Sunday, April 6, 2008
I know Robert Aldrich mainly for doing entertaining tough guy movies like Kiss Me Deadly and The Dirty Dozen. But here is a horror movie he did about an aging, former child star who is keeping her more famous, crippled sister trapped in her upstairs bedroom. It's weirdly poised somewhere between campy and grotesque.
The best part of the movie, and what I remembered most clearly from when I had seen this as a kid, is Bette Davis's performance as Baby Jane. She's over-the-top and often funny in the role, but also intense and convincing, so much so that she's uncomfortable to watch at times. And with her overly made-up face and weird baby doll clothes... Jesus, she gets under your skin.
I mean, this movie has some flaws, and it's a little too long, but damn if Baby Jane isn't one of the creepiest, most effective characters in a horror movie. Almost every moment with her puts you on edge. Even seemingly innocuous social situations turn uncomfortable, the way she's always announcing to completly clueless people that she is, in fact, Baby Jane Hudson. And then she descends completely into insanity; by the end she's dancing in front of a crowd of confused beach goers, apparently uner the impression that they are there to see her perform. It's some unnerving shit.
Her complete detachment from reality is a little tragic at times too, so even though she's a vicious looney you almost feel bad for her at times. So in that sense, this is a great horror movie because it constantly makes you feel awful. You're either creeped out or uncomfortable at all times.
1 comment:
also the fact that some of her guilt is revealed, at the end, to be unfounded. it helps with the horrified-yet-pitying thing.
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