Reviews
John Chard

John Chard

July 13, 2014
6.0
Uxoricide! I Saw What You Did is directed by William Castle and written by William P. McGivern. It stars John Ireland, Joan Crawford, Leif Erickson, Andi Garrett, Sara Lane and Sharyl Locke. Music is by Van Alexander (Joseph Gershenson supervising) and cinematography by Joseph F. Biroc. When two teenagers on babysitting duties decide to have fun making prank phone calls, their evening turns sinister when they call up a man who has just murdered his wife… William Castle was of course better known for his gimmicks than for his ability as a film maker, I Saw What You Did shows the best and worst of the great entertainer. Castle produces and directs this one so is accountable for getting the mix completely wrong. At times the picture is genuinely suspenseful, the premise at the core superb, but at others it feels like it wants to be a comedy, further compounded by Alexander’s awful musical score. It’s a score that belongs in something like Bewitched or The Munsters, and quite often takes you out of the thriller zone. Castle unsurprisingly borrows off of some films that influenced his career, but aided by McGivern’s screenplay he manages to put some different spins on the twisty plot developments. It also helps having Biroc (The Killer that Stalked New York/Cry Danger/The Garment Jungle) on photography duty, he’s able to make Castle’s fog scenes appear icy cold, to blend the shadows into the story like foreboding prowlers. Cast wise the elder cast members aren’t stretching themselves here, with Crawford working for food and Ireland on auto-pilot, but the younger actors are great fun and really nail that naivety of youth thing to the max. All told it’s a fun film, if not always for the right reasons. With some Castle invention (eyelet vision?!) and steals – and Biroc on form, there’s more than enough here to compensate for the confusing mix of genres. 6/10

Recommendation Movies

6
Comedy
View
6
I'll Be Home for Christmas
I'll Be Home for Christmas1998
6
Comedy
View
6
Valley Girl
Valley Girl1983
6.1
Drama
View
6.1
Greetings from Fukushima
Greetings from Fukushima2016
6
Drama
View
6
Sweetie
Sweetie1989
6.3
Horror
View
6.3
Mr. Sardonicus
Mr. Sardonicus1961
7.3
Horror
View
7.3
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It2021
8.3
Animation
View
8.3
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse2018
6.4
Action
View
6.4
Wonder Woman 1984
Wonder Woman 19842020
7.6
Science Fiction
View
7.6
Avatar: The Way of Water
Avatar: The Way of Water2022
7.1
Fantasy
View
7.1
Constantine
Constantine2005
5.9
Action
View
5.9
Suicide Squad
Suicide Squad2016
7.2
Comedy
View
7.2
Zombieland
Zombieland2009
7.2
Drama
View
7.2
Everything, Everything
Everything, Everything2017
6.4
Action
View
6.4
Spider-Man 3
Spider-Man 32007
5.9
Romance
View
5.9
What to Expect When You're Expecting
What to Expect When You're Expecting2012
7.6
Drama
View
7.6
The Blind Side
The Blind Side2009
8.5
Animation
View
8.5
Your Name.
Your Name.2016
6.7
Comedy
View
6.7
The Girl Next Door
The Girl Next Door2004
6.2
Comedy
View
6.2
Cheaper by the Dozen
Cheaper by the Dozen2003
6.3
Action
View
6.3
Taken 2
Taken 22012
© 2025 MoovieTime. All rights reserved.Made with Nuxt