The Ninth Configuration
The Ninth Configuration (also known as Twinkle, Twinkle, "Killer" Kane) is a 1980 American psychological drama film written, produced and directed by William Peter Blatty, in his directorial debut. It is based on Blatty's novel The Ninth Configuration (1978), which was itself a reworking of an earlier version of the novel, first published as Twinkle, Twinkle, "Killer" Kane! in 1966. The initial 1966 publication of the novel featured an exclamation mark at the end of the title, while all subsequent publications saw it removed.
Plot
Sometime in the early 1970s, "toward the end of the War in Vietnam" as stated in the opening narration, a large castle is used by the US government as an insane asylum for military personnel. Among the many patients there is a former astronaut, Billy Cutshaw (Scott Wilson), who aborted a moon launch and was dragged screaming from the capsule, suffering from an apparent mental breakdown.
More details
| author | William Peter Blatty |
|---|---|
| director | William Peter Blatty |
| editor | Battle Davis Peter Lee-Thompson Roberto Silvi Tony De Zarraga |
| events | supernatural |
| genre | drama |
| keywords | church service commanding officer decapitate end id insane asylum linda tuero make up marine corps married mental breakdown news report nothing open pass read rush scream special unit st. christopher medal suffer to the moon young boy |
| musicBy | Barry De Vorzon |
| producer | William Peter Blatty |
| publisher | New World Pictures Warner Bros. |
| theme | psychological drama satirical war |