208) Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1971)

"So, she's bad?"

Director
Curtis Harrington

Cast

Shelley Winters - Auntie Roo
Mark Lester - Christopher Coombs
Chloe Franks - Katy Coombs
Ralph Richardson - Mr. Benton
Lionel Jeffries - Police Inspector Willoughby
Rosalie Crutchley - Miss Henley
Judy Cornwell - Clarine
Michael Gothard - Albie

It recently occurred to me that I didn't know for sure what the difference is exactly between a horror and a thriller movie. The term "horror/thriller" confused me. A lot of horror movies are categorized as such. 

A horror movie put simply intends to scare its audience. I knew that much before searching for the difference. 

Evidently, a thriller aims to keep its audience in anticipation. But doesn't a horror movie accomplish the same thing? A thriller movie keeps its audience on the edge of their seat. 

When it comes to characters in thriller movies, they're usually pulled into the scenario or evil plans of the antagonist unwillingly. Think of "Die Hard" when Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and his band of nasty terrorists as they decide to take over the Nakatomi building just as John McClane (Bruce Willis) walks in to make up with his estranged wife in time for the holidays. This is a perfect specimen of a thriller.

Horror is a bit of the same thing, but with more dreadful, unsettling imagery and actions. Horror movie characters, who are normally victims, find themselves up against powers and threats that in some way or another fall into the realm of the inexplicable. The horror more often comes to them through circumstances they can't control. And the way out of their nightmare, whatever it may be, is often through a means that's just as dreadful or paranormal as the situation they're up against. 

To put it simply, one genre builds tension, and the other builds suspense. So, it's easy to mix these two genres together. Mystery, crime and action/adventure movies can claim the label of thriller as well. 

I'm sure, if I thought about it for a few minutes, I could name a decent amount of horror/ thriller movies that are a perfect mix of both genres. While watching the 1971 holiday horror/thriller flick "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?" directed by Curtis Harrington, the topic of horror versus thriller came to mind. 

Shelley Winters with young co-stars
Mark Lester and Chloe Franks in "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?"

In this movie, Shelley Winters plays the wealthy Rosie Forrest who hosts a fabulous Christmas party every year for a group of children from a nearby orphanage inside her huge estate. 

The kids come over on Christmas eve, celebrate, and spend the night so they can wake up the next morning and see what Santa Claus brought them. 

Only ten kids are selected by the head house mother, Miss. Henley (Rosalie Crutchley), to attend.

And while Rosie, whom the kids affectionately call Auntie Roo, has a warm and welcoming grandmotherly demeanor, what the kids don't know is that she keeps the mummified remains of her deceased daughter, Katherine, inside the nursery hidden away in the attic which is setup as a nursary. 

Roo even holds regular seances to try and contact Kathrine in the afterlife. As far as she knows, these seances work. During the rituals, she can hear her daughter calling out to her from the beyond. The seances are led by Mr. Benton (Ralph Richardson) whom Roo doesn't realize is a fraudulent medium. Roo pays him to hold these seances, and Mr. Benton splits the payments with Roo's butler, Albie (Michael Gothard).

However, two particular orphans, Christopher and Katy Coombs (Mark Lester and Chloe Franks) decide they're going to sneak into the party despite not being among the ten lucky chosen party goers. 

When they're discovered, Roo doesn't mind their presence at all and includes them in the festivities. She also thinks that Katy looks similar to her late daughter. 

During the night, after the children are sent to bed, Christopher sneaks around the house, and eavesdrops on Roo's seance. 

While peaking through a keyhole, he spots the house maid, Clarine (Judy Cornwell), hiding in the pantry pretending to be Catherine from the beyond, all in a continuous effort to fool Auntie Roo. 

After the kids wake up on Christmas morning, open their gifts from Santa, and eventually head back to the orphanage, Roo kidnaps Katy to raise her in place of Katherine. Since his sister is not with the other kids, he secretly stays behind to find her. 

