The episode tries its best to position all three of the principal male characters as a potential serial murderer. You might even want to throw Dr. MacFarlane (Abraham Sofaer) into that mix since he was shown roaming around in the woods at one point, although he did say he was going to take a walk after dinner. I agree with a couple other reviewers regarding Daphne's (Vera Miles) decision to walk through the woods knowing that a woman was recently killed there; why take that kind of chance? The creepiest guy in the story was the piano guy Edwin (Alf Kjellin) who came across as just plain weird. But Dave Fulton (Dick Sargent) and especially Daphne's boyfriend Harold (Jeffrey Hunter) weren't much better. Both had a certain demented look about them, and Harold's obsessive focus on the psychology of the killer put him over the edge as the story progressed. The rationale for him turning into a killer didn't work for me, to my mind he had to be unhinged all along. The story concludes with Edwin virtually welcoming Harold to the loony bin after Dave Fulton made the save when Harold attacked Daphne. I guess the writers felt that would be an unexpected twist, while any of the male principals could have been turned into the killer.
15 Reviews
"Pain is only a secret name for pleasure, my darling."
classicsoncall3 August 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Campus cut-ups
melvelvit-131 May 2008
Warning: Spoilers
In the college town of Woodside, pre-med student Daphne (Vera Miles) narrowly escapes a maniac who has been strangling and mutilating young women near the campus and her boyfriend, a Psychology professor (Jeffrey Hunter), as a few ideas about the killings. He's certain the murders are the work of a faculty member and that the fiend will attack Daphne again; he also knows these kinds of crimes come in waves because blood-lust is catching. The police won't listen to him but he's right on all counts.
John "Hangover Square" Brahm directed the atmospheric yarn from a Barre Lyndon story and makes the most of Universal Studio's spooky back lot forest. Nightmare-inducing images are evoked through dialog; mention is made of the strangler's wicked post-mortem way with a knife. Co-starring Dick "Bewitched" Sargent and Madge "Batman" Kennedy.
John "Hangover Square" Brahm directed the atmospheric yarn from a Barre Lyndon story and makes the most of Universal Studio's spooky back lot forest. Nightmare-inducing images are evoked through dialog; mention is made of the strangler's wicked post-mortem way with a knife. Co-starring Dick "Bewitched" Sargent and Madge "Batman" Kennedy.
Moody and creepy thriller
coltras359 May 2022
A psychology professor (Jeffrey Hunter) has his fiancee (Vera Miles) to act as bait for a campus killer. Jeffrey Hunter is excellent as the professor obsessed with the psychological mind of killers and believes the bloodlust can be catching. Vera Miles is suitably frightened, though that doesn't stop her from walking through the woods alone, but this wouldn't be a thriller if she didn't. Dick Sargent is excellent as is the creepy guy who plays the piano. It's a moody and creepy chiller that gets its suspense from dialogue.
An Awkward Stretch
dougdoepke8 January 2015
Why is it so many lovely young women walk through creepy woods at night, when I turn on my TV. You think they'd know better. But then I'm glad they do since it's really a great hook. Here it's the fetching Vera Miles traipsing through one of the creepiest woods on record. And guess what—she gets menaced by something sinister. What a surprise! The next fifty minutes is figuring out who's in the woods with her and why.
Sounds like a great episode, but I'm sorry to say it's not. The script is a real awkward stretch, while Jeffrey Hunter telegraphs by overacting egregiously. And since he's really central, the entry collapses with him. Too bad that marvelous actress Miles has to stand around and look interested; plus, why would she trust Hunter who's obviously a lunatic if not the killer. Too bad a really evil studio forest is largely wasted, including the dark imaginings of Gothic director John Brahm. Meanwhile, I'm telling the girls to stick to city streets. Uh oh, maybe that's not a good idea, after all.
