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Die Die My Darling
 
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Die Die My Darling

Tallulah Bankhead (Actor), Stefanie Powers (Actor), Silvio Narizzano (Director) | Rated: Unrated | Format: DVD
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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In the tradition of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Hammer Studios drew aging Tallulah Bankhead out of retirement to play the fanatical matriarch of Die! Die! My Darling! (in Britain the film was simply titled Fanatic). Stefanie Powers, fresh from a string of juvenile and ingenue roles, plays her first adult, a thoroughly modern (and sexually liberated) woman who steps out of her time and into Bankhead's decaying mansion, a bit of southern Gothic nestled in the rural England countryside. Her courtesy call to the mother of her deceased lover turns into a cat-and-mouse thriller as the dotty, scripture-reading old lady dedicates herself to "cleansing" the befouled girl in memory of her son. Richard Matheson's smart screenplay (from the novel Nightmare by Anne Blaisdell) gives Powers a scrappy character, defying Bankhead and struggling to escape at every turn, while Bankhead's increasingly deranged campaign is given a delicious dimension with a marvelously schizophrenic backstory. Director Silvio Narizzano tends to overplay his hand at times and at one point steals a scene right out of Psycho, but he happily makes the battle of wits the central focus, letting the gothic elements stand as flourish. Peter Vaughan costars as a sleazy, salacious caretaker who can't keep his paws of their captive and Donald Sutherland has a small role as an idiot odd-job man devoted to his bizarre little family. --Sean Axmaker

Video Details

An elderly religious fanatic whose son was killed in an auto wreck several years ago kidnaps her dead son's former fiancée and keeps her locked up in the basement in order to cleanse the girl's soul, making it fit to be reunited with her son in heaven. Stars Stefanie Powers (TV’s "Hart to Hart") and screen legend Tallulah Bankhead in her last film.

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5.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars DELICIOUSLY CAMPY, Mar 14 2004
By 
Michael Butts (Berkeley Springs, WV USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Die Die My Darling (DVD)
DIE DIE MY DARLING was one of Hammer's diversions into "psychological horror", and it is a very interesting and well-made film. Scripted by the talented Richard Matheson, the story unfolds lazily, although we know the minute Stefanie Powers meets the irrepressible Tallulah Bankhead, the fun is about to start. Bankhead's remarkably smoky voice propels this fanatical old woman, and her performance is remarkably restrained; I think she did better in some ways than Bette or Joan in their "horror" movie days. I actually came to hate the woman with each ridiculous dependence on her Biblical reasoning for tormenting Powers. Powers herself does an excellent job in going from the sweet young thing to the venomous hussy who wants to tell Bankhead exactly what kind of girl she is. Yootha Joyce as Anna, and Peter Vaughan as her lecherous husband Harry, are very good in supporting roles; Donald Sutherland's idiot role demonstrates what a versatile actor he was going to be.
The film's opening credits, with the cat chasing the mouse, and the unusually bouncy jazz score, indicate that what's about to happen is being done tongue in cheek; yet the movie has a dark underlying evil that crescendos into a descent into madness.
This is a good, sturdy film.
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5.0 out of 5 stars As It Says In The Bible, I Must Kill! Kill! My Darling!, Feb 7 2004
This review is from: Die Die My Darling (DVD)
Stefanie Powers is Patricia "Pat" Carroll, a beautiful young american woman visiting England with her fiance. While there, she decides to keep a promise she'd made to her late boyfriend's mother (Tallulah Bankhead) and pay her a visit. Bad idea! You see, mum is actually a hyper-religious maniac who's been going increasingly bonkers in her moldering old mansion. Pat arrives and the fun begins. Mrs. Trefoile (mum) is distressed by Pat's attitude and worldly ways. She had figured that Pat would remain a devoted "wife" to her dead son, saving herself for him in heaven. Pat does not measure up to mum's expectations at all! So, with the help of her housekeeper Anna (Yootha Joyce) and Anna's lecherous husband Harry (Peter Vaughan), mum sets out to "save" Pat by kidnapping, starving, and torturing her with hours of monotonous bible teachings. When Pat finally stands up to her, mum pulls a gun on her! Now, THAT'S some old time religion! Pat's clothes are shredded, her make-up destroyed, and her jewelry confiscated. Mum has a "simpler" life in store for her. Thankfully, Pat is not a complete mush, and does try to escape many times. Her character is fairly realistic and sympathetic. Mrs. Trefoile is of course the demented center of this story. Her hidden basement room contains the truth of her existence. What's in there? Why does she go there late at night? DIE! DIE! MY DARLING! is a tense cat and mouse flick with some nice sharp turns. I loved every minute! Check out Donald Sutherland as the gardener! Highly recommended...
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5.0 out of 5 stars Camp classic comes to DVD, Aug 20 2003
By 
W. Oliver (Alabama) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Die Die My Darling (DVD)
This is a film that is great fun if you like Tallulah Bankhead and camp. Bankhead didn't make very many films, especially in her later years, but she did this one basically for the money and because other distinguished actresses (Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Olivia de Havilland, etc.) were making horror films.

In "Die, Die, My Darling", a Hammer production (originally titled "Fanatic" in England where it was filmed), Tallulah plays a religious zealot who cannot get over the death of her son. When her son's former fiancee (Stephanie Powers) arrives to pay her a visit, she becomes more and more enraged when she finds that Powers has participated in all kinds of ungodly things like falling in love again and heaven forbid, wearing make-up! She then traps Powers in her attic where she torments her. It's all quite over the top, offering a minimum of suspense, but it is, nevertheless, quite entertaining.

Bankhead filmed the movie just a few years before she died. She was plagued by a number of health problems at the time (most of them caused by too much drinking and smoking). She wears no make-up, her hair was dyed gray and put in a bun and there were many harsh, unflattering close-ups. Before the film was released, it was shown to Tallulah and a small audience of her friends. After her first scene, she stood up and told everyone, "Darlings, I must apologize for looking older than God's wet nurse."

"Die, Die, My Darling" is a hoot to watch. The role had to have been 180 degrees from Tallulah herself, but she pulls off the role flawlessly. She delivers Bible verses in her sonorous voice in a rapid-fire manner. Her double takes, as in response to Powers appearing in red dress and red lipstick, are hilarious. It was Tallulah's only appearance in a color film and she is practically unrecognizable except for her distinctive voice, which gives her away.

It is great to see this film restored to dvd. The picture has never been sharper - you can actually see a fly buzzing around Tallulah in one scene where she is lying on her bed! The film featured a muted color palette and they appear true and not saturated. The sound (Dolby Digital monaural) is decent for a film over 40 years old. The extras are a disappointment though and feature only three trailers ("Homicidal", "Strait Jacket" and "Mr. Sardonicus").

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