Ladies of Grand Guignol
Hagsploitation, psycho-biddy, or as I like to call it, Ladies of Grand Guignol, refers to 60s films starring aging Hollywood actresses, with a clear progenitor in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Starring Bette Davis, who fully embraced her role, and Joan Crawford, who was more hesitant, the film showcased their infamous off-screen feud and was a massive box office bonanza, and many imitators were to come.
These films revel in their ghoulish charm, and their leading ladies command the screen – even in the genre’s weakest entries.
Slasher precursor set in an orphanage with nasty moments, Gloria Grahame looking fine at 48, and Len Lesser, best known for playing Uncle Leo in Seinfeld; somewhere in the middle of the pack.
Dead Ringer (1964) 8/10
Bette Davis murders her twin sister, assumes her identity, and steals the show in this excellent 60s thriller with noirish photography and André Previn score.
A soap opera with bloody axe murders, this is chiefly remembered as Agnes Moorehead’s last feature, and, as always, she delivers the goods (entirely from a wheelchair).
High camp Grand Guignol with stunning San Francisco locales, colourful photography, and lots of pussies; hints of Hitchcock, with an outstanding scene involving an out-of-control wheelchair.
Hollywood Horror House (1970) 6/10
This opens with a wonderful sequence featuring a dilapidated Hollywood sign, before bringing back old pros Miriam Hopkins, Gale Sondergaard and Florence Lake for some gory, hysterical fun. aka Savage Intruder
Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) 8/10
Bette Davis plays a southern belle plagued by horrifying family secrets in ghoulish follow-up to Baby Jane – a grand piece of Southern Gothic, with plenty of twists and turns.
I Saw What You Did (1965) 5/10
William Castle’s laboured thriller has annoying teen characters, a tired-looking Joan Crawford, and a man in a shower ripping off Psycho; a pedestrian B movie through and through.
A sociopathic boy returns home after serving a prison term for a gang rape in weird Curtis Harrington psycho thriller that makes Ann Sothern and Ruth Roman do the heavy lifting.
Olivia de Havilland is trapped in a home elevator and terrorized by vicious hoodlums including James Caan in sharply observed and lurid shocker; outstanding, but not a great postcard for LA.
The Mad Room (1969) 6/10
Ghoulish and melodramatic psycho chiller with good performances, let down by a rushed ending.
Patricia Neal stars in fine psychological thriller scripted by Roald Dahl in the vein of Night Must Fall.
Barbara Stanwyck shines as a rich widow tormented by nightmares, while director William Castle – without gimmicks – relies on Robert Bloch to deliver the twists and turns, which mostly pay off.
Night Watch (1973) 7/10
Elizabeth Taylor is recovering from a nervous breakdown when she witnesses a murder in this enjoyable Lizploitation which takes its time to get going but features a genuine surprise ending.
Picture Mommy Dead (1966) 5/10
One of Bert I. Gordon’s better films, but not one of his more entertaining, this has a clichéd plot and crappy cast including Zsa Zsa Gabor; still watchable in a colourful 60s way.
Scream, Pretty Peggy (1973) 6/10
Bette Davis stars in TV movie about insanity in the family and secrets in the apartment above the garage; it borrows freely from Psycho and Homicidal, creating a passable thriller. See also TV Movies
Strait-Jacket (1964) 6/10
Joan Crawford has the gall to play her character in her 20s in flashback scenes that add camp value to this piece of William Castle hokum with Robert Bloch script; as battle-axe thrillers go, not too bad.
What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? (1969) 7/10
Geraldine Page and Ruth Gordon go head-to-head in unofficial sequel to Baby Jane and Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte, but things were already wearing a bit thin by this point.
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) 10/10
Excellent comeback for Bette Davis and Joan Crawford that also started a trend in hagsploitation horror and holds up well today, with many quotable moments, though it is a little drawn out.
What’s the Matter with Helen? (1971) 7/10
Debbie Reynolds and Shelley Winters move to Hollywood after their sons are convicted of a notorious murder in uneven Curtis Harrington thriller saved by its performances.
Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1972) 7/10
Retelling of Hansel and Gretel starring Shelley Winters who tears into the scenery; well directed by Curtis Harrington, who sets the tone with a ghoulish pre-credits sequence.
You’ll Like My Mother (1972) 7/10
Old fashioned B movie with thin material deftly stretched out and given substance by strong performances including Patty Duke as a pregnant widow, along with snowy Minnesota locales.