Despite the hair-raising ads ("It's DEAD time!"), a mild British thriller from American-International Pictures with Shelley Winters camping it up as loony woman mourning her dead daughter, convinced a little orphan girl is her deceased child come back to life. Allegedly conceived as a "Hansel and Gretel" revision, the film has some suspense and sharp editing, also a satisfying wrap-up. Say what you will about Shelley's style of acting, she makes a dandy villainess; going from sugary sweetness to angry paranoia in record time, one begins to fear these kids don't stand a chance. Following on the tail-end of the "Baby Jane" cycle, "Auntie Roo" isn't "respectable" work... however, on the bottom-half of a drive-in double feature, it's enjoyable enough. Curtis Harrington directs in workman-like fashion, and probably deserved a medal after having helmed "What's the Matter With Helen?" with Winters the previous year. ** from ****
Review of Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?
