How Awful About Alan (1970) Director: John Newland Writer: Henry Farrell (What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?) Starring: Anthony Perkins, Julie Harris, Joan Hackett Runtime: 1 hr 13 min (73 minutes) Country: United States Language: English Genres: Psychological Thriller, Made-for-TV, Mystery, Horror š§¾ Synopsis Alan Colleigh, recently released from a psychiatric hospital after a traumatic fire that killed his father and left him psychologically damaged, returns home to live with his sister. Blinded by guilt and suffering from psychosomatic vision issues, Alan begins to suspect that someone is trying to drive him insaneāor kill him. But is it real... or all in his mind? š Cast Anthony Perkins as Alan Colleigh Julie Harris as Katherine Colleigh Joan Hackett as Lydia Kent Smith as Dr. Wolfe Pippa Scott as Marian Leslie Nielsen (uncredited early role) šļø Production Notes A made-for-television psychological thriller aired on ABC's Movie of the Week on September 22, 1970. Anthony Perkins, still best known for Psycho, once again portrays a tormented and potentially unstable protagonist. Written by Henry Farrell, whose other works include twisted domestic thrillers like What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Director John Newland was well-known for his work on One Step Beyond and other eerie TV productions. Filmed in Los Angeles, the movie uses the old Gothic mansion trope to add dread and atmosphere. š§ Trivia Perkins reportedly took this role as a way to explore more complex psychological characters after Psycho, saying it let him "walk the edge without falling off." Despite being a TV movie, the script and performances give it a theatrical quality, and it was even shown at a few limited European theaters post-broadcast. The film is often praised for its creeping dread and minimalistic tension, relying more on atmosphere than jump scares. Julie Harrisās character seems supportiveābut audiences were unsure if she was Alanās anchorā¦ or his manipulator. The title plays on the genteel, passive-aggressive way people refer to mental illness in polite society. #Hashtags #HowAwfulAboutAlan #AnthonyPerkins #70sThriller #MadeForTV #PsychologicalHorror #ABCmovieoftheweek #JulieHarris #TVHorrorClassic #CultCinema #GothicHorror #HenryFarrell #AtmosphericThriller #BlindProtagonist #ClassicSuspense #VintageCreepy