Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)

Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte Poster

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

Introduction
"Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte" is a 1964 American psychological scary film produced and directed by Robert Aldrich. The film stars Hollywood legends Bette Davis as Charlotte Hollis and Olivia de Havilland as Miriam Deering. The film welcomes southern Gothic styles intermixed with suspense, horror, and murder.

Plot Summary
The film opens in 1927, where Bette Davis's character, young Charlotte Hollis, is in a relationship with a married man named John Mayhew, played by Bruce Dern. Mayhew is decapitated by a hidden assaulter, and Charlotte, spattered in blood and wielding a cleaver, is suspected.

The movie fast-forwards to 1964: Charlotte has actually been residing in privacy in her plantation estate for practically 40 years. The local community shuns her, believing she got away with murder due to her daddy's influence. When the state chooses to destroy her home to develop a highway, Charlotte ends up being increasingly distressed and calls for her cousin Miriam, a spinster living in Europe who had actually coped with her in youth.

Twisted Revelations
Upon arriving, Miriam attempts to persuade Charlotte to leave peacefully. Throughout this time, weird events take place, including the look of John's disembodied hand and a letter recommending Miriam and the family doctor, Drew Bayliss, are outlining versus her. As Charlotte's peace of mind crumbles, the movie exposes that Miriam and Drew are undoubtedly fans planning to drive Charlotte outrageous to get her to leave.

The scenarios become more made complex when a regional insurance agent and amateur sleuth called Harry Willis reveals that it was Miriam who had sent out the troubling letter and phony hand to Charlotte. His investigation, nevertheless, causes his death at the hands of an unidentified assailant.

Climax and Conclusion
In the climax, a delusional Charlotte attacks Miriam. During the confrontation, a spinning mirror takes Charlotte back to 1927, revealing that it was a jealous Miriam who had actually been having an affair with John and killed him. Miriam admits, yet Drew, fearing the repercussions, switches on her, causing her to fall down the stairs to her death.

Drew tries to eliminate Charlotte to cover his part in the plot however gets fatally bitten by a venomous snake instead. The motion picture ends with Charlotte, all alone and presumably still mentally unsteady, seeing as bulldozers approach her home, representing the end of an age and a life shrouded in gothic scary and disaster.

Apart from the Main Cast
The film likewise features Joseph Cotten as Dr. Drew Bayliss and Agnes Moorehead in an Academy Award-nominated efficiency as Velma Cruther, Charlotte's loyal house cleaner, who mistrusts-- and properly so-- Miriam from the start.

Final Remarks
"Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte" is a fascinating Southern Gothic drama that holds the audience's attention through increasingly morbid and remarkable discoveries. It showcases sterling efficiencies from Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland, buoyed by a haunting musical arrangement and a securely woven plot loaded with twists and turns. It stays substantial in the pantheon of suspense and scary movie theater.

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