Das düstere Haus (1965)

Das düstere Haus: Directed by Silvio Narizzano. With Tallulah Bankhead, Stefanie Powers, Peter Vaughan, Maurice Kaufmann. A young woman is terrorized by her deceased fiancé’s demented mother who blames her for her son’s death.

“TALLULAH BANKHEAD, looking like a ravaged reject from a summer stock version of u0026quot;The Little Foxesu0026quot;, delivers an appropriately over-the-top performance from this Hammer schlock that borrows from every madhouse movie ever made.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSTEFANIE POWERS is the unlucky victim, a young woman who makes a courtesy call on the mother of her dead fiancé, only to discover that sheu0026#39;s a religious zealot and a complete madwoman looking for sin in every fabric of Powersu0026#39; too glamorous wardrobe and make-up. Not only is Bankhead mad, but her servants are enough to scare anyone within sight–including DONALD SUTHERLAND as a retarded man, and YOOTHA JOYCE and HARRY VAUGHAN as an unethical couple badly in need of cash.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMost unrealistic aspect of the story has strong-willed Powers submitting meekly to outrageous requests Bankhead makes upon her arrival instead of packing her things and leaving immediately. But when she fights back, she has to deal with Tallulah and her loyal servants, all of whom make for heavy combat.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWell photographed with some appropriately melodramatic musical flourishes to pump up the fright element, it nevertheless seems like a freak show by the time it reaches its harrowing conclusion. Not until the last moment, does the heroine get some much needed help from a boyfriend who returns for no apparent reason after Bankhead assures him that Powers has already left.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSumming up: Talllulah looks a fright but performs befitting the material–adding horror to the kind of role attracting overage stars in the u0026#39;60s.”