old daughters. Today with caller i.d. we couldn't get away with calling anymore!! Ahhhhh the good old days!!

struck my fancy. "I Saw What You Did" is a straightforward suspense film that relies on crafty writing in order to really hold our attention, but the script pulls it off. The causal reactions that put Libby and Kit into such grave danger are extremely clever, and that is perhaps the film's greatest strength— the writing is inventive and smart. In terms of action, there is not a lot that happens over the course of the film, but it still manages to engage all the same, and running at 82 minutes, it packs its punch well.The film's black-and-white photography is gorgeous and drenches everything atmosphere, and its famous "uxoricide" scene cribs Hitchcock's "Psycho" but is arguably more brutal; it marks a pivotal point in the film as well that will have the audience shifting in their seat— even the film's hokey score is discredited by that scene alone. As lightweight as the film feels for much of its duration, the first murder is there to remind us that it's really not.The two leading young girls are remarkably likable in their roles, and Joan Crawford infamously pulls off the role of the psychopath's sultry mistress next-door. While Crawford is often credited for hamming things up in her later career, I found her performance here to be actually quite incredible and terrifying; her interrogation of Libby when the girls arrive at the madman's house was absolutely hair-raising— in fact, I'd go so far as to say she's scarier in that moment than John Ireland is throughout the entire film.Overall, "I Saw What You Did" is noteworthy as a thriller, but also as a cultural relic of a bygone era of rotary dials, and a world where prank calls could lead to murderous madmen peeking in your windows. It's a clever and suspenseful film that is tame by today's standards, but the maliciousness of its first murder scene does keep it floating above total kitsch. It's fun, short, and sweet, and Joan Crawford somehow manages to be at her scariest in a role that could have easily been very boring in the hands of another actress. It's a shame that it hasn't been re-released on DVD or Blu-ray for new generations to have availability to; the original Anchor Bay disc went out of print years ago and is inexplicably among the rarest horror DVDs out there. 9/10.

atmospheric, with delightful performances from Andi Garrett, Sarah Lane and Sharyl Locke as the kids, and strong ones from John Ireland as the psychopath, and the one-and-only Joan Crawford straight from Castle's "Strait-Jacket" as his blackmail-minded neighbor, who's inexplicably in love with him. Though her part is a supporting one, just try to look away when she's on screen. A word, too, for the beautiful photography-no mean achievement in a low-budget film. Anchor Bay Entertainment released the movie on DVD and VHS back in 1999. The picture quality is sensational. Also included are two fun '' Teaser Trailers'' -one featuring Castle himself. Though the DVD is not ''anmorphic'' it is in Widescreen with no scratches or blemishes anywhere.It must have been taken from the original Universal negative.The one-channel soundtrack is equally strong, though a good DVD system will allow you to upgrade to two-channel,''Simulated Stereo'' which sounds even better. The Trailers are as well preserved as the film itself. Sadly, it's long out of print, and goes for big $$ on Amazon and EBAY. The 1988 Television remake is terrible. Avoid it and stick with the original!

by William Castle, with a clever and absorbing script by William P. McGivern, a steady pace, a nicely varied score by Van Alexander that alternates between bouncy frothiness and shivery jumpiness, a good deal of tension the last third is especially harrowing , an engagingly playful sense of lightweight humor, and sharp black and white cinematography by Joseph F. Biroc Biroc's use of light and shadow is nothing short of masterful , this fun and gripping thriller offers proof positive that Castle could grab an audience without always resorting to gimmicks. The sound acting from a sturdy cast rates as another substantial asset: Lane and Garrett make for very pretty and appealing leads, Joan Crawford contributes a typically classy and commanding turn as Marak's headstrong lover Amy Nelson, Sharyl Locke almost steals the whole show with her delightfully spunky portrayal of Libby's bratty little sister Tess, and John Crawford has a cool bit as a state trooper. A neat little flick.

who he was, shortly after he murdered his wife, burying her not too far from his home. Libby, quite a googly-eyed little cutie, really liked Steve's voice, and wishes to see what he looks like which puts her and little Tess in peril. Steve has a neighbor, Amy Nelson ..the one and only Ms Joan Crawford, in a limited role despite top billing who is obsessively in love with him. She finds out that Steve murdered his wife, and listens in on a phone conversation with Libby who is claiming to be a woman named Suzette. Furious with jealousy, Amy finds Libby prowling Steve's house, and removes her parent's registration card with their address on it from the car. This card will provide Steve with their whereabouts as a frightened Libby, with Kit and Tess in tow, drives away at the angry demands of Amy. Threatening blackmail if he doesn't marry her, Steve "rids" himself of Amy before taking to the road so he can find Suzette, planning to silence the one he believes might know of his bad conduct.While touching on the repercussions of prank phone-calling to kids, Castle has the perfect set-up for a confrontation between a sadistic killer, with an explosive trigger, and innocent children, alone in their house with parents far from home. It's a parent's worst nightmare and Castle preys on his audience with this fear by having worried mother Ellie Patricia Breslin constantly calling home and always either getting a busy signal or no answer at all. A master manipulator, Castle even has the police stop by the Mannering home before the killer arrives to find them safe. And, a masterstroke by Castle has the first meeting between Steve and his callers in the Mannering home going well with him even returning their registration card, before a call from Kit ..regarding the news she heard on the radio about Steve's wife's body being found and his exact description detailed sets in motion the final act as killer pursues those who threaten to expose his guilt. The casting of Ireland is also brilliant because he doesn't look like a psycho at all..in fact he looks like a dad who might have a family, house, and white picket fence. A "Psycho" inspired shower murder where Steve stabs his wife viciously before putting her through the glass door really shows the viewer just what lurks inside this average joe, who doesn't look like he could harm a fly. Crawford plays Amy as a prying, overbearing busybody who walks right into a damning situation, deeply in love with a true menace. I think this will always be looked at as a minor effort in Castle's resume, but I think once he gets to the first startling murder, the film really kicks in gear building to the "there's a killer on the premises" climax where danger awaits the Mannering kids who must somehow evade grave danger. I realize a film like this is very much a product of it's time and will appear hokey and silly to a large majority of horror fans, but I think if one can look at Castle's abilities at applying nasty individuals within such a happy-go-lucky veneer, you might learn to appreciate his cunning.