Wicked, Wicked (1973)

Director: Richard L. Bare

Starring: David Bailey, Tiffany Bolling, Randolph Roberts, Scott Brady, Edd Byrnes

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Duo-Vision. No Glasses - All You Need Are Your Eyes.

Plot: A tongue-in-cheek psycho movie in "Duo-vision." As a handyman at a seacoast hotel, Randolph Roberts wears a monster mask while he kills and dismembers women with blonde hair.

My rating:6/10

Will I watch it again? Yeah, I could.

#16 on 42nd Street Forever Vol. 1 (part of the TRAILER TRASH PROJECT)


I expected this to be all kinds of boring and retarded but I found myself amused. It's campy as hell and the film makers were having a ball. Right at the beginning a little old lady sits at an organ and plays music from THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925) which lasts the entire film.


At first I wasn't sure what to make of it. Are they trying to be serious or campy? It's a little of both. My biggest issue is the pacing. There are spots that drag, causing me to look at my watch but then you'll get some funny shit like this...

which brings me to the reason why you need to see this Duo-Vision! The split screen technique was nothing new by '73. It had been used to great effect in movies since the trend blossomed in the mid-60s. For a lot of films it was gimmicky but when used right, it adds another dimension to the storytelling that you can't get otherwise. Anyway, as far as I know, this was the first and maybe only film that used it all the way through. There are moments where one side is marking time for something to happen that coincides with the other but there are also some great bits where the picture is enhanced by it.

I'm sorry but Tiffany Bolling needs more work if she's going to get behind that microphone again. Did you like how she was ahead of the beat for the chorus? It's like, 'Slow down, wait for the band.' With the right crowd, this could be a fun picture to watch. Hell, you could even do some ROCKY HORROR kind of shit with it. Too bad it has never made its way to DVD.