STOP ME BEFORE I KILL! (1961) * ½
Ronald Lewis stars as a race car driver who gets into a horrific car accident. Immediately afterwards, he develops a strange urge to strangle his wife (Diane Cilento, the future Mrs. Sean Connery). She takes him out to the country to see a doctor (Claude Daulphin) and he starts growing increasingly jealous of his hot wife as she walks around strutting her stuff while he’s undergoing treatment. Is the doctor really trying to help Lewis, or is he trying to get him out of the way so he can have a shot with his wife?
Stop Me Before I Kill! is more of a psychological drama than a horror movie. That would’ve been okay if it wasn’t do damned dull and/or didn’t have a running time of a whopping 109 minutes (which is about 29 minutes too long if you ask me).
The scenes of Lewis flipping out aren’t especially scary or memorable, and Lewis’ overacting doesn’t exactly endear him to the audience. Director Val (The Creeping Unknown) Guest is unable to keep the tension going for any real length of time either. The film also suffers from a predictable twist and a lukewarm conclusion. (The twist, when we finally get to it, is a long time coming.) Even then, there’s no guarantee you’ll remain awake throughout all the endless psychobabble and laborious melodrama.
The film’s one asset: The excellent black and white cinematography by Gil (Star Wars) Taylor.
AKA: The Full Treatment. AKA: The Treatment.
The next Horror-Ween movie will be Five!