Sometimes Aunt Martha Does Dreadful Things

1971 "A twisted mind snaps and a wave of terror begins."
5| 1h36m| R| en| More Info
Released: 01 January 1971 Released
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Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

Two eccentric fugitives become roommates in Miami to avoid the law, while one dresses in drag as the other's aunt, leading to deception and murder.

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Reviews

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
Curt Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.
Woodyanders Overbearing Paul (superbly played with unbridled ferocity and intensity by Abe Zwick) and his infantile dimwit partner Stanley (an amiably dopey portrayal by Wayne Crawford) are a pair of jewel thieves on the lam from the law who decide to lay low in a small Florida town. Paul devises the ingenious idea of pretending to be Stanley's dowdy Aunt Martha as a clever means of eluding detection. Problems arise when Stanley threatens to blow their cover by hanging out with several local tramps.Writer/director Thomas Casey concocts an arrestingly off-kilter plot that offers a jarring and peculiar, yet still absorbing and enjoyable unholy mix of raw sudden violence, seething homo-eroticism (domineering homosexual Paul is clearly carrying a torch for the hopelessly awkward and inept Stanley), raging jealousy, freaky cross-dressing, and even some tasty gratuitous female nudity tossed in for trashy good measure. The fraught relationship between Paul and Stanley gives this picture an extra deliciously demented kick; the scenes with an enraged Paul scolding Stanley for being such a dope-addled screw-up are positively hysterical. Zwick and Crawford do sterling work in the leads; they receive sound support from Don Craig as bothersome down his luck junkie Hubert, Robin Hughes as alluring brunette Vicki, and Yanka Mann as pesky neighbor Mrs. Adams. Edmund Gibson's stark cinematography boasts a few funky psychedelic visual flourishes. The groovy film library score hits the sweet far-out spot. A delightfully singular doozy.
christopher-underwood The most positive thing I can say about this film is that it is that little bit different, that the two leads work their socks off and there is decent use of soundtrack music. Indeed the final minutes are really quite good as we reach a climax in a film studio and things almost get quite tense. The same cannot be said for the rest of this no budget outing without a story. I can see that maybe it appeared, maybe even was, a good idea to have a pair of guys on the run holed up with one of them adopting women's clothes as a disguise but for how long is this going to be amusing to anyone watching? As I say the two leads are really pretty good but the supporting cast is nowhere to be seen, limp hardly the word, but then the dialogue they are given is crap. Perhaps the most unforgivable aspect to this would be slasher is that the gory scenes are covered over with colour washes so that the impact is nullified, I wonder whose stupid idea that was. So we are left with very little other than some amusement and a decent ending. Trouble is we are waiting for that ending for what seems ages.
Unknownian The working title was: "Don't Spank Baby". Wayne Crawford went on to become a successful producer, films like Valley Girl, Night of the Comet and others, even though he wasn't too terrific in this little Gem. And little known Abe Zwick should have gotten tons of work from this film but didn't. Filmed at Moberly Studios in Hollywood Florida, on the same lot the early Tarzan movies were filmed. This film is definitely for those who appreciate the abstract. The movie was originally shot with much more bloody graphic slasher scenes. For reasons only known to Tom Casey the Director, the bloody slasher scenes were given a tab of LSD, and replaced by Flash Editing. Even though this version is worthy of a look for those so inclined, in my opinion the original version would have packed the punch needed to make this a full on Slasher 70's Cult Classic.
dwaltz6969 Ordering movies by odd titles has always been a thing with me. Imagine my surprise when I got this one in the mail! You're never really sure at the beginning if Abe Zwick is supposed to be a man or woman. Then when he answers the phone at his house he says in a soft, feminine voice, "hello?" He repeats it once more. Then his face contorts into a frown and in a deep, bass voice says, "STANLEY!" (Stanley being his boyfriend who always ends up hooking up with women, even though he's gay). That scene sets the tone for the film and it's the two leads, Paul and Stanley who set the energetic tone of the film. This is a must see for any lover of bad films. On an interesting side note, Paul (played by Abe Zwick) looks a lot like a young Andy Kaufman.