Set upon a melodramatic pile-up of pulpy excess and fairly macabre shocks,Strait-Jacketis a nippy thriller that teeters on the edge of psychological horror from the pen ofPsycho’sRobert Blochand featuring a memorably showy role for its starJoan Crawford. Released 4 yearsafter the aforementioned masterpieceand 2 years after Crawford locked horns with an unforgettably tyrannicalBette DavisinWhatever Happened to Baby Jane?,Strait-Jacketserves as more than mere imitation in the way it blends creeping unease with well-delivered bursts of grisliness. It also ushers in a fairly predictable but nonetheless entertainingly staged third-act twist that only serves to further highlight Crawford’s effectiveness in the lead role.A thespian of commanding force, and capable of providing a borderline over-the-top shriek with full-bodied gusto, she carries what could’ve been a fun but forgettable schlock-piece into something with bucketloads of attitude.
What Is ‘Strait-Jacket’ About?
Representing something of an intriguing collision of renowned genre talent -Strait-Jackettells the disquieting tale of an ax-murderer (not hyperbole) played by Crawford, who one day in a paroxysm of rage, dispatches both her husband and his mistress while her young daughter watches on from the shadows of the bedroom. It’s a screech-laden opening sequence, and for those watching in Surround Sound, be warned, for it’s a deafening beginning to a film that goes for the jugular vein several times thereafter. In fact, the sound design, with its amplified screams, bellows, and exaggerated chops, setStrait-Jacketapart as a particularly clamorous thriller. It’s a dialed-up marriage between classic melodrama and shock horror; and some of the non-supernatural Hammer vehicles, such as the oddballStraight on Till Morning, spring to mind as a comparison. As do underrated chillers likeSignpost to Murder.
Sent to an asylum for an even 20 years, Crawford’s Lucy Harbin is released on parole and goes to live with her dubious brother Bill (Leif Erickson) on their sprawling property. Welcomed back with outstretched arms by her now 20-something child Carol Cutler (Diane Baker), who becomes something of a sworn protector as the movie progresses, the reunion is initially strained, though it’s clear Carol is making an oddly concerted effort to restore familial ties in spite of the horrors that occurred decades prior. The expected questions promptly arise as a result. Was Lucy released too soon and does she still harbor homicidal tendencies? What are some of the secondary characters' precise motivations? Lucy’s wariness around certain kitchen implements and the glistening ax out the back of the farmstead certainly suggest she may yet to have fully shaken her penchant for wreaking bladed havoc.
What directorWilliam Castle(who madethe excellent black and whiteThe House on Haunted Hill) does is use the talent he has at his disposal supremely well. The lurid subject matter was and remains fairly unsettling stuff, but it was especially in-your-face given the context. The 1960s produced as many universally loved gems as excellent and underrated pulp thrillers and Castle was, likeRoger Corman(who also knew his way around a haunted house flick) andTerrence Fisher(The Hound of the Baskervilles)before him, a bit of a horror specialist. His use of grandiose approaching shadow (a motif) and intriguing framing (such as an aerial shot of a domestic room accentuating a sense of claustrophobia) help render the overall viewing experience vaguely dreamlike. With Castle at the helm, and Crawford (whose dramatic range refuses to cede to any kind of boundary in this film) driving the action —Strait-Jacketwas destined to be diverting at the very least, and its flashes of dark humor edge it over the line as staunchly recommended viewing for thriller completists. The bold pursuit of her character’s renewed motivation for a settled and uncomplicated life always shine through for Crawford, even with the layers of histrionics on top. Diane Baker (Mirage) could be up to more than she lets on, but it’s readable, and the cast is fleshed out by strong character turns (in less significant parts) byHoward St. John,Rochelle Hudson, andGeorge Kennedy.
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Interestingly, Robert Bloch and director Castle would collaborate again the same year viaThe Night Stalker, another dark slice of cinematic trickery. While the famed author was responsible for the novel by which Psycho was made and adapted, here, he was the man behind the writing of the film itself.Hitchcock’s distinguished 1960 classicwas such a seminal and roaring success in its embracement of a new kind of cinematic daring, and the remainder of the decade saw a captivating spate of interesting genre offerings emerge in its wake. Some of which took direct inspiration from the blistering visual and thematic flourishes on show inPsychofor maximum potency.Strait-Jacketis a mostly successful thriller that makes its own unique mark off the back of a towering central character enlivened by a complicated and powerful performer (this time Crawford instead ofAnthony Perkins). Of course, Crawford has been responsible for essayingmany memorable roles, and this one is a worthy madcap entry in her canon. Interestingly, some more ingrained psychological warfare is later revealed to be at play in the piece as well. With the character of Lucy supposedly reformed and en route to a more normal life, the concept of gas-lighting becomes a central part of the film’s forward narrative momentum.
First introduced of course viaGaslight, Lucy is increasingly subject to manipulation; made to feel like she is unequivocally relapsing — slipping back into her erratic and potentially lethal ways. Not long after reuniting with her daughter, she seems to hear the disembodied voices of a mocking nursery rhyme, chanting at her from somewhere across the street. On another occasion, she awakes to find two severed heads lying casually next to her in bed. They promptly disappear, and are later revealed to be prosthetic. Not dreamed, they were strategically placed there to expedite Lucy’s descent ‘back’ into madness. Her daughter is also a gifted sculptor and artist… While the identity twist is fairly foreseeable for savvy viewers, the revelation does touch on some wider themes that had been explored in interpersonal relationships in genre films for decades before.
There are some unnerving moments inStrait-Jacket, particularly as the bodies begin to fall once again not long after Lucy begins to ensconce herself at her daughter’s home. These include an ill-fated but well-meaning doctor perturbed at Lucy’s decision to revert to her pre-institutionalization look, which she readopted at the encouragement of her daughter. WhileStrait-Jacketnever quite managesthe quietly building suspense of something likeWait Until Darkor the show-stopping terror of its biggest influence, it still manages to fashion its own unique identity quite well off the back of a gleefully over-the-top approach and the combined artistic trio of star, director, and writer. Crawford’s physical commitment to the part isespeciallynotable.
