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Didn't I just see him posting recently?
BTW: there's several I wish would come back.
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Redux post (just because):
And wouldn't SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON (1964, of course) qualify as a hag horror, despite its classy ambience?
It's a terrific little film about an alleged psychic (Kim Stanley, who got at Oscar nod for this role) who convinces her browbeaten hubby (Richard Attenborough, who also produced) to kidnap a child -- in a scene I find very disturbing -- to prove her clairvoyant skills. Bryan Forbes directs and scripts, John Barry provides the haunting score.
It's been called "a ghost story without a ghost" (a common vibe for an early-'60s thriller), with London wrapped in winter's chill.
Stanley is excellent in her narcissistic neurosis (although Katharine Hepburn found her rehearsal style so bizarre that she had Stanley fired off of A DELICATE BALANCE in 1973 and replaced by Kate "Aunt Lil" Reid who is also excellent) and the atmosphere in all its cold war glory is as thick as cinema mood can get.
And wouldn't SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON (1964, of course) qualify as a hag horror, despite its classy ambience?
It's a terrific little film about an alleged psychic (Kim Stanley, who got at Oscar nod for this role) who convinces her browbeaten hubby (Richard Attenborough, who also produced) to kidnap a child -- in a scene I find very disturbing -- to prove her clairvoyant skills. Bryan Forbes directs and scripts, John Barry provides the haunting score.
It's been called "a ghost story without a ghost" (a common vibe for an early-'60s thriller), with London wrapped in winter's chill.
Stanley is excellent in her narcissistic neurosis (although Katharine Hepburn found her rehearsal style so bizarre that she had Stanley fired off of A DELICATE BALANCE in 1973 and replaced by Kate "Aunt Lil" Reid who is also excellent) and the atmosphere in all its cold war glory is as thick as cinema mood can get.
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Not surprisingly, she was good pals with equally idiosyncratic Geraldine Page.
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I just watched HUSH... HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE again as part of my Halloween season viewing. I have no idea how many times I've seen it, but it remains the ne plus ultra in gothic atmosphere -- either southern or otherwise. There are other films that might go even further in that direction, and others don't go far enough, but none quite get the balance right like CHARLOTTE.
It's hard to explain why. The director, the cast, the writer, and crew are identical to that of BABY JANE. And as iconic as BABY JANE is, I've just never found it quite as compelling -- in fact, it even drags at times.
CHARLOTTE, though, has Olivia de Havilland who brings a breezy contrast to Bette Davis (although I'm still curious about how it might've been with Joan Crawford in the role, more ambulatory and overtly malevolent than in BABY JANE). And there's the ghostly, shadowed B&W cinematography of Joe Biroc. And whatever it is about the story and the execution, and its existence on that psychic cusp of both halves of the '60s, the last vestiges of an era that's exiting, the film is just perfect in terms of what it does.
Well, perfect except for that "1927" prologue party where everyone's dressed and coiffed as if its 1964 (an odd mistake BABY JANE didn't make). But oh, well. Even perfect's not always perfect.
It's interesting what makes up a "good macabre" project and why most stuff doesn't hit the target, going too far (relying on gore and excess) or not far enough.
I've said before that I often remake in my head DALLAS' Season 13 (per DVD count) and DYNASTY's Season 8 and FALCON CREST's Season 7 -- not because they're the only periods in those shows that could use the help, but because those seasons have a creepy, gothic potential they mostly miss. It's the spot in these series that, to me, cries out for it.
Likewise, I find incompetent STRAIT-JACKET (1963) and MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL (1997) so frustrating to watch: you can see so easily what they want to be, and it's stunning to see how much they miss that mark. Of all the bad movies out there, they're the two which may drive me the most insane -- I have a desperate need to fix them.
But that's mostly about my weird personal tastes.
It's hard to explain why. The director, the cast, the writer, and crew are identical to that of BABY JANE. And as iconic as BABY JANE is, I've just never found it quite as compelling -- in fact, it even drags at times.
CHARLOTTE, though, has Olivia de Havilland who brings a breezy contrast to Bette Davis (although I'm still curious about how it might've been with Joan Crawford in the role, more ambulatory and overtly malevolent than in BABY JANE). And there's the ghostly, shadowed B&W cinematography of Joe Biroc. And whatever it is about the story and the execution, and its existence on that psychic cusp of both halves of the '60s, the last vestiges of an era that's exiting, the film is just perfect in terms of what it does.
Well, perfect except for that "1927" prologue party where everyone's dressed and coiffed as if its 1964 (an odd mistake BABY JANE didn't make). But oh, well. Even perfect's not always perfect.
