What's the Matter with Helen? (1971)

Absolutely brilliant

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

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

One of the more curious subcategories of the horror field, the genre known as hagsploitation (sometimes called psycho-biddy films, Grande Dame Guignol and, as my buddy Rob calls it, aging-gargoyle movies) got its jump start with the release of the seminal "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?," starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, in 1962. After the success of that truly remarkable film, the crone gates were opened, and it was quickly followed by others, in which formerly glamorous actresses, now advanced in years, got to play aging biddies on the verge of madness. Such films as "Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte" (1964, with Davis, Olivia de Havilland and Agnes Moorehead), "Strait-Jacket" (also '64, with Crawford again) and "What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice" ('69, with Geraldine Page and Ruth Gordon) proved marvelous entertainments, and thus, as the '70s began, the hagsploitation genre showed no signs of abatement. Case in point: "What's the Matter With Helen?," which opened in June '71 and starred yet two more former beauties, Shelley Winters and Debbie Reynolds, going hysterically bonkers for the audience's delectation.Unlike "Baby Jane," which had begun in the 1930s and flashed forward to modern times, the film in question transpires entirely in the '30s. As the film opens, the viewer sees, on a news reel, footage of the distraught Adelle Bruckner (Reynolds) and Helen Hill (Winters), whose sons have just been sentenced to life in prison for the thrill killing of a woman in the town of Braddock, Iowa. The two women, after receiving death threats from a mysterious stranger on the phone, decide to change their names and move to Hollywood, where Adelle opens a dance school for young Shirley Temple wannabes, with Helen acting as her assistant. All seems to go well, although Helen is convinced that a stranger is watching them with evil designs. Adelle even starts to date a handsome rich Texan, Linc Palmer (played by a suave and excellent Dennis Weaver, who was just beginning his McCloud stint on TV), much to Helen's resentment and seething jealousy. But soon enough, things start to go very wrong, as Helen begins to hallucinate, confesses to Adelle that she had murdered her husband many years before, and starts to become enraptured by the voice of a female radio evangelist. Inevitably, her crack-up is NOT a pleasant one for all concerned...."What's the Matter With Helen?" manages to keep a light tone throughout its initial first half, and the viewer begins to wonder if this is indeed a horror film that he/she is watching or not. That first half even manages to shoehorn in a girls' dance recital (Adelle's so-called Kiddy Star Revue), although there are surely signs of creeping unease to be had, such as Helen's murderous revelation, the startling arrival of a tramp at Adelle's doorway (the great character actor Timothy Carey), and Helen's frightening visions. The film reserves its truly gruesome horrors for the final 15 minutes, and I cannot say that all the characters here get what they deserve--especially Adelle--but that just makes the film even more horrifying. Although the film is an unqualified addition to the hagsploitation genre, Debbie Reynolds' Adelle surely does not look anything like an old crone here; in fact, she is quite gorgeous, especially after moving to Hollywood and assuming a Jean Harlow-like blonde hairdo. Reynolds was pushing 40 here, and a good 20 years past her "Singin' in the Rain" breakthrough, but nevertheless gets to show off her remarkable hoofing abilities, performing a frenetic jitterbug as well as a sexy tango. She easily steals the first half of the picture, although 50-year-old Winters, naturally, walks away with the second. Besides these two, 70-year-old Agnes Moorehead gets to shine in her brief role as that evangelist; Michael MacLiammoir, who the gals hire to give elocution lessons at their school, does an astoundingly good Sydney Greenstreet imitation; and "Star Trek" alumnus Logan Ramsey contributes a good bit as a police detective. Also in the cast is cult actress Yvette Vickers, as one of the mothers of those young girls; I must confess that I did NOT recognize her as the film proceeded. "What's the Matter With Helen?" has been well directed by Curtis Harrington and offers up a winning script from Henry Farrell, who had written the original "Baby Jane" novel in 1960, as well as the screenplay for "Hush...Hush." The film's theme music by David Raksin, sadly, is fairly unmemorable; at least, as compared to his gorgeous and classic theme for 1944's "Laura," admittedly one of the finest of all time. The film balances itself just on the right side of camp without teetering over, and like "Baby Jane," reserves some genuine surprises for the viewer until the very end. It is, overall, a very entertaining experience. Now I find myself wanting to see still another psycho-biddy film that Winters appeared in in '71, also directed by Harrington: "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?" Stay tuned....

Some of the background details of this story are based, very, very loosely, on real events of the era in which this was placed. The story combines some of the details of the famous Leopold and Loeb case along with a bit of Aimee Semple McPherson.The story begins with two mothers (Shelley Winters and Debbie Reynolds) being hounded as they leave a courtroom. The crowd seems most intent on doing them bodily harm as their sons were just convicted of a heinous thrill crime. One person in the crowd apparently slashes Winters' hand as they make their way to a waiting car.Soon after they arrive home, they begin getting threatening phone calls, so Reynolds suggests they both move to the West Coast together and open a dance school. The dance school is s success and they cater to incredibly obnoxious parents who think their child is the next Shirley Temple. One of the parents of these spoiled kids is a multimillionaire who is quite smitten with Reynolds and they begin dating. Life appears very good. But, when the threatening phone calls begin again, Winters responds by flipping out--behaving like she's nearing a psychotic break and she retreats further and further into religion--listening on the radio to 'Sister Alma' almost constantly. Again and again, you see Winters on edge and it ultimately culminates in very bad things!! I won't say more, as it might spoil this suspenseful and interesting film.In many ways, this film is a lot like the Bette Davis and Joan Crawford horror films of the 1960s like "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?", "Straight-Jacket" and "The Nanny". While none of these are exactly intellectual fare, on a kitsch level they are immensely entertaining and fun. The writing is very good and there are some nice twists near the end that make it all very exciting. Winters is great as a fragile and demented lady and Reynolds plays one of the sexiest 39 year-olds I've ever seen--plus she can really, really dance.My only concern about all this is that some might find Winters' hyper-religiosity in the film a bit tacky--like a cheap attack on Christianity. At first I felt that way, but when you meet Sister Alma, she seems sincere and is not mocked, so I took Winters' religious zeal as just a sign of craziness--which, I assume, is all that was intended.By the way, this film is packaged along with "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?"--another Shelley Winters horror film from 1971. Both are great fun...and quite over-the-top!

There's a lot the matter with Helen and none of it's good. Shelley Winters and Debbie Reynolds play mothers of a pair of Leopold & Loeb like killers who move from the mid-west to Hollywood to escape their past. Reynolds, a starstruck Jean Harlow wannabe, opens a dance studio for children and Winters is her piano player. Soon Winters (as Helen) begins to crack up. It's all very slow going and although there are moments of real creepiness (nasty phone calls, a visit from wino Timothy Carey), the movie is devoid of any real horror. Nevertheless, it's still worthy entertainment. The acting divas are fine and the production values are terrific. A music score by David Raskin, cinematography by Lucien Ballard and Oscar-nominated costumes contribute mightily. With this, A PLACE IN THE SUN and LOLITA to her credit, does anyone do crazy as well as Winters? Directed by Curtis Harrington, a master at this type of not quite A-movie exploitation. In addition to Carey, the oddball supporting cast includes Dennis Weaver, Agnes Moorehead (as a very Aimee Semple McPherson like evangelist), Yvette Vickers and Micheál MacLiammóir (the Irish Orson Welles) as Hamilton Starr, aptly nicknamed hammy.

A vastly underrated black comedy, the finest in a series of grand guignol movies to follow 'Baby Jane'. Reynolds and Winters are mothers of young convicted murderers (a nod to 'Compulsion') who run away to hide in Hollywood. They run a school for would-be movie tots, a bunch of hilariously untalented kids attended by awful stage moms. Debbie, in her blonde wig ('I'm a Harlow, you're more a Marion Davies' she tells Winters) leads the tots at their concert and wins a rich dad, Weaver. She also does a deliciously funny tango and, over all, gives an outstanding performance, unlike anything she'd done before. The atmosphere is a fine mix of comic and eerie. It looks wonderful with great period detail (30's). Lots of lovely swipes at Hollywood and the terrifying movie tot. Micheal MacLiammoir has a ball as the drama coach: 'Hamilton Starr', he purrs, 'two r's but prophetic nonetheless'. See it and love it.