Picture Mommy Dead (1966) User Reviews

Susan and Dad

[wes-connors · 6/10 · 23 March 2015]

Glamorous and gowned Zsa Zsa Gabor (as Jessica Flagmore) burns to death as a giggling girl removes her jeweled necklace. Three years later, sullen director's daughter Susan Gordon (as Susan Shelley) is released from a religious sanitarium and convent. The teenage young woman still seems have some mental problems, due to the shock of seeing her mother burned to death. The nuns warn father Don Ameche (as Edward Shelley) and beautiful blonde step-mother Martha Hyer (as Francene) that Ms. Gordon needs tender loving care. Since the young woman inherited everything, her parents seem more interested in getting some money...

An appropriately melodramatic and cartooning delivery help make this a fun "drive-in"-type horror movie. It also found a re-run home on TV during a time when TV movies of this type enjoyed great popularity. Bert I. Gordon's "Picture Mommy Dead" probably inspired producers to put more stories like this on their "Movie of the Week" production schedules. Just enjoy the silliness, TV movie style and snazzy score by Robert Drasnin. "The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, in your stomach and out your mouth," is a mysterious clue. It's set in majestic Greystone Mansion. As a bonus, you get to see Zsa Zsa Gabor go up in flames.

****** Picture Mommy Dead (11/2/66) Bert I. Gordon ~ Susan Gordon, Martha Hyer, Don Ameche, Zsa Zsa Gabor

The Worms crawl in the worms crawl out.....

[tamstrat · 4/10 · 24 February 2005]

This is one of those movies I saw as a young kid back in the late 60's that always stuck with me, so creepy when I was little and now that I am older it is just plain campy!!!! Susan Gordon overacts playing the demented daughter of Don Ameche and Zsa Zsa Gabor. Seems Susan comes out of a convent or was it a mental institution? Anyway, she's got major issues since her Mom burned to death in the family mansion. Now Daddy Warbucks has married her former nanny, sleazily played to the hilt by Martha Hyer. The nanny wants all of Daddy's money and is willing to do anything and anyone in order to get it. I love the scene where the toys are coming alive, pretty creepy stuff when you are 8 years old and not too bad now that I'm 43. Lot's of fun to watch and the ending comes as somewhat of a surprise. Enjoy.

Horrible/Brilliant

[JasparLamarCrabb · 4/10 · 2 June 2007]

If Bert I. Gordon directed a masterpiece, it would have to be this. Not only does it have the best cast of all his schlock operas, it has the best plot. Little Susan Gordon (Bert's daughter) is released from a "convent" three years after her mother's mysterious death to find dad Don Ameche(!) married to her one time governess (Martha Hyer). Hyer and her creepy ex-lover rekindle their romance while trying to eliminate both Ameche and Gordon. Gordon meanwhile is menaced by hallucinations of her mother (Zsa Zsa Gabor). Ameche appears to be taking this all very seriously and Hyer plays her sultry vixen bit to the hilt. Gabor has virtually no dialogue. The once great character actor Wendall Corey has a very outlandish cameo has Gabor's lawyer. It's horrible, but by director Gordon's standards it's brilliant.

Campy fun from start to finish!

[Hoohawnaynay · 26 August 2003]

One of those low budget films that had lots of style. Filmed at the famous Doheny Mansion in Beverly Hills, opening scene has a horrendous bedroom fire consuming the dead body of Zsa Zsa Gabor. I first saw this in the 70's and being a teenage pyro I was fascinated by the fire sequences. Teenage girl Susan Gordon (Producer Bert Gordon's daughter) gets let out of a convent 7 years after her mother (Zsa Zsa) gets crispy in the previously mentioned fire. Seems the girl still has some issues and things get wierd after her dad (Don Ameche) brings her back to the house where it happened! (How tacky is that?) Enter her old nanny (Martha Hyer) who just wed Daddy Don Ameche. Seems Martha wants to get her hands on an old Diamond necklace Zsa Zsa reported missing before the fire. Seems Martha is a bit of a tramp and will let anyone grab a hold of her Double D cups that will tell her where the jewels are hidden. Dig the crazy scene where Susan scratches a portrait of Zsa Zsa and the picture starts to bleed! They don't make 'em like this anymore. Wendell Corey makes a rare appearance (right before he died) as a surly character who likes tormenting Susan with remarks about the fire like "it must be what hell is like" just to watch Susan twitch out big time. Great bit of film noir (even in color) this movie has lots of shadows, great photography & direction, even the scene where the bedroom is ablaze is photographed in an almost beautiful way with the flames towering up expensive drapes and ashed slowly cascading down. Great fun, it's on video I hope they put this film on DVD. Of course, anything with Zsa Zsa Gabor is a hoot, even though here she is essentially playing herself.

