The Fool Killer (1965) on Netflix
After the Civil War, 12-year-old George Mellish runs away from abusive foster parents. He meets Dirty Jim Jelliman, who tells him of the Fool Killer, and Milo Bogardus, an amnesiac veteran.
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- Netflix3.4/5
- IMDb6.7/10697 votes
- Rotten TomatoesNot available
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Plot summary
Twelve-year-old George Mellish does chores for the couple who foster him in the Reconstruction-era South, where beatings come for misdeeds both real and imagined. When the butter churn tumbles into the road, he packs a bag, crawls under a freight car, and falls asleep. The train stops for water, and it pulls out before he can climb back aboard, carrying his things with it. George heads west on foot and meets Dirty Jim Jelliman, who lives by himself and calls him a fool for trying to tidy the house. Jim tells him of the Fool Killer, a giant who hunts fools with a chopper. George falls ill; a local family takes him in, and he moves on again, meeting Milo Bogardus, a veteran whose memory a war wound took.
Cast
- Yvonne Gilbertas Janet(uncredited)
- Charlotte Jonesas Mrs. Ova Fanshawe
- Sindee Ann Richardsas Blessing Angeline Fanshawe
- Frances Gaaras Old Crab(uncredited)
- Curtis Haymoreas Various(uncredited)
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Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Fool Killer (1965)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Joe Dante chose The Fool Killer to air alongside The Night of the Hunter on Turner Classic Movies in July 2025.
