Product Details

• Actors: Debbie Reynolds, Shelley Winters, Dennis Weaver, Micheal Mac Liammóir, Agnes Moorehead
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• DVD Release Date: August 27, 2002
• Run Time: 193 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000068TPG
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,064 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "What's the Matter with Helen?/Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (Midnite Movies Double Feature)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Two horror films featuring Shelley Winters.
Genre: Horror
Rating: PG
Release Date: 27-AUG-2002
Media Type: DVD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shelly Winters Goes Bananas (x2)!, September 11, 2004

By 

Bindy Sue Frønkünschtein "bigfootsalienbaby" (under the rubble) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: What's the Matter with Helen?/Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (Midnite Movies Double Feature) (DVD)

Shelly Winters is great at playing unhinged characters. In WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH HELEN?, she teams up with Debbie Reynolds in a tale about two mothers of convicted killers who move to california in order to escape the publicity and threats against them. Helen (Winters) begins to slowly unravel, revealing the true psychotic within. Haunted by the death of her husband, she becomes increasingly dangerous to herself and others, especially Adelle (Reynolds), who may or may not survive. There are some snappy dance routines (highlighting Debbie Reynolds' talent and cuteness) scattered throughout. Watch for Dennis Weaver (Duel) as Adelle's love interest.-WHOEVER SLEW AUNTIE ROO?- has Shelly Winters as Roo, the rich widow of a famous magician. She lost her daughter Katherine in an accident and has trusted in a phony medium (Ralph Richardson) for years, paying him a small fortune so he can "contact" Katherine. Well, it's all a big scam of course, helping to push Roo over the edge. Some children from a local orphanage visit "Auntie Roo" every christmas. This year, one of the little girls resembles Roo's daughter, causing the bats in her belfry to really start a flappin'! She kidnaps the girl and her brother Christopher (Mark "Oliver" Lester), keeping them locked in her secret attic (did I mention that she keeps her mummified daughter up there too?). The rest is cat and mouse as the children try to escape Roo's insanity. In the kids' minds, they are living out "Hansel and Gretel", with Roo as the perfectly wicked witch. If you enjoy movies where Shelly Winters goes crazy, then this double feature can't be beat! Highly recommended...

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nobody does it to you like Shelley!, June 23, 2002

By 

Rodney D. Luck (Greensboro, North Carolina United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What's the Matter with Helen?/Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (Midnite Movies Double Feature) (DVD)

Curtis Harrington has been one of my favorite Directors since I first saw the 1967 movie GAMES with Katherine Ross at the theater. (I was 9 years old and it scared me to death.) I also greatly admired NIGHT TIDE with Dennis Hopper while watching it on late night television in the late 60's. Then along came WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH HELEN? and WHOEVER SLEW AUNTIE ROO? in 1971. That same year I had seen a Made-for-T.V. movie titled REVENGE with Shelley Winters. Her over-the-top, intense performance in that film had such an impact on me that I couldn't wait to see WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH HELEN? When I realized that Curtis Harrington had directed the film I knew I was in for a treat. Little did I know that HELEN would become one of my favorite horror movies. Once again, Shelley did not disappoint this 13 year old who was sitting there not embarrased to be clutching his mother's arm. Harrington's deft direction and ability to create a moody atmosphere in the tradition of Grand Guignol combined with Shelley Winters' brilliant performance makes this film a 5 star effort. Then, to add icing on the cake, Harrington paired with Winters once again that year with WHOEVER SLEW AUNTIE ROO? A very clever update of the Hanzel and Gretel fairy tale. Not as scary as HELEN but just as atmospheric. This time around, Shelley secured her clawhold as Hollywood's "grande-dame" ghoul. (With orange hair to boot!) I love both of these movies and recommend them to those of you who like your "horror" mixed with a little gothic and nostalgia. Also check out THE DEVIL'S DAUGHTER made-for-T.V. 1972 with Shelley Winters and THE KILLING KIND 1973 directed by Curtis Harrington. (His most disturbing work.)

