Ensofter Overrated and overhyped

MusicChat It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

Coventry I have a strange and inexplicable fondness for horror movies that feature eerie & sinister nursery rhymes… So, in spite of the mediocre rating and overall negative reviews around here, I already knew I was going to love "Picture Mommy Dead" from the very first minutes, because it opens with grim images of a woman's bedroom on fire and Zsa Zsa Gabor lying dead amidst the flames, and we simultaneously hear a kids' choir gently singing: "The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out… in your stomach and out your mouth!" All this happens even before the equally macabre opening credits appear on screen. To me personally, there aren't many better ways to begin a horror movie. Furthermore I also shamelessly admit being an admirer of director Bert I. Gordon, even though he's widely considered as one of the worst in the genre and frequently the target of mockery in popular shows like MST3K. Although his oversized animal attack movies ("Food of the Gods", "Empire of the Ants") are undeniably more entertaining, "Picture Mommy Dead" might very well be Mr. BIG's finest achievements. Sure it's still a little rough around the edges, with some very inept editing and far too many dialogs that are overlong and laughably melodramatic, but nevertheless also an atmospheric film with seriously sick & disturbing themes and several powerfully uncomfortable sequences. Edward Shelley goes to pick up his teenage daughter Susan in the secluded convent where she spent several years in order to process the traumatizing death of her mother. Susan is the primary heiress of her mother's fortune, which unwarily brings her in a lot of danger. Daddy got married again, with Susan's former governess Francine. She's a totally immoral and money-hungry woman who constantly manipulates Susans as well as her own husband, and she even non-stop suggests calling a head-doctor in order to accelerate Susan's return to the madhouse. There's also creepy Uncle Anthony, a nastily scarred freak who whispers in Susan's ear – in great detail – how her mother slowly and painfully burned to death. Even her own beloved daddy behaves mysteriously, because he's completely broke and only has access to the inheritance in case Susan dies or gets declared insane again. The poor girl soon begins to suffer from awful nightmares and vivid hallucinations, but are they real or inflicted on her by her hypocrite family members? Martha Hyer truly gives a remarkable performance as the wicked stepmother! Her exaggeratedly phony and hypocrite attempts to help Susan remember the whereabouts of a valuable necklace definitely form the highlights of the film! Also impressive are the numerous hallucination sequences, which are quite perverse and shocking for 1966. We have bleeding paintings, diabolical dolls, accusing furry animals and even a spontaneously combusting Zsa Zsa Gabor! In order to quickly cash in on the huge contemporary success of "The Birds", Bert I. Gordon is even clever enough to insert a couple of fierce falcon-attack sequences. The climax is deliciously demented and I daresay even somewhat romantic (in a sick and perverted kind of way). Apart from the aforementioned Martha Hyer and Zsa Zsa Gabor, "Picture Mommy Dead" also features notable and atypical performances from Don Ameche and Bert's own daughter Susan Gordon. Recommended, of course, what else did you think?

Michael_Elliott Picture Mommy Dead (1966) * 1/2 (out of 4)Boring horror film about a teen (Susan Gordon) who gets released from a mental hospital a short time after seeing her mom (Zsa Zsa Gabor) burned to death. Upon her release, her father (Don Ameche) and his new wife (Martha Hyer) appear to be trying to help the girl before she starts to unravel after seeing visions of her mother. Is the teen cracking up or is something trying to drive her crazy? This was directed by Bert I. Gordon, the man behind those giant bug movies and it's clear to see early on that he wasn't the right man for the job. I'm not going to place all of the blame on Gordon but there's no doubt that he adds very little to the material but then again the material itself is rather weak. The majority of the movie consists of two people standing around talking about the past, present and the future. The two people scenario is constant throughout the film with the only thing changing is which two people are doing the talking. These dialogue scenes are so poorly shot that you can't help but grow tired of them very quickly. Gordon doesn't add any life to them as the camera just stays flat and never doing anything. The entire surprise of what actually happened reaches the point where you really don't care and that's never good for a film like this. The performances aren't that bad with Ameche at least trying to deliver something worth while. I thought Gordon was also good in her part but the screenplay certainly didn't offer her much. Hyer and Maxwell Reed are also good in their roles. PICTURE MOMMY DEAD has a good title but that's pretty much it. It's another one of those horror-thrillers that followed PSYCHO but could never reach as high.

Neil Doyle PICTURE MOMMY DEAD had the potential to be more than a little potboiler. Photographed handsomely in Pathe color amid elaborate settings, its look is far beyond that of the average programmer.But two things defeat it: an absurd plot and a dreadful performance by Susan Gordon in the central role as the traumatized victim of a horrible murder scene.The adults are a little over-the-top in performing--especially Don Ameche, Martha Hyer (looking very glamorous), and Maxwell Reed. No doubt they knew the melodramatic material was so overly meller that it didn't matter much. Hyer at least is convincing as a greedy woman who has only one objective: to get her hands on as much estate money as possible after the death of the girl's wealthy mommy and especially a glittering diamond necklace.Zsa Zsa Gabor flits about once in awhile when flashbacks permit the girl to remember a few events as they unfolded in the past. She's every bit the glamorous creature she always set out to be, and mercifully is not burdened by too much dialog.Most surprising is that this wasn't photographed in low-budget style in B&W. Instead, the sharp color photography puts it on a higher level than the script would suggest.The story lacks credibility as it goes along, becoming more and more improbable by the time it reaches a predictable conclusion.Summing up: Watchable, but hurt by a central performance that is cringe worthy.

moonspinner55 Suspicious-acting man brings home glamorous new wife to meet his equally suspicious daughter, who harbors a psychotic side; turns out Wife #1 burned to death in a most suspicious fire. Over-the-top screamer with a terribly undistinguished cast: bloated Don Ameche--still acting as if he were reading his lines from cue-cards--joined by Martha Hyer and Zsa Zsa Gabor! Pallid B-movie outing from director and co-producer Bert I. Gordon, filmed in gloppy Pathécolor (with sets designed by a team who apparently loved the color red). Robert Aldrich was Gordon's production partner, but this is a big step down from "Baby Jane". Tired and depressing the entire way. *1/2 from ****