Criminally Insane

Director - Nick Millard (Cemetery Sisters, Death Nurse)

Starring - Priscilla Alden (Death Nurse, Death Nurse 2), Michael Flood (.357 Magnum, If You Don't Stop It...You'll Go Blind!), and Jane Lambert (Kung Fu, Happy Days)

Release Date - 1975

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "250 pounds of maniacal fury"

Format - DVD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5): 

     May years ago I received a couple of movies from Olive Films and Slasher//Video to review.  Several of them were from no budget filmmaker Nick Millard and I became obsessed with them  Even if I didn't like the movie I still had a lot of fun watching them.  After I reviewed what was sent to me I turned to Amazon to snag a few more of his films.  I grabbed a triple feature that included Satan's Black Wedding and both Criminally Insane films.  I just finished SBW and decided it was time to finally watch the 1975 classic Criminally Insane.  

     The film follows Ethel (Alden) who is released from the mental asylum to the care of her grandmother.  Ethel is obsessed with eating and when she is unable to obtain food she goes into a rage.  When her grandmother refuses to let her eat at will she murders her before making her way through the delivery boy and anyone else that gets in the way of her next meal.

     When you talk about the films of Nick Millard you often hear how great his Criminally Insane film is.  After finally seeing it I can safely say that this is, by far, his best film.  I'm already a day distanced from watching it and I can't stop thinking about it.  It's so simple and yet it's amazing.  I fucking loved it and I can see myself spinning this one again here soon.  The acting in this one is decent enough but there is plenty of room for improvement.  Priscilla Alden carries the film as Ethel.  She's hungry, mean, and forward in her performance.  The supporting cast is dedicated to their roles but they do have some awkward moments scattered throughout the film.  Inexperience does rear it's ugly head.  The story for this one is absolutely amazing.  It's so simple yet it has so many possibilities.  We have the woman who becomes extremely violent when someone comes between her and her food.  I feel like a good cannibal angle was missed here but it's still extremely fun as it is.  Finally, the film has some cheap kills with very minimal practical effects and lots of bright red blood.  They are bad but they are fun for the film.  Overall, Criminally Insane is a must see for genre fans.  It's an absolute blast.  I highly recommend it.