Fanatic (1965)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Silvio Narizzano

Writers:

Anne Blaisdell (novel)
Richard Matheson (writer)

Release Date:

21 March 1965 (UK)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

She's One Mean Mother-in-Law!

Plot:

A young woman is terrorized by her fiance's demented mother who blames her for her son's death.

Plot Keywords:

Religious Fanatic | Fanatic | Death | Insanity | England

Cast

Tallulah Bankhead	...	Mrs. Trefoile
Stefanie Powers	...	Pat Carroll
Peter Vaughan	...	Harry
Maurice Kaufmann	...	Alan Glentower
Yootha Joyce	...	Anna
Donald Sutherland	...	Joseph
Gwendolyn Watts	...	Gloria
Robert Dorning	...	Ormsby
Philip Gilbert	...	Oscar
Winifred Dennis	...	Shopkeeper
Diana King	...	Woman Shopper

Also Known As:

Die! Die! My Darling! (USA)

Runtime:

Australia:95 min | USA:97 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

UK:15 (DVD rating) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:TV-14 | West Germany:18 | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:M | Finland:(Banned) (1965) | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Letchmore Heath, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

Trivia:

The producers considered replacing Tallulah Bankhead during filming when she became ill and was unable to work. However, Bankhead put up her salary for the film as a guarantee she'd finish the film if she wouldn't be replaced.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Patricia is first locked into her room, she tries to open the door, jiggling the handle, and we see a slender gold bracelet on her right wrist. However, the next time she tries the door a few moments later, the bracelet is gone, and we find it is on the left wrist, where it remains.

Quotes:

Mrs. Trefoile: This was his room.
Pat Carroll: His?
Mrs. Trefoile: Stephen's!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Suddenly Susan: Lie! Lie! My Darling (#1.6)" (1996)

Act, Act Tallulah!

Bette and Joan got the ball rolling and, thankfully, Tallulah hopped on board and got in on the mid-'60's bandwagon of formerly glamorous mega-stars starring in exploitive suspense films. This film was made, literally, during Bankhead's last gasps of life and she gives it her ALL. She plays a fanatical widow, deeply devoted to her dead son and husband and steeped in literal Biblical translations and practices. When her late son's girlfriend (Powers) comes for a visit, she attempts to forge a spiritual bond with her and indoctrinate her into the rigid and fundamental ways of her life. However, worldly Powers will have none of it and soon has to pay for her transgressions. The thing kicks of with a symbolic, so-1960's credit sequence of a cat chasing a mouse (while blaring music blasts away.) Soon Powers arrives at Bankhead's rundown estate and the fun begins. Every glance, every nuance, every crackled, garbled word of Bankhead's performance is so interesting and right on, it is REQUIRED VIEWING to watch her a second time in order to catch all the hooty lines she spits out. Her inimitable growl of a voice ranges from blithely polite (as she spouts her platitudes on the simplicity of a clean life) to outright maniacal ("He died in a car accident!!") and she's a complete joy to behold. The woman was almost never seen without her smear of make-up and her shoulder length hair, but here she dissolves into character with almost no make-up and her hair in a sedate bun. Even though Powers often overacts certain reactions and intentions, she makes a good adversary for Bankhead. They square off against each other pretty well. Some decent British supporting actors round out the cast including a menacing and bothersome Vaughn and a barely recognizable Sutherland, quite convincing as a mentally handicapped odd job man. The film is dated in its hair/clothing and some of it's jerky camera work and music, but still manages to be quite creepy and suspenseful. It's Tallulah's show all the way, though. The relish with which she attacks this final screen role is a treasure to witness. Unforgettable.