Made fun by one of the last appearances of Agnes Moorhead, this entry into the hag horror genre is defeated by a trashy low budget and excessive gore. Its back story starts with an obviously demented plain young woman (Patricia Carmichael) talking to her dead mother's bloody corpse while making herself up for a date which obviously never occurs. Released from a mental institution, she goes to work for imperious southern matriarch Moorhead whose greedy clan seemingly can't wait for her to croak. Moorhead, their stepmother, announces that she's dying and that the estate will go to the state and a bequest of $5000 will go to each of them. She then sets up a rave to find money their father hid on the estate, leading to a series of gruesome killings that seem to point to nurse Carmichael.
With the role of a cranky goose and a brief run in the Broadway musical "Gigi" awaiting her, this was Moorehead's first film after nearly a decade as Endora awaiting her. She manages to create a memorable characterization, playing the part with commanding authority and not losing her dignity. Will Geer, Michael Ansara Anne Meachum, Dennis Patrick and Emmy winning soap actor Robert Gentry are among the supporting cast, with hunky Gentry having some interesting sadomasochistic tendencies added to a kinky love scene. Carmichael's story needed more detail to make her into a completely interesting and sympathetic character. I wouldn't call this a complete disaster, but it suffers from truly horrid technical aspects that makes it appear quite amateurish.
With the role of a cranky goose and a brief run in the Broadway musical "Gigi" awaiting her, this was Moorehead's first film after nearly a decade as Endora awaiting her. She manages to create a memorable characterization, playing the part with commanding authority and not losing her dignity. Will Geer, Michael Ansara Anne Meachum, Dennis Patrick and Emmy winning soap actor Robert Gentry are among the supporting cast, with hunky Gentry having some interesting sadomasochistic tendencies added to a kinky love scene. Carmichael's story needed more detail to make her into a completely interesting and sympathetic character. I wouldn't call this a complete disaster, but it suffers from truly horrid technical aspects that makes it appear quite amateurish.