Traumatized girl returns to the scene of the crime after released from a convent...

[Doylenf · 5/10 · 25 April 2012]

PICTURE MOMMY DEAD had the potential to be more than a little potboiler. Photographed handsomely in Pathe color amid elaborate settings, its look is far beyond that of the average programmer.

But two things defeat it: an absurd plot and a dreadful performance by Susan Gordon in the central role as the traumatized victim of a horrible murder scene.

The adults are a little over-the-top in performing--especially Don Ameche, Martha Hyer (looking very glamorous), and Maxwell Reed. No doubt they knew the melodramatic material was so overly meller that it didn't matter much. Hyer at least is convincing as a greedy woman who has only one objective: to get her hands on as much estate money as possible after the death of the girl's wealthy mommy and especially a glittering diamond necklace.

Zsa Zsa Gabor flits about once in awhile when flashbacks permit the girl to remember a few events as they unfolded in the past. She's every bit the glamorous creature she always set out to be, and mercifully is not burdened by too much dialog.

Most surprising is that this wasn't photographed in low-budget style in B&W. Instead, the sharp color photography puts it on a higher level than the script would suggest.

The story lacks credibility as it goes along, becoming more and more improbable by the time it reaches a predictable conclusion.

Summing up: Watchable, but hurt by a central performance that is cringe worthy.

The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out . In your stomach and out your mouth!

[Coventry · 7/10 · 20 February 2015]

I have a strange and inexplicable fondness for horror movies that feature eerie & sinister nursery rhymes… So, in spite of the mediocre rating and overall negative reviews around here, I already knew I was going to love "Picture Mommy Dead" from the very first minutes, because it opens with grim images of a woman's bedroom on fire and Zsa Zsa Gabor lying dead amidst the flames, and we simultaneously hear a kids' choir gently singing: "The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out… in your stomach and out your mouth!" All this happens even before the equally macabre opening credits appear on screen. To me personally, there aren't many better ways to begin a horror movie. Furthermore I also shamelessly admit being an admirer of director Bert I. Gordon, even though he's widely considered as one of the worst in the genre and frequently the target of mockery in popular shows like MST3K. Although his oversized animal attack movies ("Food of the Gods", "Empire of the Ants") are undeniably more entertaining, "Picture Mommy Dead" might very well be Mr. BIG's finest achievements. Sure it's still a little rough around the edges, with some very inept editing and far too many dialogs that are overlong and laughably melodramatic, but nevertheless also an atmospheric film with seriously sick & disturbing themes and several powerfully uncomfortable sequences.

Edward Shelley goes to pick up his teenage daughter Susan in the secluded convent where she spent several years in order to process the traumatizing death of her mother. Susan is the primary heiress of her mother's fortune, which unwarily brings her in a lot of danger. Daddy got married again, with Susan's former governess Francine. She's a totally immoral and money-hungry woman who constantly manipulates Susans as well as her own husband, and she even non-stop suggests calling a head-doctor in order to accelerate Susan's return to the madhouse. There's also creepy Uncle Anthony, a nastily scarred freak who whispers in Susan's ear – in great detail – how her mother slowly and painfully burned to death. Even her own beloved daddy behaves mysteriously, because he's completely broke and only has access to the inheritance in case Susan dies or gets declared insane again. The poor girl soon begins to suffer from awful nightmares and vivid hallucinations, but are they real or inflicted on her by her hypocrite family members? Martha Hyer truly gives a remarkable performance as the wicked stepmother! Her exaggeratedly phony and hypocrite attempts to help Susan remember the whereabouts of a valuable necklace definitely form the highlights of the film! Also impressive are the numerous hallucination sequences, which are quite perverse and shocking for 1966. We have bleeding paintings, diabolical dolls, accusing furry animals and even a spontaneously combusting Zsa Zsa Gabor! In order to quickly cash in on the huge contemporary success of "The Birds", Bert I. Gordon is even clever enough to insert a couple of fierce falcon-attack sequences. The climax is deliciously demented and I daresay even somewhat romantic (in a sick and perverted kind of way). Apart from the aforementioned Martha Hyer and Zsa Zsa Gabor, "Picture Mommy Dead" also features notable and atypical performances from Don Ameche and Bert's own daughter Susan Gordon. Recommended, of course, what else did you think?

