Homicidal

Homicidal

Year: 1961

Runtime: 87 mins

Language: English

HorrorThrillerHorror

Emily checks into a hotel and pays a bellboy $2,000 to pose as her husband for a short time. It soon emerges that she is the caretaker of Helga, a wheelchair‑bound mute who raised siblings Miriam Webster and her half‑brother Warren. Warren is about to inherit their father's estate, and Emily's true purpose and identity remain uncertain.

Dark
Sad ending
Emotionally heavy
High intensity
Steady pacing
Complex story

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Timeline & Setting – Homicidal (1961)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Homicidal (1961). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Ventura, California

The film unfolds in and around Ventura, California, a seaside town that provides a bright, sunlit backdrop for a dark murder mystery. Action moves between a local hotel, the justice of the peace’s residence, and the flower shop, creating a tight, claustrophobic atmosphere. The coastal setting contrasts with the sinister deception at the heart of the story.

🌊 Coastal town 🏨 Hotel setting ⚖️ Legal intrigue

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 16:07

Main Characters – Homicidal (1961)

Meet the key characters of Homicidal (1961), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Miriam Webster — Patricia Breslin

Flower shop owner who becomes entangled in the murder plot and the investigation after being mistaken for the nurse’s alias. She is practical, observant, and driven to uncover the truth about Emily and Warren. Her position in the inheritance dispute makes her a key player in the story's tension.

🎯 Lead 🧭 Investigative 💬 Assertive

Helga Swenson — Eugenie Leontovich

Mute, elderly nurse who serves the wealthy family and holds crucial secrets about the household and the hidden identity. She acts as a quiet observer whose presence intensifies the mystery surrounding the murder and the will.

🧓 Elderly 🫂 Silent 🏥 Nurse

Warren

The rightful heir who has lived under the alias Emily to hide his gender and secure the inheritance. The alter ego drives the plot’s events and is central to the dramatic revelation of the true identity.

🧬 Identity 🔄 Dual Identity

Emily (alias of Warren)

The murderous persona created to carry out the plan; the character embodies deception and danger until the identity is uncovered.

👀 Deception 🗺️ Alias

Karl Anderson — Glenn Corbett

Miriam’s fiancé who becomes entangled in the unfolding drama as he learns of the murder and the intricate family secrets. He represents a non-primary antagonist who complicates the stakes.

💑 Fiancé 👤 Ordinary Man

Jim Nesbitt — Richard Rust

Detective who investigates the crime, gradually assembling the tangled web of lies and uncovering the true identity behind Emily and Warren.

🕵️ Detective 🧭 Investigation

Alfred S. Adrims — James Westerfield

The justice of the peace who is murdered during the ceremony, triggering the investigation and the urgent need to unravel the family’s secrets.

⚖️ Judge 🗡️ Murder

Martha Adrims — Hope Summers

A member of the Adrims family involved in the broader estate dynamics that drive the inheritance plot.

👪 Family 💼 Estate

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 16:07

Major Themes – Homicidal (1961)

Explore the central themes of Homicidal (1961), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🎭 Identity & Disguise

Warren adopts the alias Emily to conceal his gender and secure the inheritance, using deception as a shield against social expectations. The film pivots on how appearances can mislead, guiding characters to act on false information. The reveal exposes how fragile identity can be when shaped by secrecy and motive.

💰 Inheritance & Power

The plot centers on a will that rewards male heirs, driving characters to manipulate truth and loyalty. Warren’s gendered disguise is tied to safeguarding the estate from a restrictive clause, highlighting how wealth and lineage influence family dynamics. The pursuit of wealth fuels deceit, murder, and elaborate cover stories.

⚖️ Truth & Justice

A detective narrates the unraveling of lies as clues surface, challenging the reliability of alibis and identities. The investigation exposes the gap between what characters claim and what actually happened. Law and order ultimately confront the layered deceptions that shaped the crime.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 16:07

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Thrillers with dark family secrets like Homicidal

Stories where a shocking family truth unravels a dark and deceptive reality.If you liked the revelation of Warren's true identity in Homicidal, explore more movies like it. This collection features psychological thrillers where hidden family legacies, inheritance plots, and long-buried deceptions lead to dark and tragic outcomes.

suspensefuldeceptivegrimpsychologicalanxiouschillingtragic

Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern involves a slow, methodical peeling back of layers to expose a foundational lie within a family. The central conflict is often internal, an identity crisis sparked by the revelation, which frequently leads to violence or a bleak reckoning with the past.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here for their shared focus on unraveling a core family deception that redefines the characters' identities. They share a dark tone, a steady, investigative pace, and a heavy emotional weight stemming from psychological trauma and betrayal.

Psychological thrillers about deceptive identity like Homicidal

Psychological thrillers where a character's hidden identity is steadily exposed.Fans of the identity twist in Homicidal will enjoy these movies. Discover similar thrillers and murder mysteries where a character's secret life is slowly exposed, creating a suspenseful and chilling journey toward a violent or sad revelation.

suspensefuldeceptivechillingpsychologicaleerieanxiousunsettling

Narrative Summary

The story follows a structured investigation or a series of revealing events that challenge a central character's presented identity. The pacing is deliberate, focusing on clues and mounting unease until the shocking truth is unveiled, causing a dramatic collapse of the constructed persona.

Why These Movies?

These movies are connected by their core plot device: a deceptive identity that drives the narrative. They create a cohesive experience through a steady, suspenseful pace, a dark and psychological tone, and a focus on the grim consequences of living a lie.

Unlock the Full Story of Homicidal

Don't stop at just watching — explore Homicidal in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Homicidal is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Homicidal Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Homicidal, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Homicidal Summary

Homicidal Timeline

Track the full timeline of Homicidal with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Homicidal Timeline

More About Homicidal

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Homicidal: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Homicidal

Explore More About Movie Homicidal

Homicidal (1961) Plot Summary & Movie Recap

Homicidal (1961) Scene-by-Scene Movie Timeline

Homicidal (1961) Spoiler-Free Summary & Key Flow