Woodyanders Review of Wicked, Wicked

Wicked, Wicked (1973)

Hugely entertaining 70's psycho split screen extravaganza

[8/10 · 22 April 2010]

Geeky misogynistic psycho electrician Jason Gant (nicely played with convincing awkwardness by Randolph Roberts) has a nasty habit of picking off lovely blonde lady guests who check in, but never check out of the swanky California seaside resort hotel he works at. Jason plans on killing spunky lounge singer Lisa James (ravishing drive-in movie goddess Tiffany Bolling in peak sultry and spirited form) next. It's up to shrewd and dashing house detective Rick Stewart (a smooth and suave performance by David Bailey) to stop the wacko before it's too late. Writer/director Richard L. Bare and cinematographer Frederick Gately make extremely inspired, inventive, and even downright ingenious use of split screen throughout almost the entire picture; they also further tart things up with a few freeze frames, a couple of superimpositions, and several sepia-tinted flashbacks which explain how Jason become a dangerously demented homicidal lunatic (yep, he was molested by some evil hag woman). Bare manages to milk a good deal of tension from the tongue-in-cheek premise, maintains a constant brisk pace, adds a generous sprinkling of cool touches (a weird old lady organist plays gloomy music cues from "The Phantom of the Opera" and Jason uses a dumbwaiter and the hotel's elaborate ventilation system to sneak around), and tosses in occasional witty moments of amusing sardonic humor (for example, a longtime hotel resident claims she was once a successful ballet dancer, but we're shown that she worked as a tawdry go-go gal at some sleazy dive instead!). The sound supporting cast helps a lot: Scott Brady as gruff, brutish Sergeant Ramsey, Edward Byrnes as swinging playboy lifeguard Hank Lassiter, Arthur O'Connell as grumpy handyman Mr. Fenley, Diane McBain as Jason's first victim Dolores Hamilton, Roger Bowen as stern, uptight manager Simmons, and ubiquitous exploitation feature regular Patrick Wright in a quick uncredited bit as an abusive jerk. Moreover, it's a total treat to see the gorgeous Bolling heartily belt out the insanely groovy theme song while slinking about on stage in a sparkly sequin dress. Philip Springer's spooky-moody score hits the atmospheric spot. The supremely macabre, gripping, and thrilling conclusion is executed with considerable style and gusto. An incredibly fun flick with a gnarly visual gimmick.