Sounds like a great episode, but I'm sorry to say it's not. The script is a real awkward stretch, while Jeffrey Hunter telegraphs by overacting egregiously. And since he's really central, the entry collapses with him. Too bad that marvelous actress Miles has to stand around and look interested; plus, why would she trust Hunter who's obviously a lunatic if not the killer. Too bad a really evil studio forest is largely wasted, including the dark imaginings of Gothic director John Brahm. Meanwhile, I'm telling the girls to stick to city streets. Uh oh, maybe that's not a good idea, after all.
Murder in a small collage town
sol12182 November 2011
Warning: Spoilers
***MAJOR SPOILERS*** There's this crazed lunatic running around the collage campus town of Woodside murdering young women and later preforming wield ritual like blood human sacrifices with their bodies. It's collage psychology professors Harold's,Jeffrey Hunter,learned opinion that this killer is a member of the collage staff who's obsessed with killing and using the victim bodies in empowering himself with their ascending souls or sprites. The almost certifiable,for a padded cell a the local mental institution, Harold soon goes so far in finding who this killer that he has his fiancée Daphne, Vera Miles, used as bait in order to get him out into the open and have him captured by the police men with the white suites as well as,in becoming the hero on campus, himself.
Daphne who despite her misgivings goes along with Harold in walking through the woods to entice the mysterious killer to attack her with Harold ready to spring into action as soon as he makes his move on her. This almost backfires on both Daphne & Harold when the killer who turned out to be piano player and song writer Edwin, Alf Kjellin, came charging out of the woods and almost ended up strangled her. It was Harold who gunned Edwin down, only wounding him, that prevented Daphne from being murdered by him.
***MAJOR MAJOR SPOILERS*** Just when you and Daphne thought it was safe to take a walk in the woods at night were shocked to find out that it was non other then the hero on campus Harold who's behind all these killings. Harold who was so immersed in finding out what makes murderers tick had turned into one of them himself! And even more weirder his mind became so warped that he felt that the only way he can show his love for Daphne is by both murdering and dismembering her! We also found out after the truth came out about Harold's strange behavior that he in fact manipulated or hypnotized poor and weak Edwin to commit the murders by putting him into some kind of zombie like state of mind and commanding him,from afar,to commit them!
In the end Harold got exactly what he deserved a lifetime stay at the institution for the criminally insane where he can spend all his free time, which is about 40 to 50 years, in studying his favorite subject himself! And maybe finally find out why people become vicious serial murderers in realizing that by someone becoming so interested in them he, like Harold, can very easily become one themselves!
Daphne who despite her misgivings goes along with Harold in walking through the woods to entice the mysterious killer to attack her with Harold ready to spring into action as soon as he makes his move on her. This almost backfires on both Daphne & Harold when the killer who turned out to be piano player and song writer Edwin, Alf Kjellin, came charging out of the woods and almost ended up strangled her. It was Harold who gunned Edwin down, only wounding him, that prevented Daphne from being murdered by him.
***MAJOR MAJOR SPOILERS*** Just when you and Daphne thought it was safe to take a walk in the woods at night were shocked to find out that it was non other then the hero on campus Harold who's behind all these killings. Harold who was so immersed in finding out what makes murderers tick had turned into one of them himself! And even more weirder his mind became so warped that he felt that the only way he can show his love for Daphne is by both murdering and dismembering her! We also found out after the truth came out about Harold's strange behavior that he in fact manipulated or hypnotized poor and weak Edwin to commit the murders by putting him into some kind of zombie like state of mind and commanding him,from afar,to commit them!
In the end Harold got exactly what he deserved a lifetime stay at the institution for the criminally insane where he can spend all his free time, which is about 40 to 50 years, in studying his favorite subject himself! And maybe finally find out why people become vicious serial murderers in realizing that by someone becoming so interested in them he, like Harold, can very easily become one themselves!
