What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice?

Lots of mordant humor and a clever plot twist at the end are sufficient reason for watching WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO AUNT ALICE?, but when a cast includes GERALDINE PAGE, RUTH GORDON and MILDRED DUNNOCK and promises to be a suspenseful film along the lines of BABY JANE and HUSH...HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE, you owe it to yourself to watch it.

It works not so much because the story (an eerie one, to be sure) is so original, but because the cat-and-mouse aspect of the story which has Geraldine Page and Ruth Gordon as adversaries in a household fraught with suspicion (of murder), is what hooks the most interest in this vastly entertaining little shocker.

However, it's a quiet one, building its suspense slowly as we come to realize just how manipulative and cunning Page's character is. She's a woman, believing her husband has left her penniless, who moves to Arizona where she will be near her nephew. But she's intent on hiring lonely housekeepers and murdering them to steal their savings. (Not unlike some real-life events depicted in a gruesome TV documentary recently). After disposing of her victims she buries them in her garden and plants another tree to mark the spot. It seems they flourish nicely, hence my suggestion above for a better title.

Gordon pretends to apply for a job after the last housekeeper has gone missing and is actually doing some detective work on her own. It's her scenes with Page that make the whole film so satisfying.

It's not a great horror film but it does have its moments, thanks mostly to GERALDINE PAGE who does a marvelous job at showing us all the tics and nuances of a very eccentric woman who means to get her way, no matter what she has to do. It's a ruthless, cunning role and Page makes the most of it.

An intriguing film with plenty of twists and turns , dealing with an aging widow : Geraldine Page who carries out dark and sinister activities with grave consequences . As a poor , eccentric widow develops an awful habit to inherit states from old women by stealing their savings . Meanwhile , an elderly woman : Ruth Gordon takes a job in hopes of solving a mystery . Whatever happened to Aunt Alice was more terrifying than what happened to Baby Jane ! . The only evidence is a growing number of trees by the drive ! . You'll know ..when the horror starts to grow ! .What makes her garden grow ...wouldn't you like to know !

This is a horrific tale with high body-count , violence , thrills , chills , plot twists and portentous interpretations . It packs an adequate cinematography by Joseph Biroc , as well as moving musical score by Gerarld Fried . Main and support cast are frankly top-notch . As Geraldine Page is terrific as the suspect widow who hires maids and hides a deadly secret which she will do anything to keep buried . She is excellently accompanied by the always great Ruth Gordon -of Harold and Maude fame- as Mrs Dimmock acting there just as odd , along with the beautiful Rosemary Forsyth , Robert Fuller and especial appearance by Mildred Dunnock . This film belongs to a sub-genre developed in the Sixties and Seventies , dealing with deranged widows or unsettling spinsters , middle-age women who often commit grisly killings , whose main representatives were Robert Aldrich with his big hit "What ever happened to Baby Jane ?" Stars Bette Davis , Joan Crawford, "Hush ...Hush Sweet Charlotte" stars Olivia De Havilland , Bette Davis and Curtis Harrington with "Whoever slew Auntiee Roo ?" Stars Shelley Winters , "What's the matter with Helen ?" Stars Debbie Reynolds , Shelley Winters , "The Killing Kind" with Ann Sothern and "Games" with Simone Signoret .

The motion picture well produced by Robert Aldrich was competently directed by Lee H Katzin and direction assistant Bernard Girard , providing a tense and competetent filmmaking . Rating : 7/10 notable . Well worth watching . Essential and fundamental seeing for the awesome interpretations of the magnificent actresses .

Although this movie looks a tad dated in certain respects - for instance a stupid subplot could have been eliminated and no one would have missed a thing - it works because of the brilliant playing of Ruth Gordon and - especially - Geraldine Page. I first watched this film at age the age nine when it was released theatrically: it was actually more enjoyable than the supposed "bigger" picture of the double feature! It is very obvious that Geraldine Page relished playing her role of Claire Marrable: she's totally awesome, so witchy and natural-like in her acting technique. Ms Marrable is a rather narcissistic woman who goes through an astonishing array of household help. Enter Ruth Gordon, a sly fox who comes to Marrable for a position in her lovely desert home. Once hired, the viewer is in for a tour-de-force game of cat-and-mouse. Played to the hilt, this little sleeper creeper is most enjoyable.

Geraldine Page gives a stellar performance as a whacked-out nutzo who delights in making compost out of her housekeepers and then stealing their money. Alas, along comes Ruth Gordon (at her snoopiest, sneakiest best) to investigate her friend's death, and then the gray hair flies. The scene in which these two senior citizens duke it out makes you see that adrenaline still pumps after age 60 (see Laurence Olivier and Gregory Peck in the climax of "The Boys from Brazil" if you don't believe me). Ruth Gordon's character reminds me of a sweet yet feisty grandma who wouldn't hesitate to deck you with a right hook if her words didn't get to you. I actually wanted to jump in there and help her kick butt since I liked her character so much. If you like the kind of film that startles you to attention, check this one out. It's very much worth a look.

I don't really care what the credits say about who directed this movie. The director may have directed everyone else, but Geraldine Page directed herself in this fabulous, campy movie of desperation. Every single tick, nuance and mannerism which you have enjoyed watching Geraldine do is in this movie. I have never seen a movie before where the lead actress so blatantly chews up the scenery. She is absolutely magnificent in this thriller sleeper. Where else can you see an actor act against children and animals and STEAL the scene. No where except here. She has a scene in a shed with a dog and SHE comes out on top. I'm sure the dog resigned from acting after this movie; far too much competition. You have got to see this movie if you are a fan of Geraldine's. Her performance is the ONLY thing that makes this movie work and she's up against the timeless Ruth Gordon and a couple of other pretty good actors. Enjoy.