But the investigating detective is convinced that Billy is the real killer- and determined to prove it. Madness and fanaticism work together to drag all concerned into a terrifying vortex of blood-letting that adds a nightmarish twist to the classic Oedipus story.
Considering the time in which this film was created, the fact that it was made is remarkable.
Nominated for a Saturn award in 1982, this film was also singled out for prosecution in the UK in the 80s. Considering the subject matter and the time it was created, it is remarkably gay positive. It includes an unusual gay angle pivotal to the plot.
A homophobic detective is willing to ignore the facts in order to prosecute a gay male for the murder of his 'husband.' The viewer knows who killed the man, and the innocence of the gay man is obvious to all but the detective. The gay character is portrayed positively and is considered a role model for the main character, who stands up for him throughout the movie.
This film is quite striking in that it shows how horrid and unfair life was for an outed gay man during this time, but yet has a plot that makes you sympathize for him, and show his orientation against that of a true monster.
Enjoyable for what it is, the true value of the movie is that the UK banned this film upon its creation. Though not worse than other films created at the time, this film is one of the few that showed a sympathetic portrayal of homosexuality -- though it also has a disturbing incestuous angle to the plot (surprisingly, not gay in any way).