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''
A worthy coda for Karloff's career, and a symbolic passing of the torch from one generation of filmmakers to the next.
----
{{tropelist}}
* [[Affably Evil]]: After killing his wife and mother, Thompson, while buying numerous rounds (that wouldn't be a big deal back in the 1960s, or in Texas today), casually carries on a conversation with the gun store owner.
* [[Bedmate Reveal]]: Orlock and Sammy get drunk and end up falling asleep in Sammy's bedroom. Sammy has a bad dream and startles himself awake:
{{quote|
'''Sammy:''' I was having a nightmare and I woke up next to Byron Orlock!
'''Orlock:''' ''(sourly)'' Very funny.
* [[Cool Old Guy]]: Both [[Boris Karloff]] and the character he's playing, Byron Orlock. Karloff was a nice guy in [[Real Life]] (and he even worked on this film for free when it ran over the two days he owed Corman), and Orlock is pretty much the same.
**
* [[Crapsack World]]: One of Orlock's reasons for retiring is that the ''real world'' is becoming more horrifying than the scary movies he made. Considering how Thompson's shooting spree ''was'' based on the real-life Whitman shootings, he's depressingly correct.
* [[Drive-In Theater]]: Where the climax of the film takes place.
* [[End of an Age]]: Orlock's retirement signals an end to the Monster and [[Mad Scientist]] era of horror films... with Thompson's shooting spree [[Dawn of an Era|signaling the beginning]] of the next wave of horror based on [[Humans Are
* [[Good Colors, Evil Colors]]: All of Orlock's scenes are shot in mellow autumnal shades, while Thompson's are cold sterile blues.
* [[Let Me Tell You a Story]]: Orlock gives a lovely recitation of the story [http://www.k-state.edu/english/baker/english320/Maugham-AS.htm "An Appointment in Samarra".]
* [[Mad Hatter]]: Like his [[Ripped from the Headlines|real-life inspiration]] Whitman, Thompson types up a note calmly detailing what he is about to do.
* [[Malevolent Architecture]]: The decor of Thompson's suburban home could drive anyone crazy.
* [[Mean Character, Nice Actor]]: Orlok, obviously. He's built up a career playing monsters and maniacs, but off-camera he's clearly very kind and classy (again, just like Karloff himself). Thompson [[Nice Character, Mean Actor|is the exact opposite]]; while he [[Stepford Smiler|maintains the facade of a cheerful, normal, All-American youth]], he really seems to be a [[Complete Monster]] on the inside.
* [[Meaningful Name]]: Byron Orlock. The last name is borrowed from Count Orlock of ''[[
* [[Mirror Scare]]: At one point Orlock is startled by his own reflection, a bit suggested by Karloff himself.
** During the final shooting spree, Thompson {{spoiler|is unable to determine which Orlock to shoot at - the one onscreen at the drive-in theater or the one [[Paranoia Fuel|coming right at him]].}}
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* [[The Sixties]]
* [[Stealth Insult]]:
{{quote|
'''[[Deadpan Snarker|Orlock]]:''' Obviously.
* [[Vietnam War]]: Thompson is an early veteran of the war.
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