What's the Matter With Helen?

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Dave S When Adele (Debbie Reynolds) and Helen (Shelley Winters), the mothers of two boys convicted of murder, leave smalltown Iowa to start a new life in Los Angeles, they find that their troubles have not been left behind. What's the Matter with Helen? is part mystery, part thriller, and, strangely enough, part musical. The production values are decent, Winters hams it up as only Winters can and Reynolds does a decent enough job tagging along as her sidekick, but the movie is ultimately dragged down by the inclusion of far too many scenes and shots that simply don't need to be there, most of them dance numbers to show off Reynolds' considerable dance skills or children tap dancing their way into the hearts of the audience. It's not all bad, but it is all weird. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 04/03/24 Full Review Audience Member I liked this movie. It has a Hitchcock, Tales From The Crypt Kind of vibe. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review joe m Kinda campy, kinda creepy and really kinda good. It doesn't rise to the level of "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?", but "What's the Matter with Helen?" has decent performances by Reynolds and Winters while holding your interest through the rather twisty plot. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member What would have been a 'major' release in 1971 was marred by the film's poster, and revealing lobby cards, after which most studios forbade stills of films that gave away the ending. Despite a few lagging moments, the film itself moves rather steadily with good character development and what would have been a 'shock' ending, still is executed very well. Nominated for an OSCAR for best costume design, Director Curtis Harrington takes us back to a time when Shirley Temple was #1 at the box office, and even the best of friends can be deadly. Released in 1971 to luke warm audience reception, it has since become a cult hit, despite the current wave of 'torture porn' horror flicks, and current critics who were not even born during the film's release... Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Yes, a tap dancing horror thriller........with Shelley and Debbie--Helen's a bit of a Nutball!! Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member It's decent, not too horrifying, but not too dull. The characters are alright, and the ending is fairly fitting. It is a bit slow at points, but for the most part it manages to be a clever cheap little thriller. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Read all reviews

What's the Matter With Helen?

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