Focused on the Wrong Character.
jamericanbeauty5 January 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Jeffrey Hunter plays a psychology professor who at first is obsessed with catching a killer to the point he uses his fiancée as bait, then he becomes seduced by murder and then he's driven mad by jealousy. Jeffrey Hunter is badly miscast. He has zero range and no subtlety. He always looks like he's deranged in the eyes or giddy about the subject of murder, so when he finally tries to kill his fiancée at the conclusion of the episode, it feels so cheap, predictable unsatisfying. Of course, the guy crushing on her, Dick Sargeant, is on standby to rush in and save her. Speaking of predictable, everyone in their respective role is, which made everything feel tedious after the first tense half. I wish the episode focused more on Alf Kjellin's Edwin Volck. He was the only interesting character. Was Volck the blueprint for Hannibal Lecturer - the sophisticated, intellectual serial killer?
well done, horror episode
HEFILM17 August 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Here is a spoiler free review of a very well done episode.
It works almost perfectly except for almost getting a bit silly near the end in the staging of a fight sequence. Otherwise this is top drawer stuff. It re-teams the writer and director of the first and best remake of Hitchcock's first silent film hit THE LODGER. Both of them do good work here with moody and dramatic--not overdone melodrama--writing and photography. There are several memorable images and must rank among the best work director Brahm did for the Hithcock hour episodes. The whole show has a brooding and haunting quality.
The musings on the morbid obsessive psychology of killers is quite effective and the casting and acting of Jeffrey Hunter and Dick Saegent really work. The whole point to a story like this is to present all the possible suspects, among those, in another rare thing, is frequent Hitchcock TV director Alf Kejllen as the piano player. He is also very good. All these possible heroes or villains are well written and performed. We see what's creepy and what's sympathetic in each of them as they all try for the love of the leading lady and make us wonder, is this the killer?
The score to the episode by Lyn Murray is excellent and uses the source music of the piano the creepy effect especially at the end. Hunter gets a rare chance here to show his dark side as an actor and does so to good effect. Warren, the director of photography, really does excellent feature-level quality photography capturing blacks but still the glints in peoples eyes.
The show moves quickly and features Hithcock and lovely assistant in a wraparound about magic.
Well done episode regardless of the other interesting and usual aspects and credits of its cast and creators, which to me adds even more interest and quality to it.
One of the top episodes of the series of its type.
It works almost perfectly except for almost getting a bit silly near the end in the staging of a fight sequence. Otherwise this is top drawer stuff. It re-teams the writer and director of the first and best remake of Hitchcock's first silent film hit THE LODGER. Both of them do good work here with moody and dramatic--not overdone melodrama--writing and photography. There are several memorable images and must rank among the best work director Brahm did for the Hithcock hour episodes. The whole show has a brooding and haunting quality.
The musings on the morbid obsessive psychology of killers is quite effective and the casting and acting of Jeffrey Hunter and Dick Saegent really work. The whole point to a story like this is to present all the possible suspects, among those, in another rare thing, is frequent Hitchcock TV director Alf Kejllen as the piano player. He is also very good. All these possible heroes or villains are well written and performed. We see what's creepy and what's sympathetic in each of them as they all try for the love of the leading lady and make us wonder, is this the killer?
The score to the episode by Lyn Murray is excellent and uses the source music of the piano the creepy effect especially at the end. Hunter gets a rare chance here to show his dark side as an actor and does so to good effect. Warren, the director of photography, really does excellent feature-level quality photography capturing blacks but still the glints in peoples eyes.
The show moves quickly and features Hithcock and lovely assistant in a wraparound about magic.
Well done episode regardless of the other interesting and usual aspects and credits of its cast and creators, which to me adds even more interest and quality to it.
One of the top episodes of the series of its type.
