I Saw What You Did (1965)

Better Late Then Never

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

***Spoilers***I don't remember if I first saw this film in the theatre soon after it was released or subsequently on TV, but it definitely stuck in my memory, although for some reason I later forgot exactly how the killer managed to track down the address of the teenage prank-callers until a more recent viewing revealed the little-known fact that for a brief period in the mid-60s, California driver registrations were required to be encased in a holder attached to the steering-wheel shaft and thereby visible to the police in the event of an accident, theft, etc. Not sure exactly when this rule came to an end, but ostensibly it was due to potential or real abuse by busybodies and those intent on committing some type of crime against the vehicle owner. British Columbia likewise for a time offered these holders as likely did other jurisdictions. (Incidentally, John Ireland was born in Vancouver, B.C.)The "telephone directory" used by the kids in the film was a prop, of course, where only 5 numerical digits appeared on camera and were spoken by the kids--with the one being exception when Tess blurts out their 6-digit home number OL-4367 (OL in fact being a legitimate prefix back in the day in some telephone exchanges before it was later officially referred to by its digits-only prefix 65). As 7-digit telephone numbers were already in existence long before the release of the film, I can only assume that 6-digit numbers were still assigned to smaller towns and rural areas until they were inevitably eliminated.The (rather reckless) usage of potentially real phone numbers in films was before the now-standard but dead-ending "555" prefix became common in North American films and on television to prevent similar pranking or inadvertent mis-dialing.I presume that the two teenage girls Libby and Kit were deliberately scripted to be immature and--in the case of Libby--not knowing when to quit while she was ahead by actually driving to Marak's home, even getting all dolled-up beforehand! Honestly, who would actually do this?! Is it any wonder that thoughtless young girls end up in serious trouble or murdered, yet it continues to happen today through social media, stranger hookups despite the plethora of cautionary advice and very real tragedies.Some glaring goofs in the film were: (1) Considering the fact that in the beginning of the film Libby expressly tells Kit that her house being located so far from the city had reduced her social life to virtually nil, it then seems rather too convenient that she evidently manages to drive the presumed inconvenient distance to Marak's house in such a short time!(2) When the policeman shoots Marak in the back through the car's rear window, it can be clearly seen in a following camera shot that the angle of the bullet could very easily have hit Libby herself since she too was directly in the line of fire!Despite its flaws, this was another of William Castle's off-beat brand of pure escapism.

I generally avoid horror movies, but I really had a blast watching this one. Rather than taking it seriously, I just had fun laughing at all the (predictably) stupid stuff the young women did... And there plenty of those moments. This was supposed to be suspense/horror, and it failed utterly on that front, but I didn't feel my time was wasted. I first saw this while channel surfing late at night and almost died laughing at several points.

Another camp Castle classic, "I Saw What You Did" presents an amazingly good premise that gets seriously botched by the usual amount of plot holes and implausibilities these kinds of teen horror flicks are rife with. No sense rehashing the plot; you already know it. But we already know villainous John Ireland is twisted. Why else would he murder his sexy wife (Joyce Meadows) in order to carry on with neighbor, Joan Crawford, who possesses all the feminine allure of a '63 Chevy Suburban? It's always fun to watch Joan in these later films, seen here wearing industrial-strength costume jewelry and a hairdo that would survive a nuclear disaster. She is quite good here, and provides the few real dramatic sparks in the film. Too bad her murder in the second reel is so anti-climactic.The one character we actually want to see murdered is head teen prankster Libby (Andi Garrett), if only because she won't die from her own stupidity!In one "good" scene, neighbor Joan catches a peeping Libby snooping next door at the house of her intended future hubby, Ireland. In a spiteful move, Big Bad Joan rips the vehicle registration card from Libby's car, and inadvertently provides Ireland with the name and address of his next victim. OOPS! Much of the film is oddly scored with peppy beach party-type music which doesn't lend an altogether convincing sense of suspense and dread. The final scene probably sums up the film's ineptitude best. Crying and shaking one moment after almost being strangled to death, Libby and her kid sister Tess then share giggles and laughter while the murderer lies slumped over dead in the car's back seat. Say, who's up for some cocoa!You certainly won't be wondering how many Academy Awards this was nominated for. It's a definite curio and good for lots of unintentional laughs.

Ah White Castle movies!! Known for their great hamburgers and bad horror flicks! It was such one weekend night---nothing on the Cable TV except this one unknown Joan Crawford flick.---So being a Joanie C fan starring in a movie that I never heard of "I Saw What You Did" I decided what the heck! I'll check it out. Despite my suspicions, I thought it was a not bad suspenseful black and white drive in flick.First, the plot, Libby a average everyday teenager with her little sister spend the weekend alone while Mom and Dad go out of town. Oh! Libby asks a friend to come over to study with. So what do the studious pair of teenagers do when Mom and Dad leave. They put on some records on the phonograph (no CD's---this is a movie from the 50's) grab the junk food and make those stupid prank phone calls to people like the Old ones---"Is your refrigerator running---I just saw it run down the street" Well, as Murphy's Law goes---one of the phone calls made was to a psychopath who just murdered his wife. And telling the psycho husband over the phone "I saw what you did and I know who you are" is NOT a wise idea!! Furthermore...flirting with the nut (who flirts back to the girls because he wants to know who they are) is not a good idea neither. and further bad luck....The psycho has a jealous girlfriend neighbor (Joan Crawford) who witnesses the conversation and thinks he is carrying on more affairs beside her. More bad luck, Libby is intrigued by the flirtatious creep and actually drives over to the house to see what he looks like. Our jealous girlfriend neighbor catches them,chases them off and gets their address information (where it eventually lands in the hands of the psychopath) and NOW the phone has hit the fan!! Joan Crawford's appearance in the film is very slight but the billing is big. The film moves very good for a low budget horror. There are also plenty of scenes that are made to jump out at the audience. I won't reveal what happens next but the suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat and the acting is not that bad. I would advise any dreamy eyed talkative teenager to see the film about the dangers of prank calling and meeting people over the phone or internet.