kevin olzak 1972's "The Companion" was among several genre titles that sat on the shelf for years before being picked up for distribution by indie outfit Cinema Shares International Distribution Organization Ltd. (that's quite a mouthful!). Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater broadcast no less than nine of their films during its last days on the air- "Web of the Spider," "Track of the Moon Beast," "Godzilla on Monster Island," "Godzilla vs. Megalon," "Godzilla vs. the Cosmic Monster," "Creature from Black Lake," "Dynasty," and "Blue Sunshine," all still rather obscure decades later. Many believe this to have been a TV-movie, but that is not so, director Randall Hood simply had some television experience and knew what to do on an obviously low budget, gathering together a cast well known for their small screen work. Scriptwise, it's strictly routine 'skeletons in the closet' stuff, with Edith Atwater ("The Body Snatcher") in the central role of Amanda Price, like Bette Davis in both "Baby Jane" and "Sweet Charlotte" (or even Agnes Moorehead in "Dear Dead Delilah"), an unmarried spinster devoted to the memory of her dead father. Jack Ging plays brother Edward Price, who hires a discredited nurse, Esther Harper (Antoinette Bower), to look after his sister, in the hope that her suicidal tendencies will reach fruition, enabling him to take over the estate. Esther discovers her charge to be sharp as a tack, not the 'mental deficient' that Edward described, and comes to regret becoming his 'partner in crime.' The entirely predictable skeletons in this closet can be found in the basement, and are thrown away two thirds of the way in, leaving very little to follow. Veteran Kent Smith does well as the concerned Dr. Thorne, but Antoinette Bower's performance is sadly lacking, making her scenes opposite the fiery Atwater fizzle rather than sizzle, blunting the film's overall impact. Producer/director Randall Hood's early death in 1976 preceded the release of his final film, his only previous feature a 1961 children's fantasy called "The Two Little Bears." It remains his modest efforts, and a mostly game cast, that make this ideal late night viewing, not the horror film promised by the criminally misleading ads for its theatrical title "Die Sister, Die!" (which totally gives the game away). "The Companion" aired twice on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater, Apr 4 1981 and Dec 18 1982.

Red-Barracuda A troubled old woman is saved from suicide by her brother and the family doctor. Her brother's concern is purely for show though and he hires a nurse with a shady past to 'look after' his sister, i.e. to ensure she definitely dies next time she tries to kill herself. But once the nurse begins work things change.This psychological thriller has the definite feel of a TV movie. I can find no definitive evidence that it is but I would not be surprised in the least to discover it is one. It seems to have been promoted as a horror movie. The title is quite in-your-face and the poster art is somewhat misleading. It shows a nubile scantily dressed young woman running away from an ominous house while being terrorised by several brutish hands that reach out to grab her from crumbling walls. It combines imagery of Gothic horror with Roman Polanski's Repulsion. It's a great poster! But, it's hardly accurate in terms of describing the actual content. First and foremost, this is not a horror film. It's pretty solidly a thriller. It's about family secrets and greed within a Gothic setting. It has occasional spooky moments such as nightmarish dream sequences and secrets in the basement.Despite some of the negativity directed at it, I found Die Sister, Die! to be perfectly enjoyable. It's well acted, including a turn from Kent Smith who starred in the classic Cat People (1942). It's just probably not going to appeal to people who get their expectations up by checking out that cool poster in advance of watching it.

Cristi_Ciopron Antoinette Bower, the delicious B actress of English origin, was 40 yrs when she played 'Ester' (nicely sounding Biblical name, symbolical), a frightening nurse, the sexy widow of a senile old millionaire, in Die Sister, Die!, an already (by the time it was shot) old—fashioned shocker about family secrets, the strangeness of old puppets, revenge, traumas, family rancor, destabilizing other's mind, greed, old mysterious houses, Freudian overtones, domineering father, rivalry, jealousy, putrid souls.The father in the movie is an 'old bitchy Brando'—type; the physician belongs to the old Olivier—type.

capkronos Really a nice little surprise we have here, despite the little attention it was given and the mediocre to bad reviews I've read pretty much everywhere. Edith Atwater stars as Amanda Price, a troubled, depressed old spinster who's just attempted her second unsuccessful suicide ("I'm alive... Oh damn!"), but was saved in the nick of time by the family doctor (Kent Smith). It turns out that Amanda has an even worse enemy than herself to deal with as her outwardly caring sibling Edward (Jack Ging) is conspiring against her. While at a bar, Ed meets Esther (Antoinette Bower), a desperate, discredited nurse now working as a waitress because she was cheated out of a load of money after her 90-year-old sugar daddy died. Edward offers her 25,000 dollars to 'keep Amanda company' (i.e. speed along her death so he can get the inheritance) in a large mansion home full of locked cupboards and doors. Once Esther is hired on as the nurse, she starts to appreciate and enjoy the company of the eccentric Amanda, and refuses to continue conspiring against her. But by the time she has a change of heart, she discovers there's more than one skeleton hidden inside this families closet... and one is behind a cracked wall in the basement! The screenplay (by Tony Sawyer, from a William Hersey story) has its share of twists and turns and most of the acting (especially the amusingly self-deprecating Atwater) is good. There's also an effectively nasty flashback and a great nightmare sequence involving birds, incest, severed limbs and a decapitation. If you don't mind slower paced thrillers, you can do much worse than this one.