Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)

Grotesue! If you’re happy, and you know it, stay away from this film!, 14 June 2011

Author: IamTheMoviesILove from United States

With all due respect to those of you who love it, I have to say that I resent the way this movie made me feel! I watch movies to get a rush and a high of some kind, even occasionally by suspense. But, this one rubbed me wrong. After the gruesome murder scene near the beginning, I remained grossed out throughout the rest of the picture—-I just couldn’t get that scene, and the nasty take on the title song—-out of my head. And, yeah, about the song that was sang in the opening credits, I think it’s just plain gross and in bad taste! Now, I’ll admit that I know very little about horror movies from the Haze-code years (any film pre-1967), but it seems to me that “Charlotte” went a bit overboard with the overtness of violence and crudity—-for that time period, at least.

Speaking (well, typing) as someone who doesn’t really like horror movies as I don’t like being scared or grossed out, I have been known to make exceptions for the older films, because I don’t expect them to be graphic, only suggestive. So, this film was a real shocker to me! Because not only was it very graphic in parts (albeit, the visual effects pale in comparison to the level of gore that would be seen in a similar film of today, the point still stands that the intent of gore was there), but it was also very anything but suggestive in referencing it; I COULD NOT BELIEVE the lyrics to the opening song, “Chop chop, sweet Charlotte, chop off his head and hands” or something like that…just completely vulgar!

Please understand though, that my review and rating of this film is not to suggest that it is a poor piece of film-making, but rather that it does not happen to suite my personal preferences—-hardly at all! I also feel that parts of it were over-done, and that the graphic scenes were not necessary to move the story along, and therefore were, to me, in bad taste.

I’d advice everyone who believes in the cleanliness of all movies from the “Golden Age of Hollywood” to steer clear of “Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte,” cause it just might burst your bubble! For a similar, but perhaps “safer” sort of movie, watch 1962’s “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane”——it may leave you surprised, but not repulsed. That’s my take on it, anyway.