Psycho-Biddy Thrillers

[OneWayFilms]

Originally Posted by dkelly26666

I remember going to see "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" and "Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte" in first run in theaters with my mother. She took me to so many films, back then.

Many of my faves in this genre have already been covered here, as well. I would absolutely count the two previous mentioned ones above, by SeanJoyce and blueskies.

I would also add a couple of later films, like "Flowers in the Attic" and "Deadly Blessing".

Frankly, you can add the recent, "Let Him Go" to the list, as well.

I only saw Deadly Blessing ONCE when it first was released in theaters....would it be considered a Psycho-biddy film?

[bigshot]

It's on the fringes of the genre, but The Baby qualifies as a psycho biddy for me.

I would count Mommy Dearest too. My definition of psycho biddy is that it is a weird psychological horror film starring an over the hill actress, or more than one over the hill actress in a histrionic role. Faye Dunaway counts as over the hill.

You'll Like My Mother if that hasn't been mentioned yet.

The interesting thing is that psycho geezer films aren't really a genre.

[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."

[dkelly26666]

Originally Posted by OneWayFilms

I only saw Deadly Blessing ONCE when it first was released in theaters....would it be considered a Psycho-biddy film?

I think so....at least sort of... SPOILERS....




The widow who lives on the farm next door to the Amish suspects them of being the killer/stalkers. But, in the end, it's her other, friendly neighbors on the other side of her. An old lady and her cross dressing 'daughter'. It was a twist on "Psycho". There's a cross dressing killer, but there also really IS a living 'Mother', too. And in the climax, it's definitely the mother who's in charge.

[DR Herbert West]

[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.

[OneWayFilms]

I finally watched DIE DIE MY DARLING (a.k.a. Fanatic) yesterday, and enjoyed it very much, except for the ending. I thought it was a rather lack-luster ending for such a great build-up with so much potential.

[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

[Spasmo]

Yvonne DeCarlo made quite a few horror movies in the later stages of her career, in many of which she played a villain. Some notable ones include:

The Intruder
Satan's Cheerleaders
Silent Scream
Play Dead
American Gothic
Cellar Dweller
Mirror, Mirror

All of those have been released on bluray. Silent Scream, Play Dead and American Gothic are particularly juicy roles.