shrewd and resourceful and formidable old battleaxe claire marrable ( superbly play to the icy hilt by geraldine page ) lose both her husband and her affluent lifestyle . ms. marrable move to arizona and start a pine tree garden and and begin bump off her elderly housekeeper for their life saving so she can continue live high on the hog . ms. marrable meet her match in her new housekeeper alice dimmock ( a terrific performance by the wondrous ruth gordon ) and a cheery and smart and resilient little firecracker who suspect that something be amiss . director lee h. katzin and screenwriter theