Rating: 4/5
Stefanie Powell goes to visit the mother of her now deceased ex-boyfriend Stephen — per the mother’s invitation — in order to close that chapter of her life and move on with her current fiancé
“Alone, my dear? How dangerous… how foolish,” says Tallulah Bankhead as the deeply religious mother of Stephen to Powell as she arrives without her fiancé
Under the pretense of going to church the following day, Powell’s day-trip to the mother’s home is extended to an overnight stay. The first sign of something awry is the missing mirror in her room, and in all of the rooms
“She’s in the house now, my darling, my Stephen” says Bankhead to an empty room
Reminiscent of Carrie, Bankhead fervently speaks in religiosity and devotion. Somewhere between her devotion to God and her passed son and husband, she is driven to ensnare Powell and save her soul before she meets the dead son in the afterlife
A solid Richard Matheson script makes for a better than average Hammer film, in large part due to the complex power dynamics between all of the characters
Stray Thougjts
- Young Donald Sutherland spotting as the mentally disabled son… yikes, my dude
- No salt in the house? That’s when I recoiled in horror
- cutting off a huge chunk of cheese and stress-eating it is very relatable
- A great fade-to-red, we don’t get those enough
- Anna, the housemaid, her motivations are never clear but she always succumbs