Discussing his role as the crafty cannibal in Hannibal, actor Anthony Hopkins remarked: “I think all actors are good at expressing that dark, shadowy center.” True, many thespians have tried to broaden their range by playing maniacs but some were decidedly less successful. Were you aware, for instance, that “Radar” of TV’s M*A*S*H, Johnny Cash, and Captain Kirk from Star Trek all played homicidal maniacs? Here’s some of my all time favorite offbeat film psychopaths.
The Arousers (1972) (aka Sweet Kill) Before John Waters’ Polyester (1981) jump started the career of 50s teen idol Tab Hunter— he starred in this sleazy shocker as a sexually dysfunctional Venice Beach gym teacher named Eddie Collins. As a child Eddie used to spy on his nude mother but now hires a hooker to dress up like her while he kneels beside her and masturbates. He picks up a girl on the beach and attempts normal sex, but when he can’t get it up he accidentally causes her death. Suddenly Eddie is hacking up women left and right, including a lovelorn neighbor who finds a dead body in his bathtub. Believe it or not, this pip was written and directed by Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential).
Blood Harvest (1986) Bill Rebane (Monster A Go Go) directed this gory slasher film starring Tiny Tim, who came to camp fame in the 60s with his long scraggly hair playing the ukelele and warbling “Tiptoe Thru’ The Tulips”. As the crazy brother of Gary (Dean West) who lives in a poverty-stricken farm community, he wears full clown makeup, calls himself the “Marvelous Mervo”, prays, and sings “Rock Of Ages.” A very young Peter Krause plays an unfortunate boyfriend and people are strung up in a barn, their throats slit so their blood can empty into a bucket.
Door To Door Maniac (1961) (aka Five Minutes To Live) Country –and-western singing legend Johnny Cash plays mad-dog cop killer Johnny Cabot who poses as a guitar-toting traveling salesman in order to weasel his way into the house of a banker’s wife (Cay Forester) as part of a plot to extort money. “Are you an entertainer?” she asks. “No, Mrs. Wilson- I’m a killer.” With Vic Tayback (Mel from TV’s Alice) as Cabot’s partner in crime, and future director Ronnie Howard as a cute little kid who pretends to take a bullet to throw off the killer.
The Witch Who Came From The Sea (1976) This truly bizarre film by Matt (Butterfly) Cimber stars Millie Perkins (Anne Frank in The Diary Of Anne Frank) as Molly, a deranged Santa Monica barmaid who enjoys picking up musclemen and castrating them with a razor. Abused as a child by her drunken seafaring father, Molly has one jaw-dropping scene in which she has two nude football stars tied to a bed and slices and dices them while singing sea chanteys- topless.
Impulse (1974) (aka Want A Ride Little Girl?) William Shatner plays lady-killer and leisure-suit abuser Matt Stone (no, not the South Park co-creator). A smart-mouthed blonde brat named Tina (Kim Nicholas) sees through the polyester when he starts dating her mom. After Tina witnesses him slaying his blackmailer (played by Harold “Oddjob” Sakata) in a carwash, Matt spends the rest of the film trying to murder the little moppet- even chasing her through a funeral home. To say Shatner overacts is like describing his infamous rendition of Mr Tambourine Man as subtle.
The Manipulator (1971) The former star of MGM’s Andy Hardy series and living Rumplestilksin Mickey Rooney plays a washed-up Hollywood makeup man named B.J. Lang. He kidnaps an actress (played by B-movie great Luana Anders), ties her to a chair, feeds her baby food and acts out in front her her- even applying lipstick and a wig and channeling Marilyn Monroe. You don’t know the true meaning of fear until you’ve seen Mickey Rooney in drag.
Small Kill (1992) This ultraviolent cop thriller directed by Rob Fresco stars Gary Burghoff (yes, Radar from TV’s M*A*S*H) as a toupee-wearing bisexual child-killer named Fleck (a moniker he got because his mom treated him like a “fleck of shit on the wall.”) Two policemen (Fred Carpenter & Donnie Kehr), aided by of a scary-looking Jason Miller (The Exorcist) as an alcoholic bum, track the elusive psycho through the seamy criminal cesspool known as Long Island. There’s lots of gore and creepy laughs (like Radar donning drag as a fortune teller named Lady Esmerelda or tying a male hustler to a bed while discussing ancient history and wielding a straight razor). According to the final credits: “The scenes in which Mr. Burghoff appeared were directed by Mr. Burghoff in collaboration with Rob Fresco.”