Interesting but Way Too Obvious
Hitchcoc4 May 2023
I remember Jeffrey Hunter when he played Christopher Pike on the fStar Trek pilot episode, The Menagerie. He was a painful character then and here again. Here he is involved with the beautiful Vera Miles. There have been attacks on young women in a college town and he has decided to capture the perpetrator. He is a specialist in abnormal psychology and wants to invade the psyche of the killer. She is involved with two other men in a casual way. One is a co-worker and the other a concert pianist. They both have bland personalities. One of them is Dick Sargent who became the second Darren on Bewitched after Dick York left. The problem with this one is bad acting and a slow, ponderous pace which may be a problem with the full hour Hitchcock episodes.
An episode filled with caricatures instead of characters.
planktonrules25 April 2021
"Don't Look Behind You" is a very flawed episode of "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour". While the plot idea itself isn't bad, the characters are mostly awful...one dimensional weirdos who just don't exist in the real world. This alone ruined the episode for me.
Daphne (Vera Miles) is supposed to go to a faculty dinner at some college and her boyfriend Harold (Jeffrey Hunter) is supposed to escort her there. But he's late, and she goes through the woods to get to the dinner. On the way through these woods, she feels as though someone is following her and towards the end, she rushes through the place as quickly as she can. Now this makes no sense, as apparently a woman was slashed to death in these same woods....and so Daphne goes there?? What also doesn't make sense are the weird professors at the party....who talk about the murder and say all sorts of things that would seem to incriminate themselves! As for Harold, she shows up a bit late and is the weirdest of all...talking with a strange earnestness which is just baffling. Sure, he's a psychology professor, but he sounds so excited about the killing that it's just creepy and makes little sense. Later, he and Daphne go through the woods AGAIN and find a woman who's been attacked and bloodied but is still alive. Again...why go through these woods...especially at night?! What's next? Well, rest assured none of it makes a lot of sense and the characters are just plain weird.
While the episode did a great job in setting a scary situation, it really fell down when it came to the characters in the show. I really felt bad for some of the actors as they could act given better material...and Jeffrey Hunter...well...he was amazingly goofy...even more than the rest of these knuckleheads. The show also had no idea when to end and really could have used a trimming. Overall, a really poor installment...one that really annoyed me because it was so shoddy and didn't need to be.
Daphne (Vera Miles) is supposed to go to a faculty dinner at some college and her boyfriend Harold (Jeffrey Hunter) is supposed to escort her there. But he's late, and she goes through the woods to get to the dinner. On the way through these woods, she feels as though someone is following her and towards the end, she rushes through the place as quickly as she can. Now this makes no sense, as apparently a woman was slashed to death in these same woods....and so Daphne goes there?? What also doesn't make sense are the weird professors at the party....who talk about the murder and say all sorts of things that would seem to incriminate themselves! As for Harold, she shows up a bit late and is the weirdest of all...talking with a strange earnestness which is just baffling. Sure, he's a psychology professor, but he sounds so excited about the killing that it's just creepy and makes little sense. Later, he and Daphne go through the woods AGAIN and find a woman who's been attacked and bloodied but is still alive. Again...why go through these woods...especially at night?! What's next? Well, rest assured none of it makes a lot of sense and the characters are just plain weird.
While the episode did a great job in setting a scary situation, it really fell down when it came to the characters in the show. I really felt bad for some of the actors as they could act given better material...and Jeffrey Hunter...well...he was amazingly goofy...even more than the rest of these knuckleheads. The show also had no idea when to end and really could have used a trimming. Overall, a really poor installment...one that really annoyed me because it was so shoddy and didn't need to be.
10* for being so creepy memorable
vitoscotti28 February 2022
Warning: Spoilers
More memorable than good. Stellar creepy ambiance. Jeffrey Hunter (Jesus in "King of Kings") has a difficult part where he has to overact. Beautiful Vera Miles plays a stoic, poor judge of character 30ish student. Come on Daphne! Couldn't you tell Harold was off his rocker? Very predictable story throughout except the mind control. Especially the ending with Dick Sargent and his signature bad toupee. We get to see Aunt Martha (Madge Kennedy) from "Leave It To Beaver".
