RESOURCES

Twinkle, Twinkle, Killer Kane

The book Twinkle, Twinkle, Killer Kane was made into the movie The Ninth Configuration.

Which one did you like better, the book or the movie?  There are 5 votes for the book, and 9 votes for the movie.

Book details for Twinkle, Twinkle, Killer Kane

Twinkle, Twinkle, Killer Kane was written by William Peter Blatty. The book was published in 1966 by Signet/New American Library. More information on the book is available on Amazon.com.

William Peter Blatty also wrote Legion (1983).

Read More About This Book

Movie details for The Ninth Configuration

The movie was released in 1980. The Ninth Configuration was produced by Warner Home Video. More information on the movie is available on Amazon.com and also IMDb.

Actors on this movie include Stacy Keach, Tom Atkins, Neville Brand, George DiCenzo, Ed Flanders, Moses Gunn, David Healy, Gordon K. Kee, Robert Loggia, William Lucking, Richard Lynch, Jason Miller, William Paul, Stephen Powers, Alejandro Rey, Steve Sandor, Tom Shaw, Joe Spinell and Scott Wilson.

 

Read More About This Movie

The lunatics are running the asylum... but are they really lunatics? Is Colonel Kane (Stacy Keach) really a noted psychiatrist, assigned to supervise patients in an experimental government clinic, or is he really "Killer" Kane, a decorated U.S. Marine who... Read More
The lunatics are running the asylum... but are they really lunatics? Is Colonel Kane (Stacy Keach) really a noted psychiatrist, assigned to supervise patients in an experimental government clinic, or is he really "Killer" Kane, a decorated U.S. Marine who committed atrocities in Vietnam before going insane? And why did Captain Cutshaw (Scott Wilson) go berserk just seconds before a scheduled rocket launch? These are just some of the puzzles that will eventually be solved in The Ninth Configuration, a giddy and often brilliant drama created by William Peter Blatty, who wrote The Exorcist before directing this adaptation of his own novel, Twinkle, Twinkle, Killer Kane. A satirical study of war's traumatic aftermath, the film uses battle psychosis as the springboard for a delirious and scathingly intelligent human tragedy, laced with some of the wittiest dialogue you're ever likely to hear.

The movie boasts a veritable menagerie of crazy characters, all brought vividly to life by a stellar supporting cast. One patient is preparing a production of Shakespeare with an all-dog cast. Another is convinced he's Superman, and the resident doctor can't seem to find his trousers. But there's a method to this madness, and it takes a barroom brawl--one of the most memorable in movie history--to provide the harsh slap of reality to Blatty's elaborate group therapy scheme. When the true purpose of The Ninth Configuration is revealed, the film (and particularly the fine performances of Keach and Wilson) reveals a depth of compassionate sanity that may take you completely by surprise. --Jeff Shannon