Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1971)

Director:

Curtis Harrington

Writers:

David D. Osborn (original screen story)
Robert Blees (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

8 February 1980 (West Germany)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

She's Taking A STAB At Motherhood!

Plot:

A demented widow lures unsuspecting children into her mansion in a bizarre "Hansel and Gretel" twist.

Plot Keywords:

Daughter | Christmas | Children | Widow | Hansel And Gretel

Cast

Shelley Winters	...	Mrs. Forrest
Mark Lester	...	Christopher
Chloe Franks	...	Katy
Ralph Richardson	...	Mr. Benton
Lionel Jeffries	...	Inspector Willoughby
Hugh Griffith	...	Mr. Harrison
Rosalie Crutchley	...	Miss Henley
Pat Heywood	...	Dr. Mason
Judy Cornwell	...	Clarine
Michael Gothard	...	Albie
Jacqueline Cowper	...	Angela
Richard Beaumont	...	Peter
Charlotte Sayce	...	Katharine
Marianne Stone	...	Miss Wilcox

Also Known As:

Gingerbread House (USA) (working title)
Who Slew Auntie Roo? (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 (video rating) | UK:AA (original rating) | USA:GP (Approved No. 22972) (original rating) | Canada:PG (Canadian Home Video rating) | Spain:13 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Middlesex, England, UK

Company:

American International Productions

Trivia:

According to Judy Cornwell's memoirs, Shelley Winters discovered that Cornwell had got good reviews in Wuthering Heights (1970) and demanded Cornwell's role was cut to the bone.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Running Scared (2006)

Certainly Not the Gingerbread Man!

I had the fortunate circumstance to see this double-billed as a very young child with Bava'a Baron Blood. Some of the scenes remained in my mind - particularly the creepy figure of Shelley Winters. I recently set out to see the film again some 30 years later. I remembered more than I thought I had, and the film came back to me in large part. This is not a bad film nor a good film. As another reviewer noted, it is a pleasant, harmless time-waster - for those of us who enjoy "wasting" time on such things. Mark Lester and Chloe Franks play two orphans at an orphanage. Franks has an uncanny resemblance to the dead daughter of the orphanage's greatest patroness and benefactress, Shelley Winters. Winters is so good to the kiddies that every year she invites them to her sumptuous home at Christmas for yuletide fun. She has virtually no interest in Lester but soon has the keenest of hearts for the young Franks as her dead daughter's look-a-like. Well, Lester is a growing teen rebelling, Winters decays into some form of madness, a cast of stalwart British character actors such as Sir Ralph Richardson, Hugh Griffith, and Lionel Jeffries ably aid the story, and that story degenerates/diffuses into some sinister tale not unlike Hansel and Gretel. Well, the movie has a poor story overall - but Winter's fine performance albeit over-the-top to be sure does add emotional depth to it. Director Curtis Harrington is very able behind the camera if not dazzling.