La Fille aux mains sanglantes

Two teenage siblings, George and Mandy, are released from a mental institution and go to live with their big sister (the gorgeous Stella Stevens), who is a live in companion to a rich widow (Shelley Winters). They were institutionalised for the murder of their parents but the identity of the killer is a twist that I saw coming a mile off, in that respect the plot is rather weak. Filmed and set in Vancouver, Canada, this is a good looking and colourful movie, it boasts nice cinematography which combines with an effective musical score to produce some genuinely creepy moments. Quite gory for its time too, plenty of blood is splashed about and the sight of a shaggy dog walking around with a severed human hand in ts mouth is very memorable. The acting is good though 18 year old George was played by 22 year old Michael Burns and his 16 year old sister was played by 24 year old Barbara Sammeth, so a pair of oldish looking teens! Apparently this is a remake of "Ladies in Retirement" (1941), a movie that I have never seen but will be seeking it out. As psycho chillers go Mad Room is no classic but worth a watch.

This is more camp than thriller. Stella Stevens is beautiful, but even as a fan, I find her dramatic scenes not up to her usual level of competence. Shelley Winters is hilariously cranky ( rumor has it she was on the set as well). The scene stealer in this piece is Beverly Garland as the alcoholic wife of Winter's "masseur."

Alright, prepare for some weird and seemingly illogical reasoning... "The Mad Room" certainly isn't complete failure, or even a terribly bad film, but considering the wasted potential and the people and source material involved, it was a bigger disappointment to me as than it would be just another bad film. Makes sense? No, didn't think so...

What I mean is that I'm 200% convinced "The Mad Room" easily could have been a lot better, and the only thing it accomplished is make me curious about tracking down the original film entitled "Ladies in Retirement", starring Ida Lupino and released in 1941.

Legendary dame Shelley Winters stars as the wealthy and eccentric widow Mrs. Armstrong. The almost equally legendary Stella Stevens stars as her secretary, and future daughter-in-law, Ellen Hardy. Troubles arise when Ellen's younger brother and sister need Ellen as their custodian and need Mrs. Armstrong's fancy big mansion as place to live. Why is this a problem? Well, because the siblings - George and Mandy - were just released from a mental institution, as they are suspected of butchering their parents at the tender ages of 6 and 8 years old!

The supposedly shocking denouement is hopelessly predictable, especially in the context of this being a late 60s horror/thriller flourishing on the tremendous success of Hitchcock's "Psycho", but that really isn't the problem. What bothers most is that "The Mad Room" is completely devoid of creativity, excitement, and sardonic humor despite all the opportunities for it! Even though featuring psychotic women aplenty, theatrical murders, and a dog wandering around with a severed hand in his mouth, the script is unfathomably dull and strictly routine.

Coming late in the 60's cycle of mature star shockers, Shelley Winters (who sounds as if she did some of her scenes in one take) and Stella Stevens square off in this watchable B that would have gone straight to video these days. Features a mutt with a taste for more than just Shmackos and worth seeing for the riveting cameo by Beverley Garland as the scorned wife drunk at a society party, but basically Stella's the whole show. Lots of zoom camerawork and 60s wigs! Ends suddenly in the best traditions! Perfect double feature with 'The Big Cube'! 6/10

Without trying to spoil too much of the whackiness here, in this ditty, you got a dog making off with someone's severed hand, you got your menacing foot bridge swaying in the breeze and you got your Stella Stevens and your Shelley Winters squaring off in the ham acting department, a few years before they both turned upside down in the Poseidon Adventure. One of them loopy movies following Joan and Bette from ... Baby Jane, where 2 sort of has been actresses vie for screen time by screeching at each other. Stella has a rather spacey look in her eye and Shelley, well, she always was a drama queen. Fun for a few laughs.