This needs to be on DVD

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 14 December 2019]

Bert I. Gordon was known as "Mister B.I.G." which was a reference to both to his initials and to his preference for directing movies with giant-sized monsters and people like The Amazing Colossal Man, War of the Colossal Beast and Attack of the Puppet People.

His daughter Susan Gordon appears in this movie as well. This was her last film role, as she also was in four of Gordon's other films: the aforementioned Attack of the Puppet People, The Boy and the Pirates and Tormented.

In this film, which originally aired on December 3, 1969 on ABC, Susan plays Susan Shelley, who believes that her father Edward (Don Ameche!) killed her mother Jessica (Zsa Zsa Gabor!). After three years in a convent, she's reunited with her father and his new wife, her former governess Francene (Martha Hyer, The House of 1,000 Dolls).

Soon, she's being gaslit by visions of her mother set ablaze and pushed toward insanity, all so that the rest of the family can inherit mommy's money.

Maxwell Reed is made up with scars to portray Anthony, the caretaker who tried to save Jessica. He was the first wife of Joan Collins in real life and she'd later accuse him of drugging her and taking advantage of it on their very first date.

Wendell Corey (The Astro-Zombies) also shows up as an attorney and Signe Hasso, who was once promoted as the next Garbo, plays a nun.

Hedy Lamarr was originally cast in ty Zsa Zsa Gabor's role, but she was fired when she was arrested at a Los Angeles department store for shoplifting an $86 pair of slippers. Gene Tierney was originally going to play Francene Shelley but dropped out, as did Merle Oberon.

It was filmed in the legendary Greystone Mansion, which has been host to plenty of films, such as Batman and Robin, The Big Lebowski, Death Becomes Her, Flowers in the Attic, Phantom of the Paradise and The Witches of Eastwick. The home was unfurnished, but Gordon was able to get all of the furnishings from newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst's New York City apartment to fill it.

This is an interesting little TV movie, with no real people to root for, but plenty of great fashions and colors. It's almost like a little American giallo, except you know, Burt I. Gordon is no Mario Bava. That said, it's a fun little escape.

Nobody Will Ever Find Out

[Rainey-Dawn · 7/10 · 22 June 2014]

WOW I have been trying to remember the name of this movie for a very long time... today I goggled the famous "the worms crawl in, the worms crawl out"... and found the title of the movie "Picture Mommy Dead". I re-watched this movie today after I found the movie title again and I must say it is pretty good old film.

I recalled that as a kid this movie scared me... but after re-viewing it as an adult I find it a good mystery/thriller film.

The movie is worth watching if you like older "whodunnit" types of movies. Nobody will ever find out Daddy.

The Hearse Song is the creepiest part of this film -- the part I remembered for years.

7/10

It's terrible, dahlink.

[BA_Harrison · 3/10 · 3 March 2021]

Continuing the trend for thriller/horror films featuring 'past their sell-by date' actresses, Bert I. Gordon's Picture Mommy Dead stars Zsa Zsa Gabor, albeit in a role that is little more than a cameo, the actress (and I use that word in the loosest possible sense) only appearing in flashbacks. Gabor is absolutely terrible, but she is given a run for her money as worst actress by Susan Gordon (the director's chubby daughter, wearing one expression throughout), who plays her mentally ill daughter Susan, who has spent three years in a convent (i.e. nuthouse) after her mother's tragic demise in a fire.

At last considered well enough to go home, Susan is picked up from the convent by her father Edward (Don Ameche, looking like a second-rate Vincent Price) and his new wife Francene (Martha Hyer), who used to be the girl's governess. When Susan arrives at the family mansion, lawyer Clayborn (Wendell Corey, who mumbles his way through his lines) informs her that she is heir to her mother's fortune, but if she were to suffer another breakdown, or die, the money would go to her father. Greedy Francene, having already spent all of Edward's cash, starts scheming to get rid of her flaky stepdaughter one way or another, and also begins a search for the valuable diamond necklace last seen being worn by Susan's mother.

