Shelley Winters is Rosie Forest, a middle-aged, independently-wealthy ex-dancer/actress who loves children and whose own daughter tragically died by falling from a stairwell. The loss of her daughter made Rosie emotionally unstable (she keeps the dead body of her daughter in a cradle in a secret room) and prone to be exploited by her mean-spirited servants who conspire with a sleazy psychic medium to steal as much of Rosie's money as they can.
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Not far from Rosie Forest's mansion is an orphanage; and every year a group of well-behaved children are chosen to spend Christmas at Rosie Forest's estate. Every year these children are stuffed with good food, given presents and entertained by Rosie herself (or Auntie Roo as she wants children to call her).
One Christmas a pair of orphans a brother and sister named Christopher (Mark Lester) and Katy sneak into Auntie Roo's house. Obviously, since they weren't chosen to be there in the first place, it is implied that these siblings are bratty, difficult kids. However, children-loving Rosie Forest refuses to sent the orphans away and lets them party with the rest of the children. Then due to a chain of small incidents Auntie Roo falls in love with Katy and starts to treat her like her own daughter. Katy (who acts way too spoiled for an orphan) doesn't mind the prospect of being adapted by Auntie Roo. Unfortunately, her older brother Christopher doesn't distinguish well between fantasy and reality he is convinced that Auntie Roo is a wicked witch who plans to eat them for dinner.
In this twisted re-telling' of the Hansel and Gretel fairytale there is no witch just a sad, lonely, emotionally-disturbed woman. And the children unable to distinguish between what's real and what's not -- become the true monsters of this creepy, campy but mostly disturbing flick.
The review of this Movie prepared by garfield durang
WHOEVER SLEW AUNTIE ROO? is a British production directed by Curtis Harrington in 1971.
Since the accidental death of Katherine, his only child, Shelley Winters has become insane. She's kept the corpse of his daughter in a hidden room and spends a lot of time and money trying to contact her soul with the help of Ralph Richardson, a fake medium. So when she meets Katie, a young orphan girl invited to spend Christmas in her mansion, she decides to kidnap the young child and transfer her love to her. Katie's brother, Christopher, doesn't believe in Shelley Winters' explanations about the runaway of his sister; he'll finally find her in a locked room. But will Auntie Roo let them leave the house ?
The review of this Movie prepared by Daniel Staebler