Interestingly the Cleaver home is used. Oddly Madge Kennedy never gets a close-up. She's always viewed at a distance across the room. The cast 2 stars make this a true classic. I remember seeing it as a kid and the family discussion it stirred up that Jeffrey Hunter was on tv.
Interestingly the Cleaver home is used. Oddly Madge Kennedy never gets a close-up. She's always viewed at a distance across the room. The cast 2 stars make this a true classic. I remember seeing it as a kid and the family discussion it stirred up that Jeffrey Hunter was on tv.
Don't Look Behind You - Season 1 Episode 2
Episodes-at-a-Glance19 August 2020
Title: The Alfred Hitchcock Hour - Don't Look Behind You - Season 1 Episode 2
Director: John Brahm
Details: Crime, Drama, Mystery; Release date (September 27, 1962 ); B&W
Starring: Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Dick Sargent
Synopsis: An unknown assailant has been attacking women in the college town of Woodside and it looks like medical student Daphne (Vera Miles) might be next on the list. Despite all of the nefarious goings-on, Daphne doesn't seem too concerned about walking through the woods alone at night or keeping doors and windows shut and locked. Her psychologist boyfriend (Jeffery Hunter)suggests she become a decoy to draw the attacker out into the open. Should be the makings of of a top rate thriller but.....
Quick Review: This episode is pretty much DOA from the git-go due to the cartoonish portrayals by the principle characters as an unbalanced bunch given to silly psycho babble and involving themselves in just generally inconceivable situations. Probably the weakest season one offering.
Rating: D
Director: John Brahm
Details: Crime, Drama, Mystery; Release date (September 27, 1962 ); B&W
Starring: Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Dick Sargent
Synopsis: An unknown assailant has been attacking women in the college town of Woodside and it looks like medical student Daphne (Vera Miles) might be next on the list. Despite all of the nefarious goings-on, Daphne doesn't seem too concerned about walking through the woods alone at night or keeping doors and windows shut and locked. Her psychologist boyfriend (Jeffery Hunter)suggests she become a decoy to draw the attacker out into the open. Should be the makings of of a top rate thriller but.....
Quick Review: This episode is pretty much DOA from the git-go due to the cartoonish portrayals by the principle characters as an unbalanced bunch given to silly psycho babble and involving themselves in just generally inconceivable situations. Probably the weakest season one offering.
Rating: D
Uncharacteristically Lame Episode
fotno24 October 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Having been a fan of Hitchcock since childhood, I look forward to seeing The Alfred Hitchcock Hour at each opportunity. "Don't Look Behind You" is one of the few times that I've been disappointed. Mere moments into this episode, the dialog becomes tiresome, and instantly telegraphs the plot of the story.
A college student (Daphne - Vera Miles) is walking through an eerie wood one night, on her way to a gathering of friends at the house of a professor.
Along her way she becomes frightened by the sound of someone (or some thing) following her. She arrives safely but upset, and is chastised repeatedly by her friends for having taken such a dangerous route. Turns out there's a strangler on the loose, and she's just his type. *** If she or her friends say "walking through the wood" once, they say it 20 times.*** Her fiancé' (Harold - Jeffrey Hunter) then enters, immediately reinforcing the notion that "walking through the wood" was a terribly dangerous idea.
They enjoy a few cocktails, some ridiculous dialog is exchanged, a creepy pianist strikes Daphne's fancy; and as the party winds down, Harold *** who is instantly our prime suspect *** offers to walk Daphne home. Of course they almost immediately hear a woman's screams; and Harold scares away the crazed strangler managing to save a young woman's life.
As an interlude Dave (Dick Sargent without benefit of magic this time), is introduced as a secondary love interest of Daphne's and proceeds to act creepy as well.
