WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH HELEN? (1971)/WHOEVER SLEW AUNTIE ROO? (1971)
Director: Curtis Harrington
MGM

MGM's double feature disc series continues with a twin pack of Curtis Harrington-directed horror films starring Shelley Winters at the beginning of the end of a respectable career in film.

In the mid-1930's, Adelle (Debbie Reynolds) and Helen (Shelley Winters) are the mothers of a pair of murderers in WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH HELEN? With their small Midwest town in an uproar over a relaxed sentence on the men and harassing them with breathy phone calls, the two women flock to Hollywood and open a school for young child starlets. Of course the school is a big success, what with Shirley Temple being all the rage. Adelle hooks up with the rich millionaire father (Dennis Weaver) of one of her pupils, while Helen becomes infatuated with a radio evangelist, Sister Alma (Agnes Moorehead in a glorified cameo). With the two womens' lives headed in completely opposite directions, murder and insanity come calling to rain on their parade.

There's not much more I can address in a review of HELEN. The film's problem is that it's a schizophrenic mess with a promising opening that goes downhill until a disturbing, but too-little-too-late climax. This is typical with director Curtis Harrington's films. Harrington displayed a knack for the macabre with NIGHT TIDE, but not one of his follow-up horror films have been as interesting or successful. The performances by both Reynolds and Winters are admirable, considering how weak the script is, and the flashy costumes and sharp set design are shot very well. Cult film fans will jump when they spot Yvette Vickers (ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN) as the cigar-chomping Mrs. Barker, a typical show business mother, Timothy Carey (POOR WHITE TRASH) as a Depression-era tramp, Robbi Morgan ("Annie" in FRIDAY THE 13TH) as a child starlet doing a Mae West impression, and Pamelyn Ferdin (TOOLBOX MURDERS) has a cameo as a presenter at a recital. The most successful moments in the film involve the chilling phone calls and a shock involving a metal fan.

Unfortunately, if you've glanced at the cover of the DVD, you probably can guess the surprise ending. Not only on this recent DVD cover, but in the theatrical trailer included AND the theatrical poster on the back cover is the cover blown! Harrington throws in too many musical numbers (do we really want to see these kids making fools of themselves?) and the film feels much longer than it really is. HELEN winds up being a pretty unmemorable experience, owing obvious debts to WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (Henry Farrell, the author of JANE, wrote HELEN) and not being anywhere near as successful.

MGM's Anamorphic 1.78:1 transfer for HELEN looks very good. The colors are solid and vibrant, especially apparent in the Oscar-nominated costume design. The audio is a strong mono. The only feature is a theatrical trailer, which is a shame considering that Harrington contributed a commentary for the VCI disc of RUBY. The trailer is packed with spoilers and seems as if United Artists didn't know what kind of film they had in their hands!! It mixes the musical, dramatic, and suspenseful elements into one very confusing trailer, which I doubt invited much of an audience.

WHOEVER SLEW AUNTIE ROO? was shot in England by Harrington the same year as HELEN, using the same star of the previous film in a much meatier role in a more interesting premise. Winters is Auntie Roo, a rich widow who mourns the loss of her young daughter Katharine, who she attempts to contact through seances held by the town medium. Every Christmas she holds a lavish get-together for 10 selected orphans from the local orphanage, but this year two additional surprise guests arrive in the form of Christopher (Mark Lester) and Katy (Chloe Franks). Katy bears a striking resemblance to the late Katharine, driving Roo to hold her hostage in the nursery! Christopher, sold on the idea that Roo is a witch intent on eating Katy for dinner, embarks on a quest to save his sister. But who is the real monster in this modern fairy tale?

ROO is a cut above HELEN, with a stronger than expected adaptation of the "Hansel and Gretel" fairy tale and another great central performance by Winters, who floats from jovial to psychotic at the drop of a hat! Harrington's photography once again displays some expert costume and set design. But the film still feels paper-thin. The elements are all here, but nothing is really done with them. The children are not likable enough for the viewer to really care what happens to them, and by the finale they end up being more monstrous than Auntie Roo could ever hope to be! After all, all Roo wants is to love and be loved in return. And considering all she was offering the orphans was a home and anything they wanted, the finale will leave many a viewer thinking to themselves, "Are these kids idiots?" The twist ending is reminiscent of a similar plot twist seen in HELEN as well, but is much more successful because of Winters' fine turn as Roo. I'm surprised child actress Chloe Franks (THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD) went on to much of anything, she's dreadfully wooden! Cult film fans should look out for Hugh Griffith (the DR. PHIBES films) as the pigman, Lionel Jeffries (FIRST MEN ON THE MOON) as Inspector Willoughby, and Rosalie Crutchley ('Mrs. Dudley' in THE HAUNTING) as Miss Henley, the evil headmistress of the orphanage. ROO has more going for it than HELEN ever did, but it may be even more of a disappointment simply because it knows the tune, but doesn't know how to play it.

MGM's Anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer of WHOEVER SLEW AUNTIE ROO? looks just the same as HELEN: mild grain, strong colors, but with a few color flashes coming out of nowhere. Mono audio is equally as strong as the co-feature. Once again, only a trailer seen here.

While MGM has offered these two films in tip-top shape and considering that ROO barely saw a home video release in the US, their efforts are still in vain. It's nice to know that these films are available for the curious, but be forewarned going in that both films aren't worth owning and will rarely, if ever, invite re-viewing. (Casey Scott)

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