Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte

An unusually long pre-credits sequence establishes the roots of faded Southern belle Charlotte's (Bette Davis) insanity; she'd been witness to the dismemberment murder of her fiance (Bruce Dern) and the suicide of the murderer, her own father (Victor Buono). Years later, Charlotte remains a recluse ...more

No one can rightfully claim that Hush . . . Hush Sweet Charlotte is dull. The unrestrained acting performances alone -- or the caricatures that substitute for acting performances here -- are just too much fun to watch. This is the kind of film, in fact, where Agnes Moorehead makes Bette Davis appear downright restrained in comparison. Or where Joseph Cotten and Mary Astor's mint julep accents flow as thick and gooey as molasses. Hush . . . Hush, which owes a great deal to the French classic ...more