Poor Anthony Perkins. Practically blinded by a fire which killed his father is in the opening scene, his time in a mental hospital has left him off worse. Paranoia and blurry visions of somebody who may or not be there, spooky voices and sudden accidents give the audience the impression that somebody is trying to gaslight him. is it Julie Harris, his sister scarred in the fire, claiming that she doesn't blame him? Joan Hackett, his old girlfriend from across the street? A mysterious man who was an associate of his scientist father and apparently somehow involved with Harris? The supposed presence of a border adds to the mystery which can be solved very easily by the viewer, taking away any suspense. Of course, casting the mad man of "Psycho" opposite the heroine of "The Haunting" seems like a good idea, and they manage to keep their dignity intact. Joan Hackett manages to come off lovely as the neighbor. The ending gives Perkins the typical scary close-up which by now seemed mandatory in his movies, and sadly revealed the direction in which his career was going. Fortunately, as an Aaron Spelling movie of the week, it was free to audiences, fitting perfectly into a 90 minute time-slot and giving commercials for potty and snack breaks, something that movie audiences had to do before the feature started. Of course, theater goers could just walk out, while T.V. viewers could just remain on their couch and just change the channel.
Review of How Awful About Allan
How Awful About Allan
(1970 TV Movie)
Slow, dull and lacking in the fire of the opening.
15 September 2015
Warning: Spoilers