What's the Matter with Helen?/Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (Midnite Movies Double Feature)
by Curtis Harrington
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Chloe Franks, Lionel Jeffries, Mark Lester, Ralph Richardson, Shelley WintersDirector: Curtis Harrington
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); Spanish (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 192 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-08-27
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Movie Reviews of What's the Matter with Helen?/Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (Midnite Movies Double Feature)
Movie Review: Shelley Winters Becomes "Psycho"
Summary: 5 Stars
In 1972, I became an instant fan of Shelly Winters who starred in the blockbuster disaster movie "The Poseidon Adventure." I adored her as "the fat Mrs. Rosen" who saves Reverend Scott from drowning even though she suffers a deadly heart attack in the process. Around the same time period as "The Poseidon Adventure," Winters also starred in two psychological horror movies, "What's the Matter with Helen?" and "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?," in which she portrays two talented women who experience mental breakdowns that lead to psychotic, murderous behavior. Both were set in the Depression era and both were directed by Curtis Harrington; he also directed "How Awful About Allan," starring Anthony Hopkins of "Psycho" fame.
"What's the Matter With Helen" is the masterpiece of this double feature. Debbie Reynolds and Shelley Winters are two friends who operate a dance studio; they are bound together by a trial in which their sons are convicted of brutally murdering a young woman and are imprisoned for life. A disgruntled relationship of the victim slices Winters' hand and makes threatening phone calls. The two women open up a dance studio in Hollywood but the stalker finds them and the nightmare begins afresh. Furthermore, Reynolds begins accusing Winters of trying to sabotage her relationship with a rich man (Dennis Weaver of "McCloud.") Meanwhile, Winter's sordid past begins slowly catching up with her until her mind snaps. This film is an enjoyable psychological horror slasher that has elements of "Psycho."
Winters is the title character in "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo." Consider it to be a bonus film. It moves much slower than "What's the Mater With Helen?" and has a very low body count. Every Christmas, the children from an orphanage visit Auntie Roo for dinner, games, presents and a sleepover. Winters decides to kidnap a young girl, Katy, who resembles her dead daughter. I never understood why Auntie Roo didn't offer to adopt her. Katy's brother, Christopher (famous child actor Mark Lester of "Oliver" and "What the Peeper Saw"), believes Winters is a witch and comes looking for his sister. With its large house, s?ances, a mummified corpse, and a secret room, "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo" would be appreciated by fans of gothic horror.
This double feature has given me a new respect for Shelley Winters. She was very convincing at portraying the psychologically disturbed. MGM has done a great job, as always, on restoring these rare films; the audio and video are superb. They would delight all fans of gothic horror and fans of the late Shelley Winters. I will always miss her.
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Summary of What's the Matter with Helen?/Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (Midnite Movies Double Feature)
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