Horror 2024 Countdown: I Saw What You Did (1965)

I Saw What You Did (1965), dir. William Castle, Universal Pictures

William Castle's career continued well into the 60's more or less unchanged. He did manage to snag the use of Joan Crawford for a few days, so that's something.

Libby (Andi Garrett) and Kit (Sara Lane) are just your typical 1960's teens. Roped into babysitting Libby's sister Tess (Sharyl Locke), the pair opt to amuse themselves by playing a rousing game of "I Saw What You Did".

For those not in the know, this is an old prank. Basically you call a random number and intone 'I know who you are and I saw what you did' or words to that effect. With the advent of caller id, games like this have fallen by the wayside. 

The problem is one of their victims is Steve Marak (John Ireland). He's just murdered his wife, you see, so when he hears there are some witnesses, well, he's already killed once tonight. A few more won't make any difference. 

Then there is Amy (Crawford), Steve's next door neighbor. She's harbored a crush on him for a while. With his wife dead, clearly he'll fall for her. She even tries blackmail, just in case. One kitchen knife later, Steve's burying another body. 

Thanks in part to Amy, Steve now has Libby's address (convoluted, I admit). Can Steve be stopped?

I know some films don't age well but this story would be impossible to shoot today. Crawford is largely wasted and the film's gimmick wasn't even used. Ignoring the hoopla and Castle's showmanship, you're left a decent little thriller. Ireland is perfect as the killer, just a hulking brute who figure's he's got nothing to lose. Garrett and Lane are ok, but their annoying teen bit works a bit too well.