BY ERNIE MAGNOTTA

Fans of legendary director Brian De Palma lovingly recall how the auteur’s early thrillers contained at least one sequence which employed the split-screen technique (a device by which two moving images are projected simultaneously onto separate parts of the screen). This technique, when used properly, is capable of generating extreme suspense and involvement in an already enthralled audience. De Palma masterfully used the split-screen in his still-underrated, 1973 debut thriller, Sisters (as well as in many of his later cinematic masterpieces such as Carrie and Dressed to Kill), milking certain scenes for every bit of tension and suspense possible. Now, if the split-screen was that effective in just a few sequences, wouldn’t using it throughout an entire film cause maximum suspense and entertainment? That’s the question the filmmakers of Wicked, Wicked not only asked, but bravely attempted to answer.

Writer-director Richard L. Bare came up with the idea of filming an entire movie in split-screen (here dubbed Duo-Vision) while simply driving home one day. Bare, who is best known for directing most episodes of the 1960s sitcom Green Acres, saw the line that divided the road and realized that he was viewing one side of the freeway and the other simultaneously. He immediately decided to shoot an entire movie this way. The idea proved to be quite a Herculean undertaking as Bare had to first write a script which constantly contained two separate scenes side by side where, normally, there would be only one. More than up for the challenge, Bare came up with a story involving a disturbed, young man (Randolph Roberts from Happy Days) with a mommy fixation who murders any blonde-haired women that happen to be staying at the old hotel where he’s currently employed. (The young madman also lives inside the walls of the hotel where he can easily spy on all the guests, making the plot a fun combination of The Phantom of the Opera and Psycho.) The hotel detective (Another World’s David Bailey) races against time while desperately trying to find and stop the masked lunatic before he can reach his next target: the beautiful hotel lounge singer (played by the always welcome Tiffany Bolling from Kingdom of the Spiders who belts out all of this film’s many tunes herself). The unique movie also features several highly recognizable faces from 1960s/70s cinema and television such as Scott Brady (The Night Strangler), Edd Byrnes (Grease), Madeleine Sherwood (The Flying Nun), Diane McBain (Spinout), Roger Bowen (M.A.S.H., 1970) and Arthur O’Connell (Fantastic Voyage). Due to the split-screen process, the actual filming took double the time it normally would have and the film’s budget doubled as well. It also took a whopping 32 weeks to edit Wicked, Wicked which is about five times the amount it would have taken to edit a standard film.

So, was Duo-Vision worth it? Overall, I have to say no. I think the film would have worked just fine without it (as well as saved a lot of time and money) because the split-screen really doesn’t accomplish all it should in terms of suspense here. Also, seeing two actions simultaneously may be interesting at first, but, after about ten minutes, you get used to it and it feels just like any other movie. This process really only works when it heightens the suspense, a la De Palma, and, unfortunately, Richard Bare, although more than competent, is not in the same league as the master filmmaker. That being said, I enjoyed the film itself. Sure, the story is derivative and a bit (intentionally) silly in spots, but it’s still an entertaining enough psychofilm with a solid, likeable cast and a fun hotel setting. I also recommend checking it out in order to see the results of the time and effort the filmmakers put into this extremely ambitious project.

Wicked, Wicked has been released as a DVD-R from Warner Archive. The film is presented in its original 2:35:1 aspect ratio and, although the colors seem a bit washed out, the movie is more than watchable. It’s also the only way you may be able to see this film at the moment due to the fact that Warner most likely has no plans to release it in a re-mastered version. (Most titles released in the DVD-R format aren’t really in high enough demand, so money won’t be spent to re-master them properly.) The audio is terrific and the disc also contains the original theatrical trailer (which isn’t in Duo-Vision, but, color-wise, is actually much more vibrant than the film itself) as well as the eye-catching, original poster artwork which is featured on the DVD’s sleeve, menu and disc itself.

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