Watch What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? For Free

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

I hadn't seen this at all, until very recently on YouTube, and boy was I hooked! I found it a delicious black comedy in every sense of the word. Geraldine Page (a fine actress) very clearly enjoying herself here camping it up as the snooty and obnoxious Mrs Marrible. Geraldine was in good company with Ruth Gordon playing Mrs Dimmock. A very entertaining film, despite its dubious production values. I'd even go as far as to say that I was surprised to find out that this little gem was the supporting feature to the MAIN film, when theatrically released! See it, you will enjoy it!

Despite an interesting premise and some enjoyable black comedy, What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? is a tepid thriller that holds the attention thanks to Page and Gordon whose cat-and-mouse game could be memorable were it not for slack pacing, uninspired writing and a weak, poorly staged finale involving warm milk, a sculpture, and a wheelchair that is more laughable than scary. The supporting cast made up of vaguely familiar faces is flat, and they serve no purpose other than to provide tired exposition. At an hour and 41 minutes the material feels stretched-out and the production values of the film, largely confined to one setting, give it a made-for-TV feel. Page's hammy performance is fun and a rather restrained Gordon is immensely likable. Still, the film disappoints. Not as memorable as Baby Jane, but less tedious than Die! Die! My Darling!

One of the most fun and ingenious temporary trends in horror cinema history undoubtedly were the "horror hag" movies from approximately the mid-sixties until the early seventies. These were bizarre drama/shock flicks starring elderly and most respectable dames in demented roles, such as insane murderers or mad-raving battle-axes. Director/producer Robert Aldrich should be considered the founding father of this trend and, even though there were several obscure but incredibly entertaining imitations (see below for more than just a handful of recommendations), his "Whatever happened to Baby Jane" and "Hush Hush, Sweet Charlotte" are still the only ones that stand as classic efforts nowadays. Aldrich was also responsible for "Whatever happened to Aunt Alice", albeit as a producer instead of a director, and perhaps that's the sole reason why it isn't a classic as well. Or perhaps not at all, because "Aunt Alice" is totally different than "Baby Jane" and "Sweet Charlotte" even though certain sources refer to it as the closing part of the trilogy. Geraldine Page amazes as Mrs. Claire Marrable, a totally bonkers widow whose industrialist husband left her nothing but financial debts and a lousy old stamp collection. Since she doesn't want to give up her luxurious and fancy life-style, she decides to slay a series of poor old housekeepers for their savings. Not a very profitable business, if you ask me, because how rich can you possibly get from the money of a bunch of grannies that have to clean houses to survive? But anyway, Mrs. Marrable buries the bodies under pine trees in her Arizona desert garden and gets away with it. That is, until Mrs. "aunt" Alice Dimmock applies for the vacant housekeeper position. Dimmock (the equally impressive Ruth Gordon) has a hidden agenda, as she undercover wants to find out what happened to her friend Edna Tinsley who mysteriously vanished after working for Mr. Marrable. The big difference with the other Aldrich hag-classics (and simultaneously the main default of this particular film) is that everything solely depends on the dazzling performances of the leading ladies, whereas the other two also feature a sinister atmosphere, dark house settings and black & white cinematography, convoluted plot twists and macabre set pieces. The script doesn't contain any real surprises (except a reasonably good one at the very end) and L.H. Katzin's direction lacks confidence and vision. In spite of some noteworthy sequences, the film honestly isn't that great and only worth seeing for Page and Gordon.As promised, here are some recommendations in case you're interested – and you really should be – in seeing more "horror hag" movies. Following the immense success of "Whatever happened to Baby Jane" and "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte", the lead actresses obviously became typecast a number of times. Bette Davis appeared in Hammer's "The Nanny", while Joan Crawford went much further over-the-top in delicious camp flicks like "Strait-Jacket" and "Berserk". Hammer Studios also produced the shamefully underrated "Die! Die, My Darling" starring an amazing Tallulah Bankhead. Shelley Winters also became a famous hag thanks to the double feature "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?" and "What's the Matter with Helen". Last but not least I also warmly recommend a couple of uniquely eccentric titles like "The Beast in the Cellar", "Frightmare", "Homebodies" and "You'll Like my Mother". Happy hunting!

It's cat and mouse with two of the New York stage's premier divas. Clare (Fitzgerald) lures lonely housekeepers to her small desert estate where she bludgeons them, turning their remains into tree food for her precious garden. Trouble is she hires Aunt Alice (Gordon) thinking she's another easy prey, except she's not.Producer-director Bob Aldrich, one of Hollywood's most underrated filmmakers, struck something of a gold mine by recycling aging divas into a series of Grand Guingolds, as in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962) et. al. This entry comes near the tail end of the series, and is fairly suspenseful, as Fitzgerald mugs it up as a sadistic loony barely able to contain her homicidal glee. On the other hand, Gordon deadpans it as the diminutive impostor eager to get to the bottom of the strange goings on. Together, they're the whole show, except for a number of moody wind-blown tree shots reminding us of what's underneath. There's a tenuous romance thrown in to relieve the macabre, I suppose.One thing for sure, the movie didn't cost much to produce. There're basically just two settings-- the desert plot with the two houses, and the interiors where most of the action takes place. So, you need to be a fan of aging divas conspiring against each other, because there's not much else to look at. All in all, it's a showcase, especially for Fitzgerald who looks like she's not just emoting but having fun, as well.