What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? (1969)

Directed by Lee H. Katzin. Starring Geraldine Page, Ruth Gordon, Robert Fuller, Rosemary Forsyth, Joan Huntington, Peter Brandon, Mildred Dunnock, Michael Barbera, Peter Bonerz.

Debt-ridden nutcase widow Page bumps off her housekeepers and swipes their life savings, but has she met her match in her latest hire (Gordon), who knew one of the previous “missing” employees and suspects foul play? The setup is plum for this late entry during the psycho-biddy craze of the 1960s, but it doesn’t go far enough with it, and as it often goes with this sub-genre, takes too long getting to the point. Page and Gordon are well-matched, and it’s nice to see Dunnock in a small role as one of the housekeeper victims, but a lot of the supporting cast is wooden and/or uninteresting—whenever they occupy the screen without one of the stars on hand, restlessness sets in fast. Tame finale may have aimed for the high road, but the low road is where these kinds of lurid pictures thrive. The title is a clear attempt to cash in on the popularity of the psycho-biddy landmark, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?; both motion pictures were produced by Robert Aldrich. Story inspired by an Ursula Curtiss book, “The Forbidden Garden”.

59/100