A pretty weak psychological thriller disguised as another grand old dame of the cinema now reduced to making an exploitive horror film! This time, it's Tallulah Bankhead's turn. Never what you'd call an A-list movie star, Bankhead, with her foghorn voice still intact (her one-time sultry looks are gone, time was not very kind to her), is a spinster living in the English countryside who is visited by the one time fiancé (Stephanie Powers) of her deceased son. At first welcoming, Bankhead soon turns on the girl and holds her hostage. Silly dialog (Bankhead is a religious fanatic and goes on and on about how she's going to purify Powers...which is sort of ironic given Bankhead's notoriously hedonistic off-screen history). The dull direction is by Silvio Narizzano, who attempts to heighten suspense by turning up composer Wilfred Joseph's increasingly shrill music. It's not in a class with WHATERVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE, but is's certainly more bearable than LADY IN A CAGE and does have a terrific early performance by Donald Sutherland as the dimwitted handy man who does Bankhead's bidding.
Review of Die! Die! My Darling!