Harold *** Who it turns out is a psychology student - Who would'a thunk it? *** becomes fascinated by the strangler, and theorizes that Daphne was his actual target. He insists that Daphne act as bait for the strangler; and later, after she scares away a prowler from her bedroom window, she reluctantly agrees. Long story short, it's the pianist, whom Harold shoots when he comes after Daphne in the woods.
The pianist survives the bullet wound, and is hauled off to a nut-house, where Weird Harold goes to visit him, removing any doubt that Harold himself is nuttier than a fruit cake. There's some more ridiculous dialog. Daphne has a visit with Dave, then goes to see Harold *** who by this time has fully succumbed to the "infection" of insanity *** flipping his lid, trying to strangle her, only to be stopped by Dave.
We end our story by watching Harold be dragged screaming into the asylum in a straight-jacket, while the pianist intones; "I told you, you'd be back!"
As I've said, I like Hitchcock; but this would be sub-par work for far lesser writer/directors, for Hitchcock it's an atrocity.
A college student (Daphne - Vera Miles) is walking through an eerie wood one night, on her way to a gathering of friends at the house of a professor.
Along her way she becomes frightened by the sound of someone (or some thing) following her. She arrives safely but upset, and is chastised repeatedly by her friends for having taken such a dangerous route. Turns out there's a strangler on the loose, and she's just his type. *** If she or her friends say "walking through the wood" once, they say it 20 times.*** Her fiancé' (Harold - Jeffrey Hunter) then enters, immediately reinforcing the notion that "walking through the wood" was a terribly dangerous idea.
They enjoy a few cocktails, some ridiculous dialog is exchanged, a creepy pianist strikes Daphne's fancy; and as the party winds down, Harold *** who is instantly our prime suspect *** offers to walk Daphne home. Of course they almost immediately hear a woman's screams; and Harold scares away the crazed strangler managing to save a young woman's life.
As an interlude Dave (Dick Sargent without benefit of magic this time), is introduced as a secondary love interest of Daphne's and proceeds to act creepy as well.
Harold *** Who it turns out is a psychology student - Who would'a thunk it? *** becomes fascinated by the strangler, and theorizes that Daphne was his actual target. He insists that Daphne act as bait for the strangler; and later, after she scares away a prowler from her bedroom window, she reluctantly agrees. Long story short, it's the pianist, whom Harold shoots when he comes after Daphne in the woods.
The pianist survives the bullet wound, and is hauled off to a nut-house, where Weird Harold goes to visit him, removing any doubt that Harold himself is nuttier than a fruit cake. There's some more ridiculous dialog. Daphne has a visit with Dave, then goes to see Harold *** who by this time has fully succumbed to the "infection" of insanity *** flipping his lid, trying to strangle her, only to be stopped by Dave.
We end our story by watching Harold be dragged screaming into the asylum in a straight-jacket, while the pianist intones; "I told you, you'd be back!"
As I've said, I like Hitchcock; but this would be sub-par work for far lesser writer/directors, for Hitchcock it's an atrocity.
Wrong Madge!
CherCee24 May 2022
Ridiculous
Ripshin24 December 2023
I need to Google, to find out why they expanded "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," to "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour." It merely magnifies the horrendous hamminess of the original series.
This episode is cringe-worthy. The over-acting!
Vera Miles is a thirty-three year-old in medical school?
Jeffrey Hunter had already completed the "surfer Jesus," "King of Kings" big-budget mess? Kind of a step back.
The Hitchcock series were always just awkward, even when he directed a few episodes.
Everyone performing in this episode, is a hot mess.
Good to see the second "Leave It to Beaver" house, make a cameo.
This episode is cringe-worthy. The over-acting!
Vera Miles is a thirty-three year-old in medical school?
Jeffrey Hunter had already completed the "surfer Jesus," "King of Kings" big-budget mess? Kind of a step back.
The Hitchcock series were always just awkward, even when he directed a few episodes.
Everyone performing in this episode, is a hot mess.
Good to see the second "Leave It to Beaver" house, make a cameo.
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