Forty years ago, Charlotte Hollis faced a mysterious life as she witnessed the dismemberment of her fiance and the murderer of her father. Charlotte seems to be facing a stranger fate during this period, while suffering from the terrifying family secret, as she descends into madness after a relative arrives.
So calculated and coldly carpentered is the tale of murder, mayhem and deceit that Mr. Aldrich stages in this mansion that it soon appears grossly contrived, purposely sadistic and brutally sickening.
Bette Davis in her late, creepy mode...and still effective.
Time Out
June 24, 2006
Over the top, of course, and not a lot to it, but it's efficiently directed, beautifully shot (Joseph Biroc), and contains enough scary sequences amid the brooding, tense atmosphere.
This film is bonkers ... heady Southern Gothic decadence, histrionics from just about everyone involved, and severed body parts that pop up at the most inopportune times.
