What's the Matter with Helen? (1971)

33% of critics liked it
(6 reviews)
49% of users liked it
(290 ratings)

Though it bears more than passing resemblance to his macabre hits Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, this lesser-known outing from screenwriter Henry Farrell takes a more satirical turn, skewering the eccentricities of the Hollywood studio system. The story opens… More Though it bears more than passing resemblance to his macabre hits Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, this lesser-known outing from screenwriter Henry Farrell takes a more satirical turn, skewering the eccentricities of the Hollywood studio system. The story opens during the advent of talking pictures, where a school for would-be child stars is opened by voice coach Helen Hill (Shelley Winters) and dance instructor Adelle Bruckner (Debbie Reynolds). Haunted by a dark secret -- each of the women's sons was convicted of murder -- Hill and Bruckner are pursued by a cloaked interloper whose incessant snooping leads to a fatal altercation. Suspicion builds between the two until the expected climax, where it is revealed that one of the two women is even more lethal than her homicidal son. Though the film's absurdist tone is a harsh about-face from the deadly deadpan camp of Farrell's Gothic 1960s thrillers, the period flavor is a nice touch, and accomplished director Curtis Harrington frequently achieves the right balance of horror and humor. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 41 min.
Directed By: Curtis Harrington
Genres: Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Jun 30, 1971 Wide

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The same thing that's wrong with Helen, is what's wrong with this pic%u2014it's too loony to be taken either seriously or humorously.
Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine
The layers of pastiche that fuel What's the Matter with Helen? multiply like Shelly Winters's titular character's fat white rabbits.
Scott Weinberg, Apollo Guide
An unseemly vibe of failed comedic horror, or - depending on your point of view - successfully bad high camp, with an inordinate number of incongruous dance numbers.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Bizarre cultish thriller from the underrated Curtis Harrington.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Tim S

Starts out strong, drags in the middle and ends strong. I don't particularly like the DVD cover, which gives away the ending a bit, but it's not altogether uninteresting. I felt that the tap-dancing scenes with the kids should have either been cut in half or cut out… More
Starts out strong, drags in the middle and ends strong. I don't particularly like the DVD cover, which gives away the ending a bit, but it's not altogether uninteresting. I felt that the tap-dancing scenes with the kids should have either been cut in half or cut out altogether as they had really nothing to do with what was going on. There's too much lag time in the middle with no tension build-up. However, the everything around that works well. If only the middle part had been as good as the rest.
jay n

More a drama with suspense elements than a horror film. Debbie looks like a million and Shelley gives a good performance in the beginning until she starts biting off large pieces of the scenery towards the end. Enjoyable overall.

Cast

            Debbie Reynolds as Adelle

            Shelley Winters as Helen

            Dennis Weaver as Lincoln Palmer

            Agnes Moorehead as Sister Alma Evangelist

            Michael MacLiammoir as Hamilton Starr

            Samee Lee Jones as Winona Palmer

            Minta Durfee Arbuckle as Old Lady

            Peter Brocco as Old Man

            Timothy Carey as Tramp

            Paulie Clark as Mrs. Plumb

            James Dobson as Cab Driver

            Molly Dodd as Mrs. Rigg

            Pamelyn Ferdin as Kiddy M.C.

            Helene Heigh as Widow

            Robbi Morgan as Rosalie Greenbaum

            Logan Ramsey as Detective West

            Peggy Rea as Mrs. Schultz

            Vicki Schreck
            
            Debbie van den Houten as Sue Anne Schultz

            Yvette Vickers as Mrs. Barker

            Helene Winston as Mrs. Greenbaum

            Gary Combs as Matt Hill

            Bill Fritz as Musician

            Douglas Deane as Fanatical Man

            Swen Swenson as Gigolo

            Harry Stanton as Malcolm Hays
See full cast