Die Sister, Die!

1978 "Go ahead and SCREAM, Amanda - It can't help you now!"
Die Sister, Die!
4.8| 1h22m| PG| en| More Info
Released: 01 December 1978 Released
Producted By: Project Blue
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Synopsis

A man hires a nurse to care for his ailing but nasty and shrewish sister. What he really intends to do, however, is to convince the nurse to join him in a plot to kill her.

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DigitalRevenantX7 CAUTION: Plot spoilers present.Rich siblings Edward & Amanda are feuding over their late father's estate. Amanda is also suicidal since she is grief-stricken over her involvement in the death of her father & the disappearance of her sister. Edward hires Esther, a former nurse who has some dark secrets of her own, in order to watch over Amanda – and to ensure that if Amanda, who has a history of suicide attempts, tries to kill herself again, that she must succeed. As Edward secretly tries to kill Amanda due to her knowledge of their family's ill fortune, Esther discovers that the pair have been responsible for the fate of their family members.This B-grade mystery thriller was notable for being released with a lurid poster which featured a woman in red negligee being pursued by hands that come from walls around her. The reality is that the film is nothing more than an average mystery thriller with some reasonably good acting.Director Randall Hood did not live to see his film being released – he died of cancer while the film was still in post-production & a long-running rumour has it that Clint Eastwood had stepped in to oversee the production as a favour for actor Jack Ging.As far as mystery thrillers go, Die Sister, Die! is okay, although not good enough to warrant more than one viewing. The actors do their roles professionally – Jack Ging has some fun in his role as the sinister brother who tries to get his fortune by killing his suicidal sister – and the production values are okay. But in saying that, Die Sister, Die! has nothing to say about the thriller genre other than to use the old 'feuding siblings' plot that has been around for a while. Inexplicably, the film was remade in 2013.
Scott LeBrun It's not hard to see why some viewers might mistake this for a TV movie, for it does have that sort of feel, except spruced up a little bit with mild use of gore. The story is nothing special, and in fact is pretty familiar, but it does entertain: the dialogue actually isn't bad, and the performances are definitely solid. Written by Tony Sawyer (based on a story by William Hersey) and adequately directed by Randall Hood, it doesn't exactly offer any surprises as its twists are revealed, but one could still do far worse than this.One thing that does it make worth watching is the work by Edith Atwater ("True Grit", "Family Plot"), who's affecting as the haunted Amanda Price, who's attempted suicide as the movie opens. Amanda's younger brother Edward (Jack Ging, "High Plains Drifter", "Sssssss") hires a woman named Esther Harper (Antoinette Bower, "Prom Night", "The Evil That Men Do") to be the supposed nursemaid and companion to Amanda, but he really wants to convince Esther to let the old woman kill herself so they can split the family estate. As it happens, Esther comes to like Amanda as she gets to know her, and doesn't really want to contribute to the woman's death in any way.Fine supporting performances by Kent Smith ("Cat People", "The Spiral Staircase") as the family doctor and Robert Emhardt ("The Intruder", "It's Alive") as the deceased patriarch (seen in flashback) are an asset, and the music score composed by Hugo Friedhofer is very good as well. Ging is appropriately smarmy and Bower does alright as the troubled accomplice. The movie's pace is acceptable and Hood manages to keep the viewer watching through the assorted twists and turns. The ending is basically satisfactory.Worth a look if one is hungry to discover low budget obscurities from decades past.Six out of 10.
bensonmum2 I don't care that this movie is listed as a horror on IMDb or that the video cover art features hands coming from a wall to grab a woman or that the film is included on just about every budget horror set, Die Sister, Die! has little in the way of horror to offer. There are moments of horror to be sure, but it's really more of a drama/mystery. If you're a fan of Columbo/70s style mysteries, this movie might appeal to you.My problems with the movie have nothing to do with the way it has been incorrectly categorized over the years. Instead, I see weaknesses in the script and acting. Too much of the movie is just plain dull. Die Sister, Die! might have been much more enjoyable with a tighter script and a shorter run time. There's just too much in the way of padding for my taste. As for the acting, Antoinette Bower is dreadful in the pivotal role of the nurse. She plays the role as a woman who appears on the verge of going comatose at any minute.The plot is standard 70s made-for-TV stuff. An older woman wants to commit suicide because of some unknown guilt. Her brother, seeking to inherit the family's fortune, would like to see her succeed. He hires a nurse to look after his sister and to make sure the next suicide attempt is the last one. The family doctor plays detective and puts the pieces together. There are some fairly entertaining twists and turns along the way, all leading to a satisfactory, if not predictable, conclusion.Fans of 70s Movie of the Week fare should definitely check this one out.
shanek-2 It is amazing that the people behind this film haven't gone on to make many more films, they did well.It has a good story, interesting characters, and they did a pretty convincing job of pulling it off.It is refreshing to see characters in a film who are intelligent enough to figure out what is going on as it happens, and confronting each other with their knowledge. It seems they all have their secrets but not for long... and yet there are still some surprises at the end. I'm not talking the obvious.Wonderfully gothic with good performances. Maybe todays horror films could learn some small lessons from this. Horror films can still work without a sexy young cast of TV stars.