though she might still be more than a little deranged when people start to fall victim to a psycho brandishing an axe.Even though Strait-Jacket comes from the pen of Robert 'Psycho' Bloch, it's a rather disappointing shocker, the film's plot entirely predictable from the outset; there won't be many people fooled into thinking that Lucy is really responsible for the latest murders. Director William Castle handles matters well enough (all without the need for one of his trademark gimmicks), and coaxes a solid performance from Crawford, but the film delivers very few surprises, at least until the hilarious Scooby-Doo ending, complete with rubber mask disguise—I didn't see that coming (on account of how dumb it is!).Look out for a young(ish) George Kennedy as shifty farmhand Krause, one of the suspects, at least until he also loses his head.

Joan Crawford's performance is masterful, ranging all the way from pitiful to frightening. Crawford was a great movie actress. She commands the screen and has thoroughly prepared for every scene and every word of dialogue, however good or bad the dialogue might be. The whole film is never dull for a moment and is well made within the limits of the guilty pleasure sort of style. Like a train wreck, you can't look away. Supporting cast acting is adequate, especially Diane Baker who works well with Joan Crawford as they create a memorable mother/daughter team. For the ultimate in absurd, guilty pleasure brilliance by director William Castle and star Joan Crawford, view "Straight Jacket" when you get the chance.

You know how young kids sometimes get their consonants mixed up when they're learning new words? Well if you ax me, this flick has one seriously demented performance by the late, great Joan Crawford in what has to be one of her better remembered films on the way down. She actually had me a little frightened watching the picture in scenes where people still had their heads on straight. Man, that scene with her daughter's boyfriend was creepy wasn't it? Sidling right up to him and putting her paws all over his face like that made me wonder why Carol Harbin (Diane Baker) wanted to take the patience and understanding route with dear old Mom in the first place. We find out later why, but gee, swinging the old axe the way she did was a little extreme just so she could blame it on Mommie Dearest and marry Michael (John Anthony Hayes) above his parents' objections. But I guess having seen it up close and personal as a kid, it wasn't too surprising to see where Carol got her instincts from. With a bit of a '"Psycho" flavor to keep things moving, this has just enough misdirection to keep you guessing, and the final ten minutes of the story will have you at the edge of your seat. So much so that even the Columbia logo lady lost her head over the end credits. If you ax me.

The star, Joan Crawford, and the period (the early '60s) makes this almost work...It's shuddery and creepy, though cartoonishly schlocky, obviously.If it's not the best really bad movie ever made, then it's certainly close.Yes, it's a legendarily ridiculous movie. The music score, in the innocuous scenes, sounds like it comes from a sitcom of that era, while the dramatic moments indeed sound as if they're composed for a sci-fi thing.Joan acts her little heart out as the tormented maniac, though her transformation from 60 years old to "29 years old" isn't entirely successful. Go figure.Overall, the movie is badly edited, unevenly acted, and William Castle's work is mediocre even by his standards -- the way the opening murder scene is ruined by his cinematic incompetence is astounding! No subjective camera view? Even during the the killings?? My favorite part of the film is probably the party at the Fields' house near the end, Mr Fields' doomed closet, all the way thru Diane Baker's breakdown. So funny.It's undeniably fun, but imagine if Castle had done a better job on this film without leaving all the responsibility to Joan.Oh, the missed opportunities from Castle. Such good ideas yet so little talent!