How Awful About Allan (1970): A Delightfully Unsettling Slice of 1970s Era Psychological TV Drama

 

If you’ve ever wanted to step inside the mind of a man who isn’t entirely sure whether his eyes or his nerves are betraying him, How Awful About Allan (1970) is a perfect place to start. It’s a psychological thriller made for TV back when the phrase “made for TV” actually meant something—namely, that budgets were small, lighting was questionable, and every emotional breakdown was accompanied by a soft-focus close-up. And honestly? We wouldn’t have it any other way.

The film stars Anthony Perkins, who at this point in his career had perfected the art of looking like a man who knows far more than he’s comfortable admitting. Here, he leans into it with a twitchy intensity that makes you wonder if Allan needs therapy, exorcism, or simply a properly lit living room. His performance is beautifully fragile—like a porcelain teacup that’s been dropped once but still insists on holding hot coffee.

Julie Harris, meanwhile, quietly steals scenes with the kind of emotional precision only she could deliver. She floats through the film with a gentle presence that makes you trust her… which in a 1970s psychological thriller should always be your first warning sign.

The plot surrounds Allan’s return home after a traumatic event, and as he adjusts to life with partial vision and rising paranoia, the question becomes simple: is Allan seeing ghosts, conspiracies, or just the results of a tight TV-movie budget? No spoilers, but the film leans into atmosphere rather than effects, using sound, shadows, and that classic 70s “is something happening or is this just poor insulation?” style of suspense.

The best part?

At the time of this post release, you can watch the entire movie for FREE on YouTube.

So go ahead—brew some tea, dim the lights, and enjoy a slow-burn psychological thriller that proves sometimes the scariest thing of all is a creaking floorboard and your own imagination.