Back home

Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?

73 votes

Producing House

A demented widow lures unsuspecting children into her mansion in a bizarre "Hansel and Gretel" twist.

movie

Status: Released

Released Date: 1972-02-11

Runtime: 91 mins

Director: Curtis Harrington

Spoken language: English

Genres: Horror, Thriller

Original title: Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?

Production Companies: Hemdale, American International Pictures

Production Countries: United Kingdom

Reviews

G

Geronimo1967
Shelley Winters is super in this oddball horror. She ("Mrs. Forrest") invites ten young children into her mansion-cum-orphanage one Christmas - desperate to fill the void left by the death of her young daughter Katherine. Two children who did not get invited - "Katy" (Chloe Franks) and her brother "Christopher" (Mark Lester) decide that they are not going to be left out - but when the girl ends up locked in the attic, it falls to her brother to manage to convince everyone that his sister has been kidnapped, and that the old lady is not of particularly sound mind! A solid cast support the star here - Sir Ralph Richardson, Lionel Jeffries - in a straight (ash) role for a change, and the always engaging Hugh Griffith, but somehow once the film gets going I expected it to turn comedic. There just isn't any menace. Winters' performance is just scatty, never scary. Still, the ensemble delivers a reasonable script well enough and there are just about enough creepy goings on in the house to sustain it before an ending that i found rather sad.
2023-05-28

Recommendations

Christmas Twister
2.5

Christmas Twister

2012-12-16

During the holiday season, Ethan, a meteorologist, and his wife Addison, a TV news reporter, must pu

The Poseidon Adventure
3.6

The Poseidon Adventure

1972-12-01

When their ocean liner capsizes, a group of passengers struggle to survive and escape.

Die Hard
3.9

Die Hard

1988-07-15

NYPD cop John McClane's plan to reconcile with his estranged wife is thrown for a serious loop when,

Suicide Kings
3.3

Suicide Kings

1997-09-06

Carlo, a former mobster, is abducted by five privileged young men desperate to raise a $2 million ra

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
3.4

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

1986-09-24

Arriving in Chicago, Henry moves in with ex-con acquaintance Otis and starts schooling him in the wa

The Day of the Beast
3.6

The Day of the Beast

1995-10-20

The story revolves around a Basque Roman Catholic priest dedicated to committing as many sins as pos

The Client
3.3

The Client

1994-07-20

A street-wise kid, Mark Sway, sees the suicide of Jerome Clifford, a prominent Louisiana lawyer, who

The Clearing
2.9

The Clearing

2004-07-02

When affluent executive Wayne Hayes is kidnapped by a disgruntled employee and held for ransom in a

Commando
3.4

Commando

1985-10-03

John Matrix, the former leader of a special commando strike force that always got the toughest jobs

Naked Weapon
3.4

Naked Weapon

2002-11-15

A mysterious woman, known as Madame M, kidnaps forty pre-teen girls and transports them to a remote

I Am Not a Serial Killer
3.2

I Am Not a Serial Killer

2016-08-26

In a small Midwestern town, a troubled teen with homicidal tendencies must hunt down and destroy a s

The Night Listener
2.8

The Night Listener

2006-02-12

In the midst of his crumbling relationship, a radio show host begins speaking to his biggest fan—a y

Turistas
2.8

Turistas

2006-12-01

A group of young backpackers' vacation turns sour when a bus accident leaves them marooned in a remo

Unknown
3.1

Unknown

2006-11-03

Five men wake up in a locked-down warehouse with no memory of who they are. They are forced to figur

Dance with the Devil
3.3

Dance with the Devil

1997-10-31

She's sexy, shameless and loves taking people to their limit. She's a dangerous young woman who drea

End of Days
3

End of Days

1999-11-24

On 28 December 1999, the citizens of New York City are getting ready for the turn of the millennium.

Gyun: Abandoned Children
2.5

Gyun: Abandoned Children

2020-10-01

Switchback
3

Switchback

1997-10-31

After FBI agent Frank Lacrosse believes his son was kidnapped by a notorious serial killer, he trave

Kalifornia
3.3

Kalifornia

1993-06-24

A journalist duo go on a tour of serial killer murder sites with two companions, unaware that one of

Dongata
2.6

Dongata

2015-05-08

Three goons manage to successfully kidnap an actress. Hilarious situations ensue when the detective