Whoever Slew Auntie Roo
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (U.S. title: Who Slew Auntie Roo?) is a 1972 horror-thriller film directed by Curtis Harrington and starring Shelley Winters, Mark Lester, and Sir Ralph Richardson. Based partly on the fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel", the film focuses on a demented American widow living in her husband's English manor who becomes obsessed with a young orphan girl who resembles her dead daughter.
A co-production between the United States and the United Kingdom, the film was shot at Shepperton Studios in London. Like What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte, What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice, and What's the Matter with Helen?, it is one of the many films in the psycho-biddy subgenre. Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? and the latter film, also starring Winters, were released on DVD as a MGM Midnite Movies Double Feature, and Winters requested that Helen's director Harrington direct the picture.
Plot
Every year, Rosie Forrest, known as "Auntie Roo", throws a lavish overnight Christmas party for ten of the best-mannered children at the local orphanage. Despite her warm demeanour, Rosie is in fact demented and mentally ill and keeps the mummified remains of her daughter Katharine in a nursery room in the attic.
Christopher and Katy Coombs, an orphaned brother and sister, sneak into the party. Auntie Roo notices that Katy resembles her late daughter and warmly welcomes her and her brother. After the party ends, Auntie Roo kidnaps Katy with the intention of making her a substitute for Katherine. Christopher believes Auntie Roo is a witch who wants to devour him and his sister. He tries to warn people about Auntie Roo, and when no one believes him he returns to the house alone to rescue his sister.
Auntie Roo prepares a dinner for the coming New Year while Christopher assists her by gathering firewood. In the process, he steals the key to the nursery room and lets Katy out. During their escape, they steal Auntie Roo's jewelry and stuff it inside an old teddy bear that once belonged to Katharine. Christopher and Katy fight their way out of Auntie Roo's mansion. Once outside, they place the firewood at the door and set it on fire.
The orphans encounter Auntie Roo's butcher, Mr. Harrison, who is delivering a whole piglet by horsecart. He sees the smoke inside and drives off to call the fire brigade. Katy realizes that she was to cook the pig, but Christopher says that they were to be eaten after it. The fire brigade arrives and puts out the fire but are unable to rescue Auntie Roo. Inspector Willoughby takes the children back to the orphanage. Christopher and Katy smile at each other as they depart from the burned mansion, knowing that Auntie Roo will not harm anyone else and that they can use her jewelry (which Christopher calls "the wicked witch's treasure") to ensure their own happy ending.
Cast
- Shelley Winters as Mrs. Rosie "Auntie Roo" Forrest
- Mark Lester as Christopher Coombs
- Chloe Franks as Katy Coombs
- Ralph Richardson as Mr. Benton, fake psychic
- Lionel Jeffries as Police Inspector Willoughby
- Hugh Griffith as Mr. Harrison, the "Pigman"
- Rosalie Crutchley as Miss Henley
- Pat Heywood as Dr. Mason
- Judy Cornwell as Clarine, Aunt Roo's servant
- Michael Gothard as Albie, Aunt Roo's butler
- Jacqueline Cowper as Angela, girl at orphanage
- Richard Beaumont as Peter, boy at orphanage
- Charlotte Sayce as Katharine Forrest, Auntie Roo's daughter
- Marianne Stone as Miss Wilcox
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