Ellie (1984) User Reviews

Downhome Version Of The Elektra Myth, At Times Comical But Cumulatively Neglible.

[rsoonsa · 3/10 · 2 February 2006]

From whichever domain that currently houses the soul of Aeschylus might be heard rapid rotative sounds if the author of the Oresteian Trilogy would happen to be cognizant of this obvious but perfunctory adaptation, as advertised by the film's producers, of the timeless conflict between Elektra and Clytemnestra. Shelley Winters performs as Cora, a widow whose bereavement is due to homicidal inclinations that she shares with her three sons, their prey a string of husbands, men who are qualified by financial worth while being fatally fond of the well-upholstered finagler. Cora has overplayed her hand, however, because the young daughter, Ellie Mae (Sheila Kennedy), of her latest victim believes that her father was murdered by Cora and her offspring, and is not shy about accusing them of the act. Ellie is fetching and her charms are not ignored by the three sons, nor by Cora's ersatz brother (and actual lover), so that when the virginal lovely feels that the suspicions she harbours respecting her sire's demise have been confirmed, she designs a deadly revenge. This retribution enables Ellie to use her allure upon the male quartet and, while the results can only be considered predictable, a clear opportunity is hereby presented for the succulent Kennedy to doff her clothing, obviously a principal motive for the making of this film. Although not tightly directed, and rather overstretched, these are not sharp disadvantages for this low-budget work shot with style in Dallas and nearby Maypearl, Texas, thanks to unexpectedly high production values, specially as regards the artistic camera technique of cinematographer George Tirl, and additionally skillful visual and sound editing. Amused satisfaction is also to be gained from the singular costumes designed by Christy Haines for Winters, markedly for her character's witty funeral attire. In sum, this is a weakly scripted piece of buffoonery, set within a recognizable social milieu, that provides frothy entertainment through fine comedic turns by George Gobel as a bemused minister overwhelmed by a rash of funeral service requirements, Pat Paulsen as a local sheriff enamoured of the zaftig widow, and Ouida White who enjoys herself as a hilariously overwrought potential home buyer. Tirl makes excellent use of main dish Kennedy while she gambols through a meadow of bluebonnets in the film's most enduring image.

Redneck Greek myths

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 31 July 2019]

If there's a hicksploitation hall of fame, Shelley Winters should probably be in it. She's in one of the movies that defines so many of the genre's themes, The Night of the Hunter, as well as some of its best - and most exploitative examples - films, such as Bloody Mama and Poor Pretty Eddie. She also plays a woman who had an alien child as one of the many plot points that goes absolutely nowhere in the astounding 70s blast of odd called The Visitor.

Somewhere in the Deep South, this is all about barefoot farmer's daughter Ellie (Sheila Kennedy, Penthouse Pet of the Month for December 1981 and the 1983 Pet of the Year) getting revenge for her father's murder at the hands of her stepmother (Winters) - who killed the kindly old man while she chowed down on fried chicken.

She only has one weapon. Her body. And she knows how to use it.

George Gobel, Edward Albert and Pat Paulsen all show up, but the main thrill of the film is its rampant nudity. Somehow, this movie is also a version of the Greek myth of Elektra, if you can wrap your mind around that.

Director Peter Wittman was also behind exactly one other movie, Play Dead, where a woman kills with her brain and her dog. It's not great or even good, but it's the kind of movie that you stayed up to watch on a Friday night on Cinemax. If you never did that, you're probably going to hate this. If you did, you have a near limitless capacity for enduring boring films. Not that I would know or anything.

Low budget skin flick

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 25 August 2018]

ELLIE is a low budget little skin flick from America with a southern feel. The main character is a young woman who suffers at the hands of an evil step-brother and her lecherous siblings, so with murder in mind she decides to teach the whole lot of them a lesson. As a premise this sounds mildly workable, with Shelley Winters playing the grand-standing villain of the hour and the like; in terms of execution, however, this is entirely disappointing. The film is made with titillation in mind, designed to show off the youthful lead's body as much as possible, and many of the sexual situations are lame-brained and ridiculous. The end result? Entirely forgettable, and a waste of talent all round.

An amusingly lowbrow redneck soft-core comedic romp

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 21 May 2007]

Treacherous Cora (robustly played with mucho lip-smacking gusto by the incomparable Shelley Winters) marries men and then murders them for their money. Cora more than meets her match in Ellie (a spunky performance by juicy blonde beauty Sheila Kennedy), who's the smart and sexy daughter of Cora's latest victim. Ellie gets revenge on Cora by using her gorgeous body and feminine wiles to bump off Cora's three no-count sons -- slick, hunky Tom (Edward Albert), fat, infantile Billy (James Gaspard), and mean, ornery Frank (Robert Keith) -- in various unfortunate "accidents." Competently directed by Peter Wittman, with a blithely dopey script by Glenn Allen Smith, pretty, polished cinematography by George Tirl, and a folksy, harmonic country score by Bob Pickering (the funky Southern rock theme song in particular seriously smokes), this cheerfully lowbrow hayseed black comedy makes for a perfectly enjoyable diversion. Popping up in amusing supporting roles are Pat Paulsen as a lusty sheriff with the hots for Cora, George Gobel as an addled, doddering old priest, Ouida White as a daffy home buyer, and Patrick Tovatt as Cora's lazy, disgusting sleazeball brother. Best of all, the delectable Kennedy isn't the least bit bashful about baring her fine physique in a couple of yummy nude scenes. Troma offers a nice fullscreen presentation of this pleasingly silly hoot on a nifty DVD triple bill with the endearingly inane redneck romps "Preacherman" and "Hot Summer in Barefoot County."

Four funerals and a wedding

[CPF · 16 November 2004]

Shelley Winters. Pat Paulsen. Music by Charley Pride. You'd think with that much talent a film would be at least watchable. You would be wrong.

As a fan of amateurish movies I am immune to bad dialogue, poor acting and awful camera work - all of which this movie contains. What really sinks this one is repetition and a lack of characters to identify with.

*spoiler warning* The cycle repeats itself five times. Ellie's father is seduced, murdered, jump cut to the funeral. As revenge Ellie seduces, murders, and jump cuts to the funeral her stepmother's three sons and alleged brother.

There's a B plot about the town Sheriff (Paulsen) lusting after the stepmother, Cora (Winters), that provides the "happy" ending where Ellie blackmails Cora into marrying the Sheriff as her final act of vengeance.

Calling this film a sex comedy is misleading. There's no actual sex, just a lot of teasing and running around in various stages of undress. The comedy in the film comes in two flavors: attempted rape and poorly executed slapstick.

The VHS is thankfully out of print. If you must have it, it is part of a triple feature on a Troma DVD entitled Sgt. Kabukiman's Southern Fried Comedy Jam along with Preacherman (B-grade goodness) and Hot Summer in Barefoot County (B-grade okayness).

Made by hicks for hicks

[Wizard-8 · 11 August 2016]

With the first gag in the movie being someone falling face first into a pig pen, I got a good feeling as to what the remaining eighty-eight or so minutes of "Ellie" would be like, and I was proved to be correct. I know that it was supposed to be a comedy, but the level of humor here is so juvenile and predictable that it provokes hostility from the viewer instead. None of the cast seems able to salvage anything from the sorry script and direction. Shelley Winters seems to be going on autopilot, Pat Paulsen is utterly wasted, and while former Penthouse Pet Sheila Kennedy doesn't give the worst performance by a woman who has posed for the centerfold of a men's magazine, she all the same lacks spark. Speaking of her, if you are expecting a lot of sex and nudity, most likely you'll be very disappointed. There's no sex, unless you count several scenes of attempted rape (ha ha, ain't rape funny?) And while Kennedy does appear naked, it's only for three scenes, and two of them are pretty brief exposures. It's only fitting that the distribution rights to this movie are now owned by Z grade film company Troma.