With a predictable plot that provides no surprises and generates zero tension, and pedestrian direction (one creepy toy scene aside), about the only reason to recommend this film is Hyer, who puts in the best performance (not saying much, I grant you) and who is quite the stunner, especially in that off-the-shoulder dress at the end (hubba hubba!).

A departure for the director

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 8 December 2020]

PICTURE MOMMY DEAD sees director Bert I. Gordon return to movies after slowing down his output considerably since his 'giant critter' boom in the 1950s. This time around he tackles a LES DIABOLIQUES psycho-thriller style movie with lots of mystery surrounding a traumatic death in the past. It's a small scale production which focuses on a quartet of characters with their own motivations and mysterious pasts. Susan Gordon, the director's own daughter, plays the lead role but isn't particularly convincing in the part, although Don Ameche as her father is okay. Most of the fun comes from the smaller parts like Maxwell Reed's scarred handyman and Wendell Corey's arch lawyer. The film's pacing is rather plodding and it only gets fun at the climax, but it's well shot and lively enough at times.

First seen on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater in 1972

[kevinolzak · 3/10 · 14 January 2021]

1966's "Picture Mommy Dead" (working title "Color Mommy Dead") was a disappointing effort by director Bert I. Gordon to break away from his reputation of giant monsters ("The Amazing Colossal Man," "Earth vs the Spider") in a dreary attempt at a psychological thriller that can't compare to his first, 1960's "Tormented," starring Richard Carlson as a guilt ridden man haunted by the ghost of his dead lover, whose life could have been saved but for his neglect. This picture, the only feature screenplay from TV writer Robert Sherman, is yet another shopworn premise from the school of 'is she or is she not crazy?' targeting a teenage girl named Susan Shelly (Susan Gordon) just released from a mental hospital with no memory of her mother's tragic death by fire three years before. Daddy Edward (Don Ameche) is advised to let the girl remain forgetful to avoid the shock of such a calamity, returning home to learn of the $500,000 inheritance from mother Jessica (Zsa Zsa Gabor) awaiting on her 25th birthday. During Susan's time in the convent her father decided to wed the girl's governess, Francene (Martha Hyer), former lover of cousin Anthony Flagmore (Maxwell Reed), who bears the burn scars of the 'raging inferno' that killed Jessica. This quartet of malcontents are not the type for any audience to spend 90 minutes with, particularly as everything is related through dull dialogue exchanges that fail to 'catch fire' (if you'll pardon the expression!). Francene is similar to Martha Hyer's previous role in "Pyro," a golddigger eager to latch on to any man of wealth, Anthony an unsympathetic cynic who owns an untamed hawk, dear departed Jessica revealed to be in love with all men except the one she married, Edward boasting a distinguished name but in desperate need of money for prestige. The climax piles absurdity on absurdity, one culprit revealed before snuffing out another, an unmistakable hint of incest between father and daughter in their mutual devotion, rather disheartening as Gordon cast his own 16 year old daughter in the lead. Don Ameche proved a real catch for the director considering those who wisely stayed away, Martha Hyer cast when both Gene Tierney and Merle Oberon bowed out, while Zsa Zsa Gabor, hardly taxed in little more than a cameo, replaced an exhausted Hedy Lamarr. "The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, in your stomach and out your mouth, if you ever see a hearse go by and think that you were going to die" is a variant on "The Hearse Song," popularized by WW1 soldiers though perhaps dating as far back as the 18th century, once you hear this children's ditty following the opening credits it's likely you'll never forget it, try as you may.

Through A Child's Eyes You Will See: Torture, Torment, And Flaming Passion!

