Strait-Jacket

(1964) ****




Joan Crawford had complete control over the script, casting and well, everything in this Lizzie Borden inspired classic. And why shouldn’t she? She put forth an outstanding performance in a modest budget horror film about an ax murderer.

Fresh from a 20 year stint in an insane asylum for beheading her husband and his mistress in front of her daughter, Lucy Harbin tries to pick up the pieces. She moves in with her daughter Carol, who has amazingly grown up to be a caring, well adjusted young woman. To help smooth the transition and make up for lost years, Carol takes Lucy shopping and gives her a makeover. For a brief period, it looks like she’s able to move on with her life.

Then she starts to lose it… Determined to turn back the clock, Lucy refuses to acknowledge her age and inappropriately flirts with her daughter’s fiancée. When Carol's potential in-laws won’t give their blessings stating she’s not good enough for their son, the heads begin to roll.

Crawford proves why she’s one of the greats by putting everything she had into this role, and almost certainly drawing from her personal life. By the end of this brief film, Lucy Hardin feels like a life-long acquaintance. She’s strong willed, petty, self obsessed but also deeply sad and always merely fractions away from insanity. Though miles away from the perfection of Psycho, Strait-Jacket is still a standout.