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Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte

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7.3/10 • 262

1964-12-152h 13m

HorrorMysteryThriller

The years will soon erase a lover's lies...the blood on his face!

An aging, reclusive Southern belle plagued by a horrifying family secret descends into madness after the arrival of a lost relative.

Directors
Robert Aldrich
Editors
Michael Luciano

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Bette Davis

    Bette Davis

    Charlotte Hollis

  2. Olivia de Havilland

    Olivia de Havilland

    Miriam Deering

  3. Joseph Cotten

    Joseph Cotten

    Drew Bayliss

  4. Agnes Moorehead

    Agnes Moorehead

    Velma Cruther

  5. Cecil Kellaway

    Cecil Kellaway

    Harry Willis

  6. Victor Buono

    Victor Buono

    Big Sam Hollis

  7. Mary Astor

    Mary Astor

    Jewel Mayhew

  8. Wesley Addy

    Wesley Addy

    Sheriff Standish

  9. William Campbell

    William Campbell

    Paul Marchand

Reviews1

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John Chard Avatar

John Chard

Jan 21, 2014

8/10

Glorious Southern Gothic Delirium. Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte is directed by Robert Aldrich and written by Henry Farrell and Lukas Heller. It stars Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Joseph Cotton, Agnes Moorehead, Cecil Kellaway and Mary Astor. Music is by Frank De Vol and cinematography by Joseph F. Biroc. It’s 1927, the Louisiana plantation home of Sam Hollis (Victor Buono), and Charlotte Hollis (Davis) is having an affair with a married man, John Mayhew (Bruce Dern). After a heated argument between Sam and John, John is brutally slain by an unseen assailant, only Charlotte appears on the scene covered in blood. Then it’s the present day and just Charlotte and her house keeper, Velma (Moorehead) live at the Hollis mansion, Sam having passed away many years ago. Charlotte is mentally scarred from the echoes of the past, she’s a recluse and seen by the townsfolk as the local mental case. As developers try to plough a road through the Hollis home, Charlotte sends for her cousin Miriam (Havilland), but then strange things start happening and Charlotte might once and for all tip over the edge. A bit long at 2 hours 13 minutes and a bit too bonkers at times, Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte still comes out as glorious Guignol entertainment. The setting is perfect, a Baton Rouge locale of whispering trees and ominous foliage, the Hollis mansion a place of dark secrets, shadowy halls and mental disintegration. Biroc’s black and white photography seems to revel in the misery and emotional turmoil that blows about the place, and the brilliant Aldrich unleashes delirious turns from Davis and Moorehead as the others play perfectly restrained foil. There’s a strong mystery element driving the plot forward, because what we think is true may not actually be the case? The narrative deftly reveals back stories as film progresses, hints at means and motives dangle tantalisingly in the Gothic tinged air, and then the finale doesn’t disappoint, it has some surprises in store and closes the picture down handsomely. Best served with a good helping of Sour Mash, Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte is Southern Gothicana with bells on. Or should that be Belles? 8/10

Media

  • Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte poster
  • Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte poster
  • Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte poster
  • Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte poster
  • Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte poster
  • Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte poster
  • Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte poster
  • Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte poster
  • Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
$2,200,000.00
Revenue
$4,000,000.00
Keywords
southern usainsanityhighwaycousinfamily secretsmurdermansionpsychological thrillerlove affairhousekeeperdeathmental illnessreclusesouthern belleshocksouthern gothichagsploitation