Targets (1968)

A seemingly ordinary young man (Tim O'Kelly) kills his wife (Tanya Morgan) and mother (Mary Jackson) and then goes on a killing spree. Meanwhile, a horror icon (Boris Karloff) wants to retire from the screen feeling he isn't relevant anymore. These two stories will collide at the movie's finale. Written by (with an uncredited assist from Samuel Fuller) and directed by Peter Bogdanovich (LAST PICTURE SHOW) in his film directorial debut. O'Kelly's character is based on the mass shooter Charles Whitman while Karloff is playing a fictional version of himself. Karloff is really the reason to see the movie. He gives a solid naturalistic performance rather than the often stylized performances he gave in the horror genre. There's a poignant but bittersweet tinge to his performance as if Karloff was reflecting on his own career. As his personal assistant, there's a nice performance by Nancy Hsueh but the rest of the cast (including Bogdanovich as a screenwriter) come off as amateurish. This is almost fatal in O'Kelly's performance. His matter of fact killer should be chilling but he's about as disturbing as the Easter bunny. To be fair, the film resonates more than ever in today's NRA gun loving climate. With Sandy Baron and Mike Farrell.