Crawford stars in this William Castle horror flick about a crazed axe murderess. Straight-Jacket was scripted by Robert Bloch, who was also the screenwriter for Hitchcock's Psycho. After spending 20 years in an mental institution for lopping the heads off her husband and his lover, Crawford returns home to her daughter, Baker, who witnessed the slayings as a three-year-old.





Shortly after her return, heads begin to roll again, with all the evidence pointing to the possibility that the asylum may not have cured Crawford after all. This of course pushes the already fragile woman to the brink of insanity, and threatens the uneasy reunion with her daughter, who we find out later, has her own problems.





Although it's not particularly scary and relatively gimmick-free for a Castle film, Straight-Jacket has emerged as an undeniable camp favorite courtesy of Crawford's over-the-top, self-parodying performance. She dazzles us with her tried and true "Crawfordisms." Probably grateful for the job, she approaches the role of Lucy Harbin with the utmost seriousness, and utilizes all her well-honed skills, giving it everything she's got.





Sporting vintage 1940s clothes, a black wig, and jangling bracelets, Crawford chain-smokes her way through the movie, mugging-up to the camera with her heavily made-up eyes. For a woman who at this point is in her early sixties, Crawford has no qualms about playing the sexy tease when portraying Lucy's alter ego.





For an early example of Hollywood's tendency towards product endorsement, keep an eye out for the prominently displayed carton of Pepsi in one scene. At that time Crawford was, of course, a member of the board of directors of Pepsi Cola. After seeing her in this film, one can't help but wonder if perhaps Pepsi wasn't the only refreshment consumed on the set of Straight-Jacket.