[phillindholm · 8/10 · 8 August 2005]

This is one of schlock producer Bert I Gordon's best films. After watching her mother Jessica (Zsa Zsa Gabor) die in a mysterious fire, young Susan Shelley (Susan Gordon) is sent to a convent/mental hospital where she remains for three years. In the meantime, her father Edward (Don Ameche) has married Susan's former governess, Francene (Martha Hyer) who is also his former mistress. After Susan's release from the hospital, she returns with her father and stepmother to the family estate. Immediately, the familiar surroundings bring back visions of her dead mother, as well as a gnawing suspicion that it was she herself who is responsible for her mother's death. Meanwhile, the money-hungry Francene, who has exhausted her husband's share of his late wife's bequest, begins a campaign to return Susan to the hospital for good--thereby gaining the half million dollar inheritance held in trust for her. Enlisting the help of Susan's cousin Anthony (British actor Maxwell Reed and former husband of Joan Collins), Francene also seeks to learn the whereabouts of a magnificent diamond necklace she is sure Susan has hidden. An atmospheric production, filmed at the old Doheny estate in Beverly Hills, the scene of many subsequent films, an attractive musical score by Robert Drasnin, and fine acting by all (including Miss Gordon, the director's daughter) give this murder mystery spice. And the beautiful Martha Hyer gives it class. Look for screen veterans Signe Hasso (as a nun) Wendell Corey (as the family lawyer) and Anna Lee (as a friend of Jessica). A very good novelization of the screenplay was written by screenwriter Robert Sherman. Incidentally, the pressbook synopsis has a different ending!

"Who hated Jessica enough to kill her "that" way?"

[TheLastDriveIn · 6/10 · 11 December 2012]

Susan Gordon plays Susan Shelley a demented child not unlike Jan Brady, just released from a convent/ institution run by nuns…where she's been placed after suffering from the shock of seeing her mother, (the flamboyant Zsa Zsa Gabor) Jessica Flagmore Shelley be consumed by flames in her opulent bedroom.

Susan still traumatized by the haunting memories of her mother's horrific death and surrounded by some of the creepiest toys in all tar-nation, comes home to the palatial hearth with father Don Ameche as Edward Shelley and his new lusty, conniving second wife Francene played by sexy Martha Hyer. Edward is so blinded by his desire for Francene that he'd sell out the whole estate contents and all to give his conspiring hussy all the money, vacations and furs she wants.

Francene starts sneaking around again with brother-in-law Anthony Flagmore played Maxwell Reed. Flagmore's face has been charred from that fateful night when mommy went up in flames. His odd presence and faithfulness to his pet hawk, add an air of the macabre to the already heady script.

The brazen couple plot to drive little Susan over the edge, while trying to get her to reveal the whereabouts of her mother's missing diamond necklace.

This Grande Dame horror film is a little gem from the vintage 60s, by director Bert I Gordon, and also boasts a great supporting cast with, Wendell Corey, Signe Hasso and Anna Lee. It's creepy, it's campy and a wonderfully colorful psychosomatic romp. Cinematography by Ellsworth Fredericks, who was director of photography on Invasion of The Body Snatchers 1956 and the sublime Mister Buddwing 1966. The soundtrack includes The Hearse Song sung by Gordon…'The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out.'

OK thriller

[preppy-3 · 5/10 · 3 May 2012]

Young Susan Shelley (Susan Gordon--the director's daughter) is released from an institution three years after witnessing her mother's (Zsa Zsa Gabor) death. Her dad Edward (Don Ameche) has remarried to a young beautiful gold digger named Francine (Martha Hyer). Susan moves in with them and immediately starts having hallucinations of seeing her dead mother...and a necklace. Is she going crazy again?

OK thriller--not as bad as it sounds. It moves fairly quick, has a few nice jump moments, there's a fairly bloody (for 1966) murder and I certainly did not see the ending coming. Beautiful house too. The only big debit is Gordon. She looks way too old for her role and just simply isn't a good enough actress. Ameche isn't much better. However Hyer is having LOTS of fun with her role and makes this fun to watch. The flashbacks with Gabor are fun too. So no great shakes but OK. I give it a 5.

DVD Where are you?

[pdthorne · 5 May 2004]

So many films have yet to be released that it's shocking what does trickle down from on high onto DVD. You'd think whoever owned this little souvenir of 70's syndication would want to start seeing some long overdue profits from it already. They must be working on a Director's cut. Right.

I haven't seen this TV movie for a very long time, but I remember it well. There was a song that played over the credits that was the eeriest thing about Picture Mommy Dead. It was a little nursery rhyme with the chilling refrain;

"The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, in your stomach and out your mouth," or something appetizing like that. Is it coming back to you now?

If not, check the DVD when it does come out and see what an evening's TV entertainment used to look like in America in the late 1960's. The best thing about these movies is that because there were only a couple of options on the toob back then, everyone seems to have seen them. These were the days of the 75% share for a TV movie. "Friends" doesn't even come close in viewership. For better or worse that age has come to an end and made us less of a family.

Tired and talky mystery with a few effective scenes

[highwaytourist · 4/10 · 14 August 2011]

This is one of many films which is "inspired" by such films as "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" and "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte." It's also one of the less memorable ones. In it, a glamorous wealthy socialite (Zsa Zsa Gabor, ideally cast) dies in a fire under mysterious circumstances and the priceless diamond necklace she was wearing when she died has disappeared. Her little daughter witnessed the event and was traumatized and forgot. After several years in a convent for disturbed young people, her father (Don Ameche) brings her home along with his new wife (Martha Hyer), who was the daughter's governess when the fire occurred. Well, in the will, the daughter (Susan Gordon) was left virtually everything, but can't touch it until she turns 25. The father was largely left out of the will, which has damaged his marriage to the conniving, gold-digging new wife. Daddy is in such dire straights, he has to sell the furniture. He didn't even inherit the house, which was left to the government as a historical site. But if something were to happen to her, the money would go to someone else. Among the potential heirs is Gabor's creepy cousin (Maxwell Reed), who is also the caretaker and who was injured trying to save his cousin's life. So strange things start happening in the house, to the surprise no one. This was old hat as even back in 1966, but the house makes a good setting and there are a few creepy scenes and surprise twists. Problem is there aren't enough of them to sustain a feature-length film. Some of the acting works. Martha Hyer gives a credible performance as the wicked stepmother and Wendell Corey is dryly amusing as the cynical family lawyer settling the estate at the beginning of the film. While Zsa Zsa Gabor only has a minor role despite her prominent billing, she is the perfect choice to play the haughty and pampered socialite whose death is the center of the film. Call it a failure with a few bright moments here and there.

PICTURE MOMMY DEAD (Bert I. Gordon, 1966) **1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 6/10 · 12 October 2013]

The inheritance of a wicked woman who expired mysteriously in a fire is contended by her alternately scheming, resentful and disturbed surviving family members. After years pillaging the Sci-Fi genre, the director turns his attention this time out to the 'Grand Guignol'-type thrillers popularized by Robert Aldrich's WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (1962); to his credit, Gordon's contribution – though essentially dreary – is no worse than most efforts in this vein…but therein lies the problem, for we have all been here once too often. Typically, we have a fine cast letting their hair down, in this case: Don Ameche (as the patriarch), Martha Hyer (as his daughter's governess, whom he loves), Wendell Corey (possibly inebriated judging from his slurred delivery of lines!) as the family lawyer, Signe Hasso (as the nun who raised Ameche's traumatized daughter), Zsa Zsa Gabor (as Ameche's late, egotistical wife) and Anna Lee (as a society matron). Also involved in the sinister goings-on are the director's own daughter Susan (the progeny of Ameche and Gabor) and menacing, facially-scarred butler Maxwell Reed. Interestingly, the film starts with Gabor's death which is elaborated upon intermittently throughout the film in red-tinted flashbacks and comes full circle with history repeating itself…only with a different, if equally deceitful, victim this time around. Apparently, Gene Tierney and Hedy Lamarr were considered for the roles eventually played by Hyer and Gabor!

Forgettable Campy Thriller

[josephbrando · 5/10 · 23 February 2010]

There is enough decent atmosphere and loathsome characters in this film to hold your attention for its duration, but that's about it. It has the feel of a made-for-TV film from the 1970's but I'm fairly certain this was released at the movies. Young Susan has just been released from a convent/mental institution after seeing her mother (Zsa Zsa) killed in a fire in their home. Unfortunately she is going back to the same house where her father (Amece) now lives with his new wife (Hyer) who is Susan's former governess and the creepy caretaker, Anthony (Reed). All are despicable people who have their own sneaky agendas tied to the complicated will being left to young Susan. Poor Zsa Zsa is in the film for a combined total of about one minute. The rest of the actors are good, except for Susan Gordon who plays the young daughter. She is one of the worst actors I have ever seen, and her terrible performance is the main thing hampering this production down. This will probably only be of interest to those who viewed it when it first came out, or fans of 1970's haunted house movies.

Hokey but decent melodrama with chills , thrills , suspense , twists and turns

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 8 July 2022]

Acceptable picture about twisted criminal schemes that go wrong . Short budget B-movie dealing with adolescent Susan Shelley (Susan Gordon) who is released from an asylum where she's been locked after the shock she suffered from her wealthy socialite mother Jessica's (Zsa Zsa Gabor) fiery death . Nowadays , her daddy (Don Ameche) has a new wife (Martha Hyer) who carries out malicious purports and has only married him for the money Jessica left him . Susan is still haunted by her mother's records , and her stepmother has sinister activities , as she is conspiring with her lover (Maxwell Reed) to trick the troubled girl . But Susan interferes her plans into leading them to Jessica's missing diamond necklace. Who hated Jessica enough to kill her "that" way? Her lips, cold as a tomb! Her caress , a naked chill! Tormented by the ghost of her mother ! Inferno of Terror! Through a Child's Eyes .You Will See Torment ... Murder ... And Flaming Passion! . See terror catch fire!

Well acted melodrama involving a scheming shrew freed from a mental institution where she's been confined , while her stepmother struggles to drive her mentally disturbed stepdaughter insane for the sake of cold , hard cash . Moderately eerie B chiller/thriller , made in William Castle style , it is impressively lifted thanks to a good cast , including interesting and surprising script by Robert Sherman with plenty of twists and turns . Genuinely frightening and intriguing movie features awesome acting from Don Ameche , Martha Hyer and Susan Gordon , as well as other restrained performances . This is a thrilling movie blending intriguing elements , thrills , chills , femme fatale and suspense from start to finish . A terrifying and astonishing story about greed with continuous intrigue, tension and plot twists . In spite of its low-budget the film works well, being well-paced and well made. Stars Don Ameche who was a notorious Hollywood actor , along with the always beautiful and elegant Martha Hyer as the mean spouse newly married to Ameche while battling her stepdaughter and special mention for Susan Gordon , director's daughter , as the mischievous, mysterious and strange teenager possessed by late mother's spirit . While the support cast, playing decently too , they are pretty good , such as : Zsa Zsa Gabor as the glamorous mother Jessica Flagmore , Maxwell Reed , Wendell Corey , Anna Lee and Signe Hasso as Sister René .

Here stands out the brilliant cinematography by cameraman Ellsworth Fredericks , as well as suspenseful and rousing musical score by Robert Drasnin . The picture was decently directed by Bert I. Gordon. An expert director well known for his unusual pictures , monster films and gimmicks that had large reception for the general public , though his films were mostly panned by critics . He is a good artisan working from the 50s to 2000s , making passable films in low budget. He's directed movies of all kinds of genres as children films : ¨The Magic Sword¨, ¨The boy and the pirates¨. About witchery and necromancy : ¨The Witching¨, ¨Burning at the stake¨, ¨Satan's princess¨. Erotic or Softcore : ¨The Big Bet¨, ¨Let's do it¨. And Bert has a penchant for fantasy with giant beings and huge animals : ¨The Cyclops¨, ¨King Dinosaur¨, ¨Earth vs the Spider¨,¨Beginning of the end¨, ¨War of the Colossal beast¨, ¨Village of the giants¨, ¨Attack of the Puppet people¨, ¨Empire of the ants¨, ¨The food of the goods¨, among others . Rating :6/10, acceptable and passable.

Not a bad idea but the film could easily have been better.

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 20 March 2015]

"Picture Mommy Dead" was poorly written, poorly acted at times and very poorly directed. Other than that, it was terrific.

The film begins with a fire and a lady (Zsa Zsa Gabor) burning to death. In the next scene, years have passed and the dead woman's daughter is being checked out of a mental institution by her father. Apparently, she witnessed the killing and her mind snapped. Once she's home, however, it soon becomes rather apparent that she is rather demented and she keeps having weird hallucinations and recollections about the night her mother died. Her evil step-mother (Martha Hyer) wants to take advantage of these memories, as there was a super-valuable necklace that disappeared that night--and this nasty woman wants it all for herself. Where does all this end? See the film...or not.

The worst acting was Susan Gordon who played the mentally ill daughter. If the name sounds familiar, she's the director's daughter and her acting is highly reminiscent of Sophia Coppola's in "The Godfather III". Surprisingly, Don Ameche (the father) is pretty bad as well, as he seemed awfully zombie-like at times. Only Hyer came off well. But regardless, the dialog was often dumb and the murder with the grappling hook surprisingly stupid. Not at all good but not so bad that it would be of interest to folks due to its kitsch value.

Horror tripe in tacky color...

[moonspinner55 · 3/10 · 17 October 2009]

Suspicious-acting man brings home glamorous new wife to meet his equally suspicious daughter, who harbors a psychotic side; turns out Wife #1 burned to death in a most suspicious fire. Over-the-top screamer with a terribly undistinguished cast: bloated Don Ameche--still acting as if he were reading his lines from cue-cards--joined by Martha Hyer and Zsa Zsa Gabor! Pallid B-movie outing from director and co-producer Bert I. Gordon, filmed in gloppy Pathécolor (with sets designed by a team who apparently loved the color red). Robert Aldrich was Gordon's production partner, but this is a big step down from "Baby Jane". Tired and depressing the entire way. *1/2 from ****

A rare cult classic!

[N. Eades-2 · 9/10 · 22 October 1998]

Martha Hyer, Don Ameche, and Zsa Zsa Gabor in a horror film?

-- It's definitely cult material. The three stars give unusually good performances for this type of film, with the rest of the cast over and under-acting. Truly an unusual horror film, the plot of this haunted mansion-whodunit isn't as predictable as it would seem. It's hard to find, but worth it.

Low Budget Fun!

[grantch · 22 April 2004]

34 years have not dimmed the memory of this super low budget thriller. The special effects remind me of a Mario Bava film because maximum use is made of camera angles and light and shadow. Mind you, I only saw this shocker once at a remote air base but, along with the early Dario Argentos (Bird, Cat & Flies), What's the Matter with Helen?, Who Slew Auntie Roo?, and Romero's original Night of the Living Dead, this flick hit my funnybone and I remember its twisted plot and shocking ending as fondly as I remember those schlocky Bill Castle masterworks, Homicidal and Strait-Jacket. Seriously, the film is a fun ride and if you like Grade B thrillers, you'll get a big kick out of it. So, please, put it on DVD before the film stock dissolves!

One of Bert I. Gordon's more accomplished movies

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 10 August 2009]

Troubled and kind-hearted little girl Susan Shelley (sweetly played with real charm by Susan Gordon) gets released from an asylum and put in the custody of her broke, ineffectual father Edward Shelley (a fine performance by Don Ameche). Since Susan is the heiress of a considerable fortune, not surprisingly her mean, wicked stepmother Francine Shelley (deliciously essayed to the bitchy hilt by Martha Hyer) begins to torment her. Moreover, Susan has disturbing visions of her deceased mother Jessica Shelley (the one and only Zsa Zsa Gabor). Is Susan going crazy? Or is it a sinister plot to drive her nuts? Director Bert I. Gordon, working from an intricate script by Robert Sherman, relates the absorbing story at a steady pace, does an expert job of creating and maintaining a brooding and gloomy Gothic atmosphere, and stages the shock scenes with considerable brio. The cast have a ball with the juicy material: Susan Gordon makes for a sympathetic lead as the token innocent surrounded by treacherous adults, Maxwell Reed does well as bitter and scarred caretaker Anthony, and Wendell Corey contributes a memorably nasty cameo as sour, cranky and brutally blunt lawyer Clayborn. The special effects are pretty solid and convincing, with a bleeding painting and shots of Jessica on fire rating as effectively creepy images. The inevitable fiery ending may be a tad predictable, but it's still potent and unsettling just the same. The crisp color cinematography by Ellsworth Fredericks supplies a wealth of handsome visuals. Robert Drasnin's spooky ooga-booga score likewise hits the bull's eye. A fun little flick.

An unhorror, campy film!

[CDC0805 · 21 January 2003]

During the early 1970's, channel 05 (KTLA-TV) showed the same movie during an entire week. This film was one of them.

I always enjoy this un-horror film. It was enjoyable seeing the extravagant life-style of a privileged, but not-so-wealthy dysfunctional family.

The late Don Ameche and the not-so-late Zsa Zsa Gabor were a delight. I highly recommend this film for those over 30 years of age.