Review of What's the Matter with Helen? (1971) by Blais E — 09 Feb 2011

In this offbeat thriller/melodrama with horror overtones, Debbie Reynolds and Shelley Winters play two midwestern single mothers of two murderers in the 1930's who relocate to Hollywood to escape the negative publicity their two killer-sons generated.

Reynolds's character Adelle opens a dancing school for little girls/wanna-be hoofers, and attempts a love affair with slow-drawling, wealthy Texas-tycoon Dennis Weaver, while mentally and emotionally-fragile Helen Hill (Winters), consumed with guilt over her son's crime, and in denial over her unexpressed lesbianish-leanings towards Adelle, becomes increasingly more and more isolated, quickly losing her already-tenuous grasp on reality.

Turning to avaricious Aimee-Semple-MacPherson-like radio evangelist Sister Alma (Agnes Moorehead) for guidance, (Who actually does nothing more than fully push Helen completely over the edge-), Helen begins acting out her homicidal fantasies, beginning with her hapless pet rabbits and culminating with.

..? Director Curtis Harrington excelled in this type of material, specializing in thoughtful, character-driven horror films, rather than the overtly-graphic sleaze which was the norm of the day. The performances all around are outstanding, with Winters especially frightening and memorable as the sympathetic, yet totally-bonkers Helen.

It would seem that at this stage in Ms. Winters's career, she seemed to delight in accepting several unpleasant and unflattering roles as menacing or moderately-mental matrons ("The Devil's Daughter", "The Mad Room", "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo"-) or out-and-out totally around-the-bend homicidal harridans (This film, "Revenge" and the later "Witchfire"-); but she always undertook the part with her characterictically-unsubtle, energetic, and explosive zeal.

I think one of the many reasons I've always found Ms. Winters such an intriguing actress is that as she matured, she was always willing to leave her "Hollywood Glamour Days" behind and tackle parts that allowed her to exhibit her formidable, and sometimes hammy, acting prowess.

An interesting curiosity piece, definitely worth a look.