Die! Die! My Darling!

   

     Thanks to Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, hag horror became a popular genre of horror movies in the crazy 60's.  Formerly graceful and glamorous, these Hollywood legends made a huge comeback in the early 60's, starring in a bunch of cheap and exploitative but thoroughly watchable suspense thrillers. The success of WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? and HUSH, HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE unleashed a torrent of knock-offs, some bad, others quite good. Besides Crawford and Davis, stars such as Olivia DeHavilland and thankfully Tallulah Bankhead hopped on board the train, and DIE! DIE! MY DARLING! is a downright delicious entry in the genre.

     Tallulah Bankhead rips into the role of thoroughly batty Mrs. Trefoile, a former carefree party girl who's now devoutly religious. She's mourning the death of her son, who was engaged to a young and sassy Patricia, played by Stefanie Powers.  Patricia wants to pay her respects to her dead fiance's mother, and arrives at her estate. She intends to stay one night, and be on her way. But Mrs. Trefoile, already seriously imbalanced, is drawn to Patricia, and wants to "cleanse her soul" so she can meet up with her precious son again in Heaven. As a matter of fact, Mrs. Trefoile has no intentions whatsoever of Patricia ever leaving her house. Slowly Patricia starts to realize she should never have made this trip, but of course by then it's too darn late. Before you know it, Mrs. Trefoile has locked Patricia in an upstairs bedroom at gunpoint, and that's where the fun begins.

     Actually, all you really need to know about this movie is crazed Tallulah Bankhead toting a bible and a gun!...  Throw in a very butch housekeeper and a mentally challenged Donald Sutherland, and you've got yourself a steaming plate of 150% hysterical camp.  Rumor has it that Tallulah was dying during the filming of this film, and she most certainly gives it her all. She is truly something to behold. She comes across as both amusing and terrifying all at the same time, and equally holds her own with the likes of Joan Crawford brandishing an axe or Bette Davis serving dead rats. She is a hoot.  

      DIE! DIE! MY DARLING! is a truly memorable suspense thriller and camp classic from the 60's.  Being a Hammer production, and with a script by Richard Matheson to boot, you simply can't go wrong with this groovy and hysterical flick. Solid direction, acting, and claustrophobic settings all make for a wonderfully old-fashioned good time. It's absolutely fascinating watching Stephanie Powers going head to head with the great Tallulah Bankhead.