The advertising slug for Screaming Mimi was “suspense around every curve,” but this twisted psychodrama is definitely no road movie. Grading on the curve, Anita Ekberg excels as Virginia, the victim of a sexual assault who is sent to a loony bin to recover. At said bin, the voluptuous Virginia comes under the sway of her shrink, Dr. Greenwood, who would if he could. Pursuing some inexplicable cure, the doctor and his ample analysand exit the asylum, only to resurface at the aptly titled El Madhouse, a nightclub with an exotic floorshow. Gypsy Rose Lee runs the nightclub and grinds her way through “Put the Blame on Mame.” All the while, a maniacal slasher is on the loose, pursued by an unsavory reporter. And the “Screaming Mimi”? That’s a statue designed by Virginia’s bro. Believe me, I haven’t given a thing away, other than that this lusciously lurid film will throw you a few curves.

—Steve Seid

• Written by Robert Blees, based on the novel by Fredric Brown. Photographed by Burnett Guffey. With Anita Ekberg, Phil Carey, Gypsy Rose Lee, Harry Townes. (79 mins, B&W, 35mm, From Sony Pictures)