Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

UnowPriceless hyped garbage

Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.

Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

jarrodmcdonald-1 John Savage (an appropriate name for an actor playing a Norman Bates type character in a horror film) costars as Ann Sothern's son, and he's just come home from a two-year stint in prison. He had been caught up in a gang rape, depicted in the opening moments of the film, but was innocent at the time. Now that he's out and living with mama again, he wants revenge on the people who put him behind bars. He becomes a serial killer, and as the film progresses, we watch him deal with his homicidal rages. In an interview years later, director Curtis Harrington said that people praised the film for accurately showing what motivates a young man to be a compulsive murderer. I am not sure if a guy being kissed by his mother would exactly prompt him to go off on a bunch of killing sprees. Also, there are some scenes where he flirts with the idea of killing someone-- specifically, an incident in a swimming pool where he violently dunks Cindy Williams but does not drown her. If he had such impulses to kill, what would have stopped him? Why is he toying around with the idea of killing an innocent girl staying at his mother's place. If he was full of rage, wouldn't he just take care of business and get it over with the first time (he ends up killing her later in the movie). While I think the film definitely has some weak spots, the similarities between THE KILLING KIND and PSYCHO are obvious. In a way, this 1973 film plays out like a version of Norman Bates being released and coming back to the motel, where his mother is still alive after all. Can a guy like this ever be cured? Curtis Harrington suggests in this story that he cannot be cured, cannot be saved, and that eventually the mother must do away with him, in order to save the rest of society from the monster she's created. Perhaps we can look at the scene where his mother murders him to be a form of incestuous suicide (my phrase). Seems like heady stuff, doesn't it? The subtext that Harrington weaves throughout the story is that the young man was innocent of the incident that sent him to prison in the beginning, because he was impotent and couldn't get it on with the victim of the gang rape. So maybe when he's toying with Cindy Williams in the pool, he is toying with his own power over females. But how much of this is meant to be an indictment about his own sexuality, we cannot really tell. Instead, as the murderous impulses flare up, we are shown that he is now increasingly violent-- perhaps because when he was in prison, he learned to start liking things rough. Or is it because he's been smothered with so much mother love, like Norman and Mrs. Bates, that he is lashing out, like any good boy would...?

Brian T. Whitlock (GOWBTW) Ever seen anyone get out of prison, and when he/she get out, that person is not the same? That's what happens to Terry(John Savage) in "The Killing Kind". Terry spent 2 years in prison for being a participant in a gang rape of Tina(Susan Bernard, "Faster Pussycat, Kill,Kill). She did however, lead Terry on. I think the rape was indeed staged by her and company. Evidently, she lied about how it went. Terry's mother(Ann Sothern) wanted her dead. Behind her back, Terry gets into his mother's car one night, and runs her off the road. The second person he kills next is the lawyer who gave him a bad deal. He goes to her house, get her drunk, and set her house on fire, with her in it! Terry goes too far when he sets his sights on Lori (Cindy Williams), the new boarder. The mother feels bad on what she does, as the old saying goes, "A mother's love goes only so far." "Psycho" deals with mother issues, "The Killing Kind" deals with the son's issues after prison. Prison should change people for the better. Instead, it brings the worst out of him. He would have been better if he wasn't such a "mama's boy", he would have lived a lot longer. 2 out of 5 stars

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.

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 ****