"Picture Mommy Dead" was poorly written, poorly acted at times and very poorly directed. Other than that, it was terrific.The film begins with a fire and a lady (Zsa Zsa Gabor) burning to death. In the next scene, years have passed and the dead woman's daughter is being checked out of a mental institution by her father. Apparently, she witnessed the killing and her mind snapped. Once she's home, however, it soon becomes rather apparent that she is rather demented and she keeps having weird hallucinations and recollections about the night her mother died. Her evil step-mother (Martha Hyer) wants to take advantage of these memories, as there was a super-valuable necklace that disappeared that night--and this nasty woman wants it all for herself. Where does all this end? See the film...or not.The worst acting was Susan Gordon who played the mentally ill daughter. If the name sounds familiar, she's the director's daughter and her acting is highly reminiscent of Sophia Coppola's in "The Godfather III". Surprisingly, Don Ameche (the father) is pretty bad as well, as he seemed awfully zombie-like at times. Only Hyer came off well. But regardless, the dialog was often dumb and the murder with the grappling hook surprisingly stupid. Not at all good but not so bad that it would be of interest to folks due to its kitsch value.

If Bert I. Gordon directed a masterpiece, it would have to be this. Not only does it have the best cast of all his schlock operas, it has the best plot. Little Susan Gordon (Bert's daughter) is released from a "convent" three years after her mother's mysterious death to find dad Don Ameche(!) married to her one time governess (Martha Hyer). Hyer and her creepy ex-lover rekindle their romance while trying to eliminate both Ameche and Gordon. Gordon meanwhile is menaced by hallucinations of her mother (Zsa Zsa Gabor). Ameche appears to be taking this all very seriously and Hyer plays her sultry vixen bit to the hilt. Gabor has virtually no dialogue. The once great character actor Wendall Corey has a very outlandish cameo has Gabor's lawyer. It's horrible, but by director Gordon's standards it's brilliant.

This is one of schlock producer Bert I Gordon's best films. After watching her mother Jessica (Zsa Zsa Gabor) die in a mysterious fire, young Susan Shelley (Susan Gordon) is sent to a convent/mental hospital where she remains for three years. In the meantime, her father Edward (Don Ameche) has married Susan's former governess, Francene (Martha Hyer) who is also his former mistress. After Susan's release from the hospital, she returns with her father and stepmother to the family estate. Immediately, the familiar surroundings bring back visions of her dead mother, as well as a gnawing suspicion that it was she herself who is responsible for her mother's death. Meanwhile, the money-hungry Francene, who has exhausted her husband's share of his late wife's bequest, begins a campaign to return Susan to the hospital for good--thereby gaining the half million dollar inheritance held in trust for her. Enlisting the help of Susan's cousin Anthony (British actor Maxwell Reed and former husband of Joan Collins), Francene also seeks to learn the whereabouts of a magnificent diamond necklace she is sure Susan has hidden. An atmospheric production, filmed at the old Doheny estate in Beverly Hills, the scene of many subsequent films, an attractive musical score by Robert Drasnin, and fine acting by all (including Miss Gordon, the director's daughter) give this murder mystery spice. And the beautiful Martha Hyer gives it class. Look for screen veterans Signe Hasso (as a nun) Wendell Corey (as the family lawyer) and Anna Lee (as a friend of Jessica). A very good novelization of the screenplay was written by screenwriter Robert Sherman. Incidentally, the pressbook synopsis has a different ending!

Martha Hyer, Don Ameche, and Zsa Zsa Gabor in a horror film?-- It's definitely cult material. The three stars give unusually good performances for this type of film, with the rest of the cast over and under-acting. Truly an unusual horror film, the plot of this haunted mansion-whodunit isn't as predictable as it would seem. It's hard to find, but worth it.