shango7200 Don't get me wrong. I LOVE Psychotronic films from the 1970s. I really love OBSCURE weirdos such as this one so I bought this off eBay last week after only READING about it on here. The cast /acting is about on par with a modestly budgeted Hollywood film from the time period as well as the production values. The story is also modest, however the real stumbling block is the sluggish direction and lack of thrills. This is not a scary movie and the tension here is nil. Ann Sothern plays her piggish self as the "Mother" yet the relationship with John Savage (who is very very good here) just doesn't jell. The scene where he kills Ruth Roman (SHE should have played the MOM as she did in my favorite weirdo of all time "THE BABY" -- also from 1973) is pretty tame. Luanna Anders is also very good as the bookish nosy neighbor but does not have much to do either. There is also LITTLE tension when he kills sexy Sue Bernard in her car. The climax is also "no thrills" . This is one of those movies that needed a SHOCK ENDING for certain. Your best bet is Net Flixxing this for a few bucks as opposed to buying this (like I did) for $12.99 plus $3.00 shipping.

Coventry If you talk about an attention-grabbing intro … "The Killing Kind" has one! The first sequences immediately depict a vicious group rape underneath a pier and, even though he refuses, the young Terry Lambert is literally forced to participate by his "friends". The scene is quite grim, uncomfortable and raunchy. Very exploitation like, as a matter a fact, which is quite interesting and surprising since I only know director Curtis Harrington from a handful of "soft" and "classy" horror movies like "Devil Dog" and the Shelley Winters double-feature "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo" and "What's the Matter with Helen?". Either way, it's a very remarkable film. Two years later, Terry is freed from prison and returns home to his beloved mommy. Terry and his mother Thelma have a bit of an unusual relationship, as they make fun of previous tenants that died of colony cancer and organize bizarre photo shoots by between the two of them the pool. Whilst mom is putting up more pictures of her son than necessary, Terry is growing into a despicable little pervert and psychopath. He makes sinister calls to the "slut" who got him sent to prison, nearly drowns the new tenant (who's an aspiring model) in the pool and scares elderly ladies to death by executing rats in front of them. But Terry is capable of committing crimes that are much viler as well. Like murder. Also, Terry's bad boy behavior catches the attention of his 35-year-old spinster neighbor, who's a bored librarian in desperate need of some sexual deviance. Too bad for her Terry prefers to be left alone in his sickly private universe of perverted thoughts. "The Killing Kind" is a very gritty and occasionally unpleasant film. It's very low-budget, but with a continuously foreboding and unnerving Grindhouse ambiance. None, and I really do mean NONE, of the characters in this film appear to be sane or normal. They are downright demented, on the contrary, like the neighbor with her rape fantasies and mommy photographing her son under the shower! Even the cute young model is messed up in her head for staying in that house after Terry nearly drowned her. The script is weird and incoherent, and there's actually not a real story to narrate at all, apart from the obvious 'Terry is a ticking time-bomb waiting to go off'. "The Killing Kind" reminded me of the British late 60's gem "Twisted Nerve", as both films deal with youthful psychopaths in an even crazier surrounding. Exactly like Martin Durnley in "Twisted Nerve", Terry is an unpredictable and petrifying character constantly altering his behavior between a dangerous delinquent and a handsome young lad with high intellectual capacities. This is surely one of the most strangely unsettling exploitation movies of the seventies I've ever seen, but it's definitely fascinating enough to keep you watch. Too bad that the disturbing climax leaves so many questions unanswered. My best attempt at summarizing "The Killing Kind" would be: a bad seed thriller with an adult protagonists and an incredible amount of perverted undertones. Ann Sothern and John Savage are very good and suitably creepy as the mother and son and, after this film, I'm deeply impressed by the versatility of director Curtis Harrington. Recommended, but perhaps only to avid, experienced and slightly deranged fellow cult fanatics.

whitesheik It doesn't matter what the film, invariably you will find "reviewers" who think it's a masterpiece. The Killing Kind is not a masterpiece - it's an acceptable low budget film from Curtis Harrington is what it is. The folks saying "This is Curtis's masterpiece" have read too much Andrew Sarris. IF Curtis has a masterpiece, which I don't think he does, I think it would have to go to Games or Night Tide - those are slightly better. Curtis (rest his soul) had talent and it's a shame he didn't get to direct some films more worthy of that talent. The Killing Kind is interesting for the performance of Ann Sothern. Cindy Williams is wonderful in her small role. And Luana is always wonderful. But the film (now out on an official DVD in its proper ratio) just looks too low budget to be stylish - lots of that early 70s diffusion which blows out the whites and makes everything else look like a pile of grain. Furthermore, the amount of misinformation on the IMDb is appalling - these people come and "review" these movies and just spout off things like "this film never received a theatrical release." Well, sorry, it did. I saw it. In a theater. The day it opened. In Los Angeles. At the Beverly Hills Canon Theater. With five other people. The release may have been limited (obviously the film was a total bomb, business-wise), but it had a release. Worth a look for Miss Sothern and Miss Williams. Mr. Savage is Mr. Savage and I have never met a Savage performance that I've liked.

AngryChair Solidly well-done thriller is an effectively disturbing gem that stands out from the many drive in horror flicks of the early 70's.After serving jail time for being accused of rape, a repressed young man returns home to his dominating mother where his desire for revenge may lead him down a murderous path. The Killing Kind reminds me quite a bit of another relatively undiscovered gem - 1982's Night Warning, although The Killing Kind pre-dates that film by nearly 10 years. As with that film the power behind The Killing Kind lies in the sympathetic characters that drive this story. Not to mention that both films deal with the subject of unhealthy motherly obsession.The Killing Kind though does stand firmly on it's own as a twisted character study. The story is a compelling brooder of insanity, the suspense is tightly woven, there's a good share of shocking scenes, and the performances of Sothern and Savage are excellent. Ultimately this film becomes quite the emotional roller-coaster, especially in it's somber conclusion.Well worth seeking for those who like strong, character-driven thrillers. A shocking little rarity.*** 1/2 out of ****