Shock Treatment Reviews

A psychotic gardener (McDowall) has recently beheaded his wealthy employer. Tossed into an asylum, the murderer is suspected of taking a million bucks from his late boss and either burning it or stowing it away in secret. Bacall, a long way away from KEY LARGO, is a shrink at the hospital who just may be in cahoots with her psycho patient. Whitman plays a professional actor hired to fake madness so that he can investigate the mystery. Part of his job unfortunately includes submission to electro-shock therapy and a few injections here and there. He compounds his problems by falling for a hospitalized manic-depressive (Lynley). Bacall finally goes insane herself and becomes a patient in the hospital, while Whitman discovers that she had nothing to do with McDowell's plot. In this laughable fare Whitman's okay, but Bacall is obviously capable of better than this inane role. Direction is flat and unexciting, although a surprisingly good music score does help the proceedings somewhat.