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Camp classics, both of them, July 9, 2004

By 

Jeffrey Leach (Omaha, NE USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What's the Matter with Helen?/Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (Midnite Movies Double Feature) (DVD)

Aaah, you just gotta love these MGM double feature discs. Regarding their DVD releases, MGM always leaves out a whole lot in terms of special features. All you usually get is a trailer and maybe a widescreen transfer, but these amazing double dipper discs resurrect films you never thought would see the light of day. "What's the Matter with Helen?" and "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?" are excellent examples of two films that taken on their own would probably never show up on DVD. Or if they did, some seedy outfit looking to make a quick buck on a grainy, cropped release would peddle them. Yet here they are with gloriously clean transfers in all their wacky, over the top splendor. I can't say I've ever been a Shelley Winters fan, excepting her outrageously campy performance in "The Poseidon Adventure," but I must say I have a newfound respect for the aging thespian after watching these two knee slappers. What can I say? I love schlocky cinema, and "What's the Matter with Helen?" and "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?" are prime examples of films so slathered in cheese that your cholesterol level will skyrocket within minutes of popping the disc into your player.

Of the two films, "What's the Matter with Helen" is by far the best. Shelley Winters and Debbie Reynolds play Helen Hill and Adelle Bruckner, two women who flee to California during the Depression to escape the media frenzy after their sons go to prison for murder. Fortunately, Helen knows how to play the piano and Adelle knows how to dance, so the two women open up a dance studio for the precocious offspring of Hollywood parents. Things start to go downhill when Helen begins breaking down psychologically because of her son's crimes. She worries that the threatening phone call the two women received back home, which served as one impetus to head west, is coming back to haunt the two. As Hill plumbs the depths of insanity, Adelle's fortunes are looking up. Her dance studio puts on a recital that is the talk of the town, and she's finally met a nice guy by the name of Lincoln Palmer (Dennis Weaver) who seems interested in a long-term relationship. Bruckner's success severely strains the already fragile bond between the two gals, leading to a truly memorable series of events culminating in a quite shocking-and endlessly humorous-conclusion. "What's the Matter with Helen?" gives you Shelley sticking her hand in a fan, lots of rabbits, Agnes Moorehead slumming as an Aimee Simple McPherson type preacher, and Reynolds hoofing it up in a series of tacky platinum blonde wigs.

"Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?" finds Shelley Winters hamming it up in a schlocky take on "Hansel and Gretel." The story unfolds in England during the 1920s, where an eccentric, wealthy old woman named Rosie Forrest (Winters) plays host to a select bunch of tots from the local orphanage during the Christmas holidays. A brother and sister, Christopher and Katy, who aren't invited to the shindig, trick their way into the house anyway at which point Forrest takes a real shine to Katy. Why? Turns out that Rosie's own daughter passed away in a tragic banister sliding accident years before. The old woman never recovered from the disaster, and spends most of her time attempting to contact her deceased child with the help of flaky spiritualist Mr. Benson (Ralph Richardson taking one on the chin for a paycheck) and her sinister butler. With the arrival of Katy, however, Rosie thinks she can return to the halcyon days of yesteryear by adopting the adorable tike. Christopher, sensing something horribly wrong with Forrest's disposition, throws a bunch of wrenches in the old woman's well-laid plans. Lot's of surprises in this story, as Winters eventually goes completely off her rocker when Katy and Christopher refuse to play ball.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in "What's the Matter with Helen?" is the wonderful Debbie Reynolds. Not only does she tear up the dance floor in several memorable scenes (ahem), her platinum blonde look suits her well in a sort of sleazy yet incredibly attractive way. I'm not sure what the film was trying to say exactly, but Reynolds and Winters have good chemistry together onscreen. Another surprise is the somewhat authentic looking 1930's attire and scenery, surprising because low budget sludge like this usually doesn't pay much attention to props. As for "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo," Winters takes center stage and holds onto it with both meaty hands. Even as a laughed at the ridiculous scenarios unfolding on the television, I couldn't help but notice that I actually felt sorry for Shelley's character even as she engaged in odious activities. I've seen so many low budget films that can't achieve any sort of dimension to their characters that to actually see one that does is shocking. Further reflection after the viewing experience led me to conclude that all the credit should go to the acting chops of Shelley Winters. Sure, she hams it up, but that she can ham it up and still convey other emotions is quite an accomplishment.

If you're worried about watching two films starring Shelley Winters, don't. To watch Shelley Winters here is to love Shelley Winters. Of course, if you don't like schlock you won't like anything about these two films no matter what I say. Again, kudos goes to MGM for releasing these two classics on one DVD with a great picture transfer. While neither film is particularly scary or graphically gory, they are entertaining in terms of hilarity and general kookiness. I am eternally grateful I stumbled over these two classics, and you might be too if you give them a chance. Enjoy!