Michael O'Keefe MAD ROOM is based on the 1941 classic LADIES IN RETIREMENT. Ellen Hardy(Stella Stevens)is an assistant and companion to a wealthy, but a bit psychotic old widow Gladys Armstrong(Shelley Winters), who just so happens to be Ellen's future mother-in-law. Ellen is deeply in love with her fiancé Sam(Skip Ward), but there are secrets yet to be told. Ellen's teenage brother and sister are released from a mental institution where they were put after being suspected of slaughtering their parents. Miss Hardy believes she is the only witness, but her memory is very confusing. The teens need a place to go, and Ellen has to conger a reason to have them come to Mrs. Armstrong's ever expanding home. Ellen will have to be devious in convincing the old widow that sharing her home will not interfere with anyone's lifestyle.Suspense will thicken. The two teens still believe that the other committed the gory murders. Lies upon lies will be amplified when a horrid event takes place. Now suspicion and a cover-up will have to be crafted. This psychological drama also features: Michael Burns, Carol Cole, Barbara Sammeth, Severn Darden and Beverly Garland.

moonspinner55 Two disturbed teenagers, just out of the mental ward several years after killing their parents, come to stay with their older sister...soon, "bad things begin happening", as they say. Updated variation of Reginald Denham and Edward Percy's play "Ladies in Retirement"--first filmed in 1941 with Ida Lupino and Evelyn Keyes--given a hammy treatment by director Bernard Girard. Laying on the lunatic melodrama with a touch of cartoony blood, Girard shows no responsibility towards the audience, he's just out for cheap shocks. Stella Stevens and Shelley Winters are the stars this time, and it is fun watching these two square off against each other even if the movie is pure sleaze. Ridiculous and off-putting in the extreme, with a somewhat pretentious finale that defies explanation. *1/2 from ****

adriangr I've finally seen this movie again after years of just having a faint memory of it, so I've now got to decide if it lived up to my memory...well it pretty much does. The story concerns Stella Stevens as Ellen, a young woman who's impending marriage is interrupted by news that her younger brother and sister are being released from an asylum where they were committed after the murder of both their parents. Now considered sane, they are handed over into Ellen's custody, despite her misgivings, and the three of them move into the home of Ellen's fiancée's mother in law, played by Shelley Winters, which in turn gives HER major misgivings. And this being a horror film, it isn't long before there's a new murder...So what still works is the general sense of unease, mostly generated by great performances by the two younger children, played by Michael Burns and Barbara Sammeth. They portray just the right amount of inscrutability, and keep you guessing as to their actual mental stability! Stella Stevens plays Ellen with lots of wide eyed exasperation which suits the role well, and Shelley Winters does her usual job of playing an alcoholic floozy as the landlady/mother-in-law. The overall tone of the story is well handled, and the climax still works. Gore is low but a couple of bloody scenes still stand out, and the best part is still what happens when a dopey dog sniffs out a dead body - great fun. All in all it's a great compact little thriller with some very good performances...check out the ladies charity party when one of the visitors gets a little too drunk - great cameo here by Beverley Garland - which ends in unexpected tragedy that none of the main characters saw coming! I'd love to see this get an official DVD release, but it seems unlikely, and it's hardly ever shown on TV any more either...what a waste, as this film could be entertaining dozens of new fans or just nostalgia buffs who fancy a bit of twitchy suburban horror from 1969

richardchch Coming late in the 60's cycle of mature star shockers, Shelley Winters (who sounds as if she did some of her scenes in one take) and Stella Stevens square off in this watchable B that would have gone straight to video these days. Features a mutt with a taste for more than just Shmackos and worth seeing for the riveting cameo by Beverley Garland as the scorned wife drunk at a society party, but basically Stella's the whole show. Lots of zoom camerawork and 60s wigs! Ends suddenly in the best traditions! Perfect double feature with 'The Big Cube'! 6/10