If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

good back-story, and good acting

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

This movie looks back to "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane," and forward to "Carrie." It is nowhere near as good as either of them, but does manage to keep the viewer involved and caring what happens.Debbie Reynolds looks great as a cheap Jean Harlow imitator. Even pushing 40, she was as beautiful as ever. Shelley Winters was still cute, but was nowhere near as beautiful as she had been in her 20's. Reynolds plays Bettie Davis to Winters' Joan Crawford in this. Unfortunately, Reynolds is just too sweet and can't really get nasty with Winters, like Davis did with Crawford in the earlier flick. It is really sad that Hollywood musicals were over by the time this movie was made because Debbie Reynolds was just made for them and manages to make even this material sweet and tasty. Winters is quite restrained in her role. Its a good choice. The viewer is not quite sure whose side to be on a good portion of the movie.Dennis Weaver does a great job as Reynold's boyfriend who brings out Winters' insecurity. This allows us to see hints of the lesbian attraction that Winters has for Reynolds. This was 1971 and gays were not out of the closet yet, so we're just getting slight suggestions here. Weaver and Reynolds really make a great screen couple. It is too bad that Weaver never really showed his romantic side again, as far as I know. He could have been a good romantic leading man, as he does fine here seducing Reynolds.This movie is light on horror, but it is heavy on suspense. I think fans of gore and shock will be disappointed. However detective and mystery fans will enjoy it.

Shelley Winters and Debbie Reynolds moved to California to escape from the scandal of their boys who killed a girl and went to prison for it, and all the gossip. Once there, they're still hounded by a stalker who keeps calling them. This all gives Shelley Winters a nervous breakdown. But, when did it really start, the viewer is thinking as the movie progresses. Shelley Winters is great as usual, as she is in everything she's in. And, the movie is successful in capturing the time period of the 30s/40s.But still, the movie, seen once, doesn't really require or demand a second viewing, in my opinion of course. Henry Farrell was obviously trying to emulate the success of "Baby Jane" and "Sweet Charlotte", both of which he wrote and became huge box office hits, and this is similar in tone. But it is in no way as good as either of them. If you want to see it, you'll be glad you did, in order to complete the horror genre with big stars in them. But, once you find out about Helen's problem, she's better left alone.

A vastly underrated black comedy, the finest in a series of grand guignol movies to follow 'Baby Jane'. Reynolds and Winters are mothers of young convicted murderers (a nod to 'Compulsion') who run away to hide in Hollywood. They run a school for would-be movie tots, a bunch of hilariously untalented kids attended by awful stage moms. Debbie, in her blonde wig ('I'm a Harlow, you're more a Marion Davies' she tells Winters) leads the tots at their concert and wins a rich dad, Weaver. She also does a deliciously funny tango and, over all, gives an outstanding performance, unlike anything she'd done before. The atmosphere is a fine mix of comic and eerie. It looks wonderful with great period detail (30's). Lots of lovely swipes at Hollywood and the terrifying movie tot. Micheal MacLiammoir has a ball as the drama coach: 'Hamilton Starr', he purrs, 'two r's but prophetic nonetheless'. See it and love it.

After their sons are sentenced to life in prison, Adelle (Debbie Reynolds) and Helen (Shirley Winters) begin receiving threatening phone calls because someone fells their sons got off easy. The pair decides to move to California to escape the publicity of the trial and to start a new life. They start a dance school that is soon very successful. One of the students has a rich unmarried father with whom Adelle quickly falls in love. In the meantime, Helen is busy raising rabbits and becoming a little too infatuated with an evangelist on the radio. It's only a mater of time before everything falls apart and the women enter a world of madness and murder.I can't help but compare What's the Matter with Helen? to Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?, also starring Shelly Winters. Where that movie seemed almost restrained in its presentation of Auntie Roo's madness, there's nothing holding Helen back in this movie. It may take a good deal of the movie's running time, but once she snaps, Helen is one Bad Mad Mutha. You don't want to mess with her. Winters is so delightfully demented that it was impossible for me not to enjoy her performance. I'm not going to spoil the movie, but the things Helen is capable of are totally over-the-top.As good as Winters is, Reynolds is totally ridiculous in her role as the gold-digging tap dancer. I got the impression that she thought she was in a movie that would get her nominated for some award. This ain't Citizen Kane! Quit acting so serious. Hey, Debbie, don't you realize that you're main purpose is to be a victim of Winters' insanity.I just love these former-female-stars-in-the-twilight-of-their-career horror movies. What's the Matter with Helen? is as fun as any.