Signe Hasso, born in 1915 in Sweden, brought a distinctive flair to the realm of cult cinema with her role in Picture Mommy Dead (1966). In this film, she delivers a compelling performance that intertwines psychological intrigue with the eerie atmosphere characteristic of the genre. Hasso's career spanned several decades, and her ability to navigate complex characters made her a fascinating figure in exploitation and thriller films. Her work continues to resonate within the niche of cult cinema, marking her as a noteworthy presence in the landscape of 1960s genre filmmaking.
Picture Mommy Dead
Young Susan Shelly, suffering from shock and amnesia, is confined to a sanitarium-convent following the death of her mother, Jessica, in a fire. After 3 years Susan returns home to her father, Edward, and his new wife, Francene, Susan's former governess. Francene, who married Edward because she thought he would inherit his wife's total estate, applies pressure on Edward to have Susan recommitted, knowing that her inheritance would revert to Edward should she be declared insane or die before her 25th birthday. Failing this, Francene persuades her lover, Anthony, the caretaker, to help her recover from Susan a valuable necklace once belonging to Jessica and now missing. During a thunderstorm Susan reconstructs the events leading up to the fire in which her mother perished. She realizes that she did steal the necklace and finds it but refuses to give it to Francene, believing in her hysteria that the woman is Jessica. A chase ensues; Francene discovers Anthony calling the police and stabs him to death. Edward joins in the fray and strangles Francene, just as he killed Jessica, and for the same reason, because of her adultery with Anthony. The scene is witnessed by Susan, who, as she did 3 years before, sets fire to the house and departs with her father, happy in the thought that she is the only woman in his life.
