Year: 1972
Director: Curtis Harrington
Country: UK
Language: English
Poor Shelly Winters. I've seen her in Lolita, Night of the Hunter and now this. Does she survive any movie she has been in? Is she the Sean Bean of the 1950's-1970's? Who Slew Auntie Roo? comes from a relatively small budget studio (American International Pictures) known for putting older studio stars into horror splatterfests
In this film, a demented widow lures unsuspecting children into her mansion in a bizarre "Hansel and Gretel" twist.
Director Curtis Harrington previously directed Winters in the similarly titled What’s the Matter With Helen (1971) starring Debbie Reynolds. Curiously this horror isn't as gore-heavy nor bosom filled as most AIP productions. The story is more psychological in nature and reflects a growing trend of pictures known as “Grand Dame Guignol”. This forgotten sub-genre, which began with Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) featured golden age actresses portraying characters who were on the brink of insanity.
The “Grand Dame Guignol” movies are not necessarily terrifying, but they do evoke themes of loss, depression and obsession. Auntie Roo's scenes are full of dread and worry; we have anxiety over the children's safety and great doubt over Winters' intentions. The film is technically well made, although for trying to evoke Grimm's Hansel and Gretel I'd say it somewhat misses the mark. While I was entranced, I did feel like we were in a fairytale/nightmare.
I love Shelly Winters. She was a great actress, and even though she was "over the hill" in 1972 (52 years old) she gave a tremendous performance as a rather sympathetic villain. I only recently knew of this film's existence, but I was certainly glad to see it.
No comments:
Post a Comment