It's interesting what makes up a "good macabre" project and why most stuff doesn't hit the target, going too far (relying on gore and excess) or not far enough.
I've said before that I often remake in my head DALLAS' Season 13 (per DVD count) and DYNASTY's Season 8 and FALCON CREST's Season 7 -- not because they're the only periods in those shows that could use the help, but because those seasons have a creepy, gothic potential they mostly miss. It's the spot in these series that, to me, cries out for it.
Likewise, I find incompetent STRAIT-JACKET (1963) and MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL (1997) so frustrating to watch: you can see so easily what they want to be, and it's stunning to see how much they miss that mark. Of all the bad movies out there, they're the two which may drive me the most insane -- I have a desperate need to fix them.
But that's mostly about my weird personal tastes.
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In addition to Joan Crawford being there, I sometimes wonder how CHARLOTTE might be in garish Halloweenish color -- although I'm sure that would have been a mistake (Bette said it would have been a disaster, and would wind up "looking like GWTW").
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This article calls them "psycho-biddy" movies (a term I don't personally care for) and embarrassingly omits CHARLOTTE from its rankings.
I'm not even sure some of these movies even fit the "grande dame guignol" genre, but here you.
collider.com
I'm not even sure some of these movies even fit the "grande dame guignol" genre, but here you.
The 12 Best Psycho-Biddy Movies, Ranked
Peaking in the 1960s, the psycho-biddy sub-genre provided worthy showcases for its leading ladies and produced some true horror triumphs.
collider.com
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Have it.
And CHARLOTTE is the best of the bunch. (They actually rank it at #5).
This one should have been the best of the genre, but ...
I think that near the end, Diane Baker should have pulled the axe out from the bedroom door frame, and headed through the connecting bathroom towards the upstairs study, when Mrs. Fields -- on the phone to the police -- is hit by a lightning strike via the phone, throwing Mrs. Fields again the wall and onto the floor behind the desk and out of view. Thereupon Diane Baker comes into the study, sees the smoking, melted phone on the desk, and delivers the axe blow to Mrs. Fields, the matriarch's blood spewing up onto the wall, and Baker then heading to the stairs to confront her boyfriend and Joan Crawford.
Tthat would require a thunderstorm at the mansion after the party breaks up.
But I always tweak the film in my head whenever I watch it.
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I feel like an idiot. I scrolled through the list so fast to see where they placed CHARLOTTE.
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The problem with the term psycho-biddy is that it implies the film will contain a biddy who's psycho. That excludes LADY IN A CAGE -- which the article notes doesn't fit the designation while still including it; yet fails to include DIE! DIE! MY DARLING which is one of the small handful of films that actually fits the sub-genre.
Grande Dame Guignol or Hag Horror are broader descriptors that could include psycho-biddy but also, more expansively, other horror movies starring older actresses where they aren't the crazy antagonist.
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I haven't read this article, but ....
collider.com
Just finished NIGHT WATCH (1973), the Elizabeth Taylor movie that's gotten its own hype here in this thread.
It's free to view on Plex.
I hadn't seen this movie before, but because of the good things I had heard, I was hoping it would turn out to be good. Let's just say -- I wasn't disappointed. Elizabeth Taylor is beautiful, and without spoiling anything, provides a good performance as a nutty wife.
There's some good cinematography at work here, and I like how much of the movie is done during a thunderstorm. It makes for good atmosphere, that's for sure.
NIGHT WATCH is a downright good movie, even if some might question whether or not it fits the "grande dame guignol" genre -- which, to be fair, strolls with a relatively loose definition anyway.
If you haven't, you should check this one out.
How William Castle Cemented Joan Crawford as a Camp Horror Movie Goddess
The low-budget exploitation film director capitalized on Crawford's 'Baby Jane' success and propelled her into fright fest superstardom.
collider.com
Just finished NIGHT WATCH (1973), the Elizabeth Taylor movie that's gotten its own hype here in this thread.
It's free to view on Plex.
I hadn't seen this movie before, but because of the good things I had heard, I was hoping it would turn out to be good. Let's just say -- I wasn't disappointed. Elizabeth Taylor is beautiful, and without spoiling anything, provides a good performance as a nutty wife.
There's some good cinematography at work here, and I like how much of the movie is done during a thunderstorm. It makes for good atmosphere, that's for sure.
NIGHT WATCH is a downright good movie, even if some might question whether or not it fits the "grande dame guignol" genre -- which, to be fair, strolls with a relatively loose definition anyway.
If you haven't, you should check this one out.
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I watched FANATIC (otherwise known as DIE! DIE! MY DARLING! for the American market) tonight on Tubi.
This thriller stars Tallulah Bankhead as Mrs. Trefoile, a suppressed religious fanatic (which is where the British title comes from) who is morbidly obsessed by the death of her son, Steven. Mrs. Trefoile is unhinged and takes the locking up Steven's would-be wife Patricia (Stefanie Powers) in her attic when she comes to England for a visit.
I found FANATIC to be a good movie, and I'd say it's a good representation of the "grande dame guignol" genre. The fact the movie is in color doesn't bother me, and I thought several parts of the story were quite creepy. This a Hammer production (as was Davis' THE NANNY, filmed in B&W and also released in 1965), and the studio's fingerprint is prevalent.
FANATIC can get a little long-winded, and perhaps had a good 20 minutes been shaved off, the movie would've been a tad more impressionable.
This is probably Tallulah's finest on-screen performance as an actress (even though Hitchcock's LIFEBOAT is right up there, too), as she really seems to slide into the character of Mrs. Trefoile without her typical "Tallulah" mannerisms. I recall Bankhead plugging the movie during her appearance on WHAT'S MY LINE? in 1965.
I think the movie plays better when titled FANATIC, but the version I watched tonight was called DIE! DIE! MY DARLING! American exhibitors retitled the movie for U.S. audiences to cash-in on Bankhead's "darling" over usage, a fact often played for laughs by those impersonating her. There's also a line towards the end of the film where Mrs. Trefoile says to Patricia, "You must die. Die! Die! My darling." So, I guess they can say that's where the U.S. retitle came from as well.
As I said, this movie is currently free on Tubi. If you're interested, go and watch it. Even if you find it not to be your cup of tea, at least you didn't waste money to watch it.
This thriller stars Tallulah Bankhead as Mrs. Trefoile, a suppressed religious fanatic (which is where the British title comes from) who is morbidly obsessed by the death of her son, Steven. Mrs. Trefoile is unhinged and takes the locking up Steven's would-be wife Patricia (Stefanie Powers) in her attic when she comes to England for a visit.
I found FANATIC to be a good movie, and I'd say it's a good representation of the "grande dame guignol" genre. The fact the movie is in color doesn't bother me, and I thought several parts of the story were quite creepy. This a Hammer production (as was Davis' THE NANNY, filmed in B&W and also released in 1965), and the studio's fingerprint is prevalent.
FANATIC can get a little long-winded, and perhaps had a good 20 minutes been shaved off, the movie would've been a tad more impressionable.
This is probably Tallulah's finest on-screen performance as an actress (even though Hitchcock's LIFEBOAT is right up there, too), as she really seems to slide into the character of Mrs. Trefoile without her typical "Tallulah" mannerisms. I recall Bankhead plugging the movie during her appearance on WHAT'S MY LINE? in 1965.
I think the movie plays better when titled FANATIC, but the version I watched tonight was called DIE! DIE! MY DARLING! American exhibitors retitled the movie for U.S. audiences to cash-in on Bankhead's "darling" over usage, a fact often played for laughs by those impersonating her. There's also a line towards the end of the film where Mrs. Trefoile says to Patricia, "You must die. Die! Die! My darling." So, I guess they can say that's where the U.S. retitle came from as well.
As I said, this movie is currently free on Tubi. If you're interested, go and watch it. Even if you find it not to be your cup of tea, at least you didn't waste money to watch it.
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Bankhead didn't like the Americanized title DIE! DIE! MY DARLING! (perhaps because it sounded too much like HUSH... HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE, filmed at the same time and released a few months earlier) but I think that title aged better than the British FANATIC moniker because FANATIC sounds today so indistinct after 60 years of additional cinema -- in fact, FANATIC now sounds like some low-budget '70s sci-fi shocker with boobs on display.
While I usually prefer my pre-1966 horror films in B&W, there are some exceptions, and this is one of them; I like the vivid color scheme, the locational atmosphere, the production design, and the use of varying shades of red.
Funny how, like LADY IN A CAGE, this film also has a domineering, narcissistic mama whose son is apparently gay and then commits suicide (is that what he did in CAGE?)
The film does get slightly draggy after Powers is locked in the attic -- but, frankly, so does BABY JANE.
Since Tallulah didn't really have much of a movie career, it's definitely one of her memorable performances; Stefanie give an affected to-period elocution lesson I'd never want to miss.
I always want to see Donald Sutherland deliver his 20-minute monologue from JFK with his DIE! DIE! MY DARLING! voice. I think it might have had a different impact.
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And here's one of the best of the genre, somehow perfectly on the cusp of both very-different halves of the '60s -- whatever that means (it starts at about 2:15 , until it gets deleted):
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