Of course, he's caught rather quickly. Christopher thinks that Roo is a witch who intends to cook and eat him and Katy. So, he takes it upon himself to take her down and rescue his sister by himself. 

The oldest rule, perhaps, in storytelling is to show rather than tell. "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?" seems to have nailed that rule well. There's little, if any, exposition. The story plays out rather naturally. 

And it's a prime textbook example of a genuine horror/thriller movie. It doesn't rely on much to be precisely that.

It's slightly misguided at first, as though it wasn't sure where to take itself. As the story finds its footing, it seems to realize that its plot is similar enough to the story of "Hansel and Gretel." So, that's what it decides to be - a very loose retelling of Hansel and Gretel.  

By the final act, it's proud of itself for realizing how similar it is that the audience starts hearing Christopher's thoughts in which he compares his and Katy's dilemma to that of Hansel and Gretel. 

The movie feels a little labored, especially as the two children try to escape Roo and her house but are outsmarted by her. The movie really milks the ending for all the trepidation and thrills it can squeeze out. 

It's a thriller that has a satisfyingly decent amount of fear and unsettling elements to make it a horror movie. Though the movie is overall predictable, it still manages to be entertaining. 

"Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?" is also a perfect example of the horror sub-genre known as "psycho biddy horror." I wrote about this subgenre in my review of "Mountaintop Motel Massacre" from 1983. Also often referred to as "hagsploitation," the term refers to horror movies centered on older and often wealthy women, or "old biddies," who are driven to the point of psychotic behavior. 

The genre became popular in the 1960s. Writer Stephen King made his mark in the subgenre with his novel, "Misery" which director Rob Reiner turned into a movie in 1990 staring Kathy Bates. 

"Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?" reminds me of the 2019 psychobiddy horror movie "Ma" which stars Octavia Spencer as an older mother who wins the favor of a group of teens by supplying them with alcohol and throwing them parties, all for nefarious purposes. There are some similarities between both movies. For one thing, they both have Hansel and Gretal vibes, though "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?" constantly compares itself to the fairy tale as it progresses. 

Shelley Winters puts on an amusingly uncomfortable performance. She's well cast in this role and certainly off-putting to watch, even as she plays the grandmotherly figure to the orphans at Christmas. The way she develops her character is well played. She's likeable, sympathetic, and evil in the end. 

Actor Mark Lester is perhaps better known for his performance as Oliver Twist in the 1968 musical "Oliver!"

And director Curtis Harrington is known for directing some other supernatural and psychological horror flicks such as "The Killing Kind" (1973) and "Ruby" (1977). He also directed Shelley Winters alongside Debbie Reynolds in another psychobiddy horror film, "What's the Matter with Helen?" released the same year as this movie.

The atmosphere carries enough uneasiness to keep me invested. Putting children in harm's way, especially in the looming presence of an otherwise motherly or grandmotherly figure, gives movies like this a unique edge of uneasiness and intensity. Children in a vulnerable scenario at the hands of a mother-figure threatening danger of cruelty is enough for an audience to grasp their seats unable to look away because they need to see the resolution. 

The story may be simple and predictable, but its overall creepiness and unsettling tone makes it a Christmas horror movie worthy of being a cult classic. It's a fun movie despite itself, if the mood calls for such a flick. 

207) Tales of Terror (1962)

"And it is with death and dying that we concern ourselves."

Director

Roger Corman

Cast
"Morella"
Vincent Price - Locke
Maggie Pierce - Lenora Locke
Leona Gage - Morella Locke
Ed Cobb - Coach Driver

"The Black Cat"
Vincent Price - Fortunato Luchresi
Peter Lorre - Montresor Herringbone
Joyce Jameson - Annabel Herringbone
Lennie Weinrib - Policeman
Wally Campo - The Barman

"The Case of M. Valdemar"

Vincent Price - Ernest Valdemar
Basil Rathbone - Mr. Carmichael
Debra Paget - Helene Valdemar
David Frankham - Dr. Elliot James

Halloween is over for another year, but thankfully the Fall season - my favorite time of year - carries on. If there was an ideal season for watching classic horror and thriller flicks, this is it. It's just how my imaginative mind works. 

Now that I've finished my string of Dracula/ Vampire movies for Halloween, I'm anxious to get back to other things, particularly Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe films. 

The last Poe film I reviewed was "Premature Burial" which follows a theme Poe seems to love. Namely, being buried alive.

"Tales of Terror" is an anthology movie that tells three different tales of the macabre. It's been a while since I reviewed a horror anthology movie. For a short period, I was reviewing a bunch of them and calling those reviews, "The more horror there is." They're fun to watch and comment on. I should get back to that anthology thread. 

The word "macabre" strongly comes to mind after watching this movie. And as expected, one of the stories involves being buried alive. 

As Poe is well known for writing short tales of terror, this movie has a true Poe feel to it. Thankfully, Vincent Price returns after being absent in "Premature Burial."
The Poe movies with Vincent Price were produced through American International Pictures (AIP). "Premature Burial" however was produced through Pathé Lab. While Corman wanted Price to appear in the last movie, Price was under contract with AIP. So, Ray Milland took on the lead role. But Vincent Price is back, and in three different and distinct roles! 

"Morella"

The first tale begins with a young lady (that's never a bad start) named Lenora (Maggie Pierce) as she's headed to Boston to see her estranged father, Locke (Vincent Price). He lives a reclusive life in his dark and dingy mansion. 

He's a big lush suffering from a stinging loneliness. Who wouldn't be if they lived alone for some many years in a huge house?

Locke holds a grudge against his daughter blaming her for the death of his late wife, Morella, who died while giving birth to her. 

While roaming his house, Lenora finds her mother's remains resting in a bedroom and treated as though she's only sleeping. 

Locke cannot accept Morella's death and has closed himself off from the outside world. He's waiting for death to take him, too. 

Lenora tells her father that she's sick and could die as a result. So, he begins to dissolve his grudge and allows her to stay. Despite having been estranged from his daughter, he doesn't want her die. 

That night, Morella's ghost returns to her decaying body since daughter is now in the house. She arises from her bed and restores her decaying corpse to her former beauty. But the catch is that her body is exchanged with Lenora's body as an act of revenge for being the cause of her death. Lenora's body then becomes the decaying corpse in Morella's spot.

Morella seeks out Locke and strangles him. His huge mansion catches fire, and Morella and Lenora switch places again. 

Lenore breaks a smile as she lies on the body of her dead father, while the bodies inside burn with the house. Burning houses, by the way, seem to be a reoccurring event in these Poe movies. 

Peter Lorre as Montresor Herringbone in the "Tales of Terror."

"The Black Cat"

In this segment, Peter Lorre plays Montresor Herringbone who has absolutely no love for his wife, Annabel (Joyce Jameson). 

He has even less affection for her black cat. 

He's also a huge lush like Locke in the previous story and wanders around town looking for a drink. 

After getting kicked out of a tavern, he stumbles upon a wine tasting party hosted by a widely respected wine connoisseur named Fortunato (Vincent Price). He decides to take on Fortunato in a wine identifying challenge. 

Herringbone impresses Fortunato by identifying each wine flawlessly. He chugs each glass while Fortunato sips and smells each glass like a well-trained connoisseur would. But Herringbone passes out before the challenge is over. Of course, Fortunato is just fine since getting plastered wasn't on his agenda for the night. Afterall, a connoisseur needs to stay respectable.  

At the end, he walks the drunk Herringbone home. There, Fortunato meets Herringbone's wife, Annabel (Joyce Jameson) while her husband remains passed out.  

After a while, Fortunato and Annabel become a little too familiar with each other. 

When Herringbone wakes up and realizes what happened between the two, he takes his revenge on both by sealing them up alive inside a wall in the cellar. 

However, after bricking up the wall, he doesn't realize that the black cat found its way inside as well and is now crying to get out. 

Police later show up to investigate Fortunato's disappearance. That's when they hear the crying cat which leads them to the sealed wall. 

When they break it open, they find the remains of Annabel and Fortunato. 

Vincent Price as Ernest Valdemar.

"The Case of M. Valdemar"

In the final segment, Vincent Price plays M. Ernest Valdemar who's suffering from a horrible illness that's slowly killing him.
So, he consults a hypnotist named Mr. Carmichael (Basil Rathbone) to hopefully ease his pain and maybe even cure him. 

Carmichael puts Valdemar into a trance. But then he keeps him a state between life and death as a kind of experiment.

While in this trance, Valdemar telepathically begs and pleads for Carmichael to end the trance or to kill him. But in the name of experimentation, Carmichael keeps him in this trance. In fact, he keeps him in this state for months. All the while, Valdemar's body starts to decay though he's still alive. 

Meanwhile, Carmichael starts to move in on Valdemar's wife, Helene (Debra Paget). She rejects his advances which infuriates him enough to attack her. This all happens in front of Valdemar's decaying lifeless body. 

However, he knows what's taking place. So much so that he slowly wakes up and kills Carmichael. 

 Vincent Price, David Frankham, and Debra Paget in
"The Case of M. Valdemar."

My thoughts...

I enjoyed "The Black Cat" the most. The late, great Peter Lorre launches this segment into grand heights. 

I really appreciate Corman casting Lorre in this film. His performance is fantastic, making "The Black Cat" among the most enjoyable stories in all the Poe films I've watched so far. Watching him work off of Vincent Price is the stuff of film legend. It's a real rarity to see these two on screen together. To my pleasure, they appear together in the next of Corman's Poe movies, "The Raven" which I will post commentary on later. 

Also, Basil Rathbone - Sherlock Holmes himself - is a welcomed sight as he plays a conceited character whose self-righteous style of cruelty effectively makes the audience want to dislike him. His performance lends Vincent Price a little more triumph when he awakens to kill him. 

I've heard "Tales of Terror" referred to as a throw-away horror flick, whatever that means. The talent is there with its big-name cast, and I'm partial to its gothic horror style just as I am with the other Poe films. 

The scare factor is in the scenarios, gothic sets, and situations. Like "House of Usher" in which the house is the monster, "Tales of Terror" relies on those three things. 

The first tale is decent enough, but more of the same as previously seen. It's a grim situation in a big creepy house just as the previous movies are. And the final tale is rather subtle. I think it's "The Black Cat" that really makes "Tales of Terror" worthwhile. 

Despite any problems this movie might have, I appreciate it for the variety that distinguishes it from Roger Corman's, especially with its off-putting tales. 

The subplot of being buried alive, seen in "The Black Cat" is depicted as an act of revenge rather than an act of despair as seen in "House of Usher." And that burial scene delivers one of the most chilling exchanges in the Poe series.

As Fortunato is being sealed up alive in the wall, he begs and pleads for Herringbone to let him go.

"For the love of God, Montresor," Fortunato pleads.

Montresor glares back and says coldly, "Yes...for the love of God." 

Vincent Price most impressively plays multiple characters, one for each story. Each character he portrays is depicted with completely different personalities. 

He's a depressed recluse in the first segment. That's followed by his performance as a conceited professional wine expert and scoundrel in the second segment. And in the third segment, he plays a sick man trapped in his own body. This movie alone shows how versatile an actor Vincent Price was. 

Out of all of Corman's Poe movies I've seen so far, this is the most Poe-like film. Of course, this and the previous movies takes various liberties with Poe's short-stories and poems. 

And it's an anthology movie which is right up my alley. I love horror anthologies. 

The movie really takes its time with its pace. Its runtime is two hours. 

Overall, "Tales of Terror" deserves appreciation. And it's a perfect segue for the next movie in Corman's Poe series which I can't wait to get to!