Woodyanders Review of Picture Mommy Dead

Picture Mommy Dead (1966)

One of Bert I. Gordon's more accomplished movies

[8/10 · 10 August 2009]

Troubled and kind-hearted little girl Susan Shelley (sweetly played with real charm by Susan Gordon) gets released from an asylum and put in the custody of her broke, ineffectual father Edward Shelley (a fine performance by Don Ameche). Since Susan is the heiress of a considerable fortune, not surprisingly her mean, wicked stepmother Francine Shelley (deliciously essayed to the bitchy hilt by Martha Hyer) begins to torment her. Moreover, Susan has disturbing visions of her deceased mother Jessica Shelley (the one and only Zsa Zsa Gabor). Is Susan going crazy? Or is it a sinister plot to drive her nuts? Director Bert I. Gordon, working from an intricate script by Robert Sherman, relates the absorbing story at a steady pace, does an expert job of creating and maintaining a brooding and gloomy Gothic atmosphere, and stages the shock scenes with considerable brio. The cast have a ball with the juicy material: Susan Gordon makes for a sympathetic lead as the token innocent surrounded by treacherous adults, Maxwell Reed does well as bitter and scarred caretaker Anthony, and Wendell Corey contributes a memorably nasty cameo as sour, cranky and brutally blunt lawyer Clayborn. The special effects are pretty solid and convincing, with a bleeding painting and shots of Jessica on fire rating as effectively creepy images. The inevitable fiery ending may be a tad predictable, but it's still potent and unsettling just the same. The crisp color cinematography by Ellsworth Fredericks supplies a wealth of handsome visuals. Robert Drasnin's spooky ooga-booga score likewise hits the bull's eye. A fun little flick.