Customer Reviews

Dear Dead Delilah [VHS]

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Agnes Moorehead was the best supporting actress of the 40's, the 50's and the 60's in americans movies. She played in more than 60 films such as "Citizen Kane", "The Magnificents Ambersons", "Johnny Belinda", "Caged", "All that heaven allows" and "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte" and she was, of course, Endora the witch (Elizabeth Montgomery's mother) in the long running serie "Bewitched". She was nominated 5 times for Academy Award, won 2 Golden Globe, was nominated more than 10 times for Emmy Award and won the New York Critics Award in 1942... But like many very good actresses (Bette Davis in "Wicked Stepmother", Joan Crawford in "Trog"...), she finished her career very sadly, in a bad horror film... "Dear Dead Delilah" is good only for the OK performance of Agnes Moorehead, and that it ! It's violent, sadic, very hard for a 1972 picture ! Mrs Moorehead died in 1974, two years after the release of this film. If you want to remember her beautiful career, don't waste your time here...

Typical seventies, horror movie involving a buried treasure and a family's murderous attempts to find it and dig it up. The plot is thin and predictable and the "horror" scenes are more laughable than terrifying, but a wonderful cast and strong acting pulls this one out of the dumpster.

Agnes Moorehead, as the title character, gives an especially standout performance. Worth a look. END

Growing up in Nashville in the 70's I remember vividly when they were filming scenes for this movie which everyone was talking about. The plot and the characters are pure camp but if you like a good old fashioned blood and gore flick then here it is if you can locate a copy. Agnes Moorehead (Endora from Bewitched) in her last role before dying plays Delilah Charles who lives on an old plantation that her papa left to her when he passed away. He is buried in the old mausoleum on the property. Poor Delilah is surrounded by her dysfunctional siblings Michael Ansara (ex-husband of Barbara Eden)who plays Morgan. He shows up when he hears that Delilah is near death. He brings along a daffy girlfriend named Buffy. Dennis Patrick and Anne Meacham play the other two sibs. Will Geer (Grandpa Walton) makes an appearance as a cousin and family attorney. One by one each sib is hacked to death in an attempt to gain the inheritance. The main suspect is the new caregiver Luddy who axed her own mother to death many years before and spent most of her adult years in an institution. If you liked Prom Night,Terror Train then you will love Dear Dead Delilah.

I think this was the last of the "has-been actress" horror films
Or maybe that honor goes to "What's The Matter With Helen".
Warning:Spoilers
I remember watching this movie on TV when I was a kid. Then a couple of years ago I rented the video and couldn't believe how gory it was. Even though this movie came out in 1972, it's just as gory as any "Friday the 13th" film. A man's hand is chopped off, a guy is shot point blank in the eye with blood and brains oozing out of the socket, and a woman in a wheelchair has her head lopped off with blood spurting from the neck. It's a lousy movie and not scary at all, but the gore shocked me. Too bad this was the late, great Agnes Moorehead's last film.