Psycho-Biddy Thrillers

[OneWayFilms]

As I grow older, I find myself appreciating the classic older films with aging A-List actresses in B-List horror thrillers, attempting to breath one last breath of life into their decaying Hollywood career.

I believe the original classic that started it all was 'Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?' with screen legends Bette Davis & Joan Crawford, who chewed up the scenery and clawed their way back into the hearts of a new generation of film goers, who craved cheap and tasteless gore-flicks with aging psychotic leading ladies.

The success of 'Baby Jane' opened a flood gate of more low-budget horror flicks with a growing list of elderly actresses eager to trade in their Hollywood Glamour for cheap thrillers and a quick paycheck.

This thread is dedicated to this deliciously campy genre of Hollywood Films that gave us the wonderful new phrase: HAGSPLOITATION!

I will keep this first post indexed with the titles I'm already familiar with, but as you list more, I can add them to this post.

What are some of your favorite Psycho-Biddy films, who's in them and are they available on bluray?

[lilboyblu]

You forgot the grandmother of them all!

[Mb37985]

Dear Dead Delilah
Hollywood Horror House

[James Luckard]

aka Die! Die! My Darling!

[ajabrams]

I have to admit I love this genre, although I hate the labels of "hag" and "biddy."
One that has been sorely missing is "Lady in a Cage" with Olivia de Havilland (also featuring Ann Southern). Would love to see a Blu-ray of this.

[Zarak]

[slimdude]

Homicidal which was a ripoff from Psycho.

[Gerby]

one of my favourites...

[Shanghai Express]

Originally Posted by Gerby

one of my favourites...

Would you happen to know if this release is region A-friendly?

[Jobla]

Many of my favorites have already been listed here.

One I like that doesn't appear to fit this category is THE MAD ROOM (1969) starring Stella Stevens and Shelley Winters. However, it does fit this category. It is only available as a Sony MOD. I keep hoping that Mill Creek might release it on Blu-ray, since they've released several other Sony titles.

Another film, BLOOD AND LACE (1971), is out of print on Blu-ray. Gloria Grahame stars in it.

I don't consider HOMICIDAL (1961) to be a Horror Hag flick, although it's one of my favorite films.

We definitely need LADY IN A CAGE on Blu.

A late entry in this category is THE LANDLADY (1997) starring Talia Shire. You don't EVER want to get behind in your rent to this lady! Only on DVD.

I suppose the nadir of this category would be FLESH FEAST (1970), with an aged Veronica Lake playing a deranged scientist. Only on DVD.

[OneWayFilms]

Originally Posted by Gerby

one of my favourites...

I have actually been searching for this one. Where is it available?

[Rzzzz]

Originally Posted by OneWayFilms

I have actually been searching for this one. Where is it available?

Here

I have this film and I like it...



But man, it would have been so much better if they all went on a murder spree....

[SeanJoyce]

Does Mommie Dearest count?

[bluskies]

*SPOILER ALERT* re: Friday the 13th (don't read if you don't want the ending revealed.)






Betsy Palmer.

[OneWayFilms]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

Does Mommie Dearest count?

It's so hard to say. I never really read or found any official requirements of what passes as a Psycho-Biddy classic. I mean, Fay Dunaway playing Joan Crawford is INDEED a psycho-biddy.....but I don't see it as a Hagsploitation type film, nor was it a low-budget thriller, but instead a HIGH-BUDGET Hollywood drama that accidentally became camp classic.

[Jobla]

So what is, or what makes, a psych-biddy?

For me, it's a woman who can't handle being "of a certain age." More specifically, it's when they've arrived at the age when they are no longer sexually attractive to others. This causes them grief, which they tend to take out on other people.

There's no hard and fast definition, but that's my read of the term psycho-biddy. In the 60's, the more common term was "horror hag."

My favorite scene in THE OSCAR (1966) has fading actor Stephen Boyd asking talent agent Milton Berle what kind of work he can still get. Berle glibly replies, "Horror schtick with a couple of aging actresses."

[bigshot]

Originally Posted by Jobla

For me, it's a woman who can't handle being "of a certain age." More specifically, it's when they've arrived at the age when they are no longer sexually attractive to others.

There are thousands of movies like that. I don't think it qualifies unless the film stars an aging actress who made great pictures in the past and now is reduced to doing exploitation horror. The real life casting is what defines it, not the character in the film itself.

Joseph Cotten made movies like this, and so did a lot of other great actors. But for some reason the psycho geezer films don't have the same vibe.

[OneWayFilms]

I think what's so compelling about these psycho-biddy films is watching actresses who were once considered Hollywood legends and due to their age, and being rejected by mainstream Hollywood, they are now reduced to cheap low-budget slasher flicks that exploit the actress. It's like watching a train-wreck, you gaze upon their fading beauty and talent and watch it exploited in such cheap films.

To me....THAT'S a Psycho-biddy film.

[Spasmo]

Originally Posted by bigshot

There are thousands of movies like that. I don't think it qualifies unless the film stars an aging actress who made great pictures in the past and now is reduced to doing exploitation horror. The real life casting is what defines it, not the character in the film itself.

Joseph Cotten made movies like this, and so did a lot of other great actors. But for some reason the psycho geezer films don't have the same vibe.

Exactly. This is why I don't consider Mommie Dearest to be a psycho-biddy movie - Joan Crawford was a psycho-biddy, certainly, but Faye Dunaway was still in the prime of her career at that point and though the film has become a camp classic it certainly wasn't intended to be, and was a big studio production.

Also, I think what distinguishes most of the psycho-biddy films from, say, similar films made by male counterparts like Joseph Cotten is that - for the most part - the theme of ageing tends to play a larger role. Many of the grand dames are haunted by either getting older or some traumatic event in their youth.

Anyway, great thread and thanks for starting it

[SeanJoyce]

^Considered that one, as well as

[Show spoiler]Alice, Sweet Alice