STRAIT-JACKET
Starring
Joan Crawford, Diane Baker, Leif Erickson, George Kennedy, Howard St.
John, Edith Atwater, Lee Majors. Directed by William Castle. (1964/90
min).
BERSERK!
Starring
Joan Crawford, Ty Hardin, Diana Dors, Michael Gough, Judy Geeson,
Robert Hardy. Directed by Jim O'Connoly. (1967/96 min).
AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY FROM
Review
by Mr. Pawsđš
There
was always something unnerving about Joan Crawford,
particularly during her post-Mildred Pierce career. Sure, that could be partially attributed to posthumous character-shredding at the pen of her own daughter (who wrote Mommie Dearest), which cemented her
in pop culture as a monster. But there was also something
about her general onscreen appearance that looked increasingly
artificial...like she was waging all-out war on the ravages of time
with every weapon in her arsenal. By the 1960s, Crawford and her
considerable eyebrows were the stuff of nightmares.
Maybe
that's why she was cast in more "hagsploitation"
movies than most of her peers. The two films in this
collection aren't quite as much freaky fun as the subgenre's magnum
opus, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, but Ms. Crawford's
unique brand of over-emoting is here in abundance.
 |
| "I can trim those eyebrows for ya." |
1964's
Strait-Jacket is the better crafted of the two, featuring
Crawford as Lucy, who's released from an asylum 20 years after axing
her philandering husband and his lover to death. Shortly after moving
in with her daughter (Diane Baker), the ax killings begin again.
Naturally, we suspect Lucy might be resuming her old ways. For a
William Castle film, this is actually a pretty subdued affair, though
both Crawford and Baker unleash some prime scenery chewing at
opportune moments.
The
other film, 1967's Berserk!, has a trainwreck quality that's
hard to resist. Crawford plays Monica Rivers, the ruthless owner and
ringleader of a traveling circus (and sporting some of the most
embarrassing costumes of her entire career). When performers starting
dying in a variety of gruesome ways - usually during their act - foul
play is suspected. Since the deaths result in increased ticket sales,
Rivers becomes a suspect, as does hunky new trapeze artist Frank
Hawkins (Ty Hardin). There's a lot of fun to be had at the movie's
expense...the wildly out-of-place music score, lengthy scenes of
circus performances that don't advance the plot one iota and the weirdest
non-Rocky Horror musical number you'll ever see.
 |
| Just...yuck. |
By
far, though, the horrific highlight is the affair between Rivers and
Hardin. Crawford looks like that scary old aunt you're afraid to kiss because she reeks of cigarettes and
cold cream. Watching her vamp-it-up while a shirtless Hardin - 30
years her junior - lusts after her is as morbidly fascinating as
witnessing a one-sided fist-fight. You want to intervene, or at least
turn away, but just can't.
Interestingly,
Strait-Jacket has also been recently released by Shout Factory
as a stand-alone Blu-ray. While that disc comes with a batch of bonus
features, it's also a lot pricier. Not only is this Mill Creek
release cheaper and sports a decent picture as well, the inclusion
Berserk! makes this set
preferable for those who enjoy high-camp hilarity.
KITTY CONSENSUS:
NOT BAD. LIKE CAT CHOW.
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