Die! Die! My Darling! (1965)

A young woman is terrorized by her deceased fiancé's demented mother who blames her for her son's death.

Director:

Silvio Narizzano

Writers:

Richard Matheson (screenplay), Anne Blaisdell (novel)

Stars:

Tallulah Bankhead, Stefanie Powers, Peter Vaughan

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tallulah Bankhead	...	Mrs. Trefoile
Stefanie Powers	...	Patricia Carroll
Peter Vaughan	...	Harry
Maurice Kaufmann	...	Alan Glentower
Yootha Joyce	...	Anna
Donald Sutherland	...	Joseph
Gwendolyn Watts	...	Gloria
Robert Dorning	...	Ormsby
Philip Gilbert	...	Oscar
Winifred Dennis	...	Shopkeeper
Diana King	...	Woman Shopper

Storyline

Patricia Carroll arrives in London to get married with her fiancé Alan Glentower. However, the stubborn Pat decides to pay a visit in the country to Mrs. Trefoile, the mother of her former fiancé Stephen, who died in a car accident. Once there, the religious fanatic Mrs. Trefoile insists to Pat to stay overnight to go to the mass on the next morning. After going to the church, the naive Pat tells Mrs. Trefoile that she was not going to marry Stephen, triggering her insanity. Mrs. Trefoile abducts Pat to purify her sins and make her pure for her beloved son.

---

Plot Keywords:

fanatic | england | religious fanatic | insanity | death | 

---

Taglines:

The ultimate in SHEAR SHOCK!

---

Genres:

Horror | Thriller

---

Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 July 1965 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Die! Die! My Darling!

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Hammer Films

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A rivalry between Tallulah Bankhead and Stefanie Powers was fabricated by the press to boost interest in the movie. In real life they got along well and their friendship continued after filming wrapped.

---

Goofs

When Patricia is first locked into her room, she tries to open the door, jiggling the handle, and we see a slender gold bracelet on her right wrist. However, the next time she tries the door a few moments later, the bracelet is gone, and we find it is on the left wrist, where it remains.

---

Quotes

Alan Glentower: What are you trying to do?
Pat Carroll: I told you, I'm going to visit Mrs. Trefoile. Now if you'll give me the keys to the car, I'll visit her for an hour and be back this evening.
Alan Glentower: But it's too far! You'll have to stay overnight.
Pat Carroll: Alright, I won't even stay with her. I'll get a room in a pub or something. I'll be back tomorrow noon, then.
Alan Glentower: And if I order you not to?
Pat Carroll: [pause] Are you going to give me the keys to the car, or do I take a bus?
Alan Glentower: [He gives her the keys] You can drive?
Pat Carroll: As well as you can!
[...]

---

Connections

Spoofed in Daria: Dye! Dye! My Darling (2000)

User Reviews

Tallulah Bankhead: the world's most dreaded mother-in-law!

It's most unfortunate that all the smaller-scaled psychological thrillers Hammer produced during the mid 60's remain somewhat in the shadows of their more grotesque and Grand Guignol featuring horror & Sci-Fi productions (like the Dracula and Frankenstein franchises or the Quatermass trilogy), because there are quite a few of genuine treasures to discover! "Fanatic" a.k.a. "Die! Die! My Darling" is such a wondrous example of an original and highly atmospheric but sadly underrated Hammer thriller. Richard Matheson's screenplay – adapted from a novel by Anne Blaisdell – is terrifically tight & uncomfortably credible, the atmosphere is uncanny throughout and Tallulah Bankhead's performance as the insane religious freak truly stands as one of the greatest in the history of horror cinema. Whilst visiting England with her new lover, all-American girl Pat Carroll plans to pay a visit to Mrs. Trefoile; the mother of her ex-fiancée who died in a car accident before they ever had the chance of getting married. Mrs. Trefoile acts a bit whiny and exaggeratedly religious at first, but still fairly harmless since the visit is meant to be brief and formal. However, Mrs. Trefoile turns into a totally religion-obsessed fruitcake when she learns Pat isn't a virgin anymore and never actually intended to marry her son in the first place! She gets more fanatic than Jesus himself and locks Pat away in the secluded mansion's attic with the intention to cleanse her soul and prepare her to reunite with the son in the afterlife. The concept of this film is simply stupendous, if you ask me, and veteran writer Richard Matheson makes sure that every tiniest possible detail in the script gets covered. There are also some very intriguing sub plots, like the awkward relationships between Mrs. Trefoile's servants and the gradual unfolding of what exactly happened between Pat and Mrs. Trefoile departed son. There are a few clearly noticeable similarities between this film and Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho", which leads to some obvious twists and a fairly predictable finale. But then again, you can't blame the film for this since pretty much every horror movie made after 1960 is influenced by "Psycho" in one way or another. Tallulah (I even love typing her name) Bankhead obviously steals the show in every scene she's in, but the rest of fine cast deserves a word of respect as well, including a young Donald Sutherland as the mentally disabled gardener. Next time you set up a list of favorite Hammer films, make sure you watch "Fanatic" first and I guarantee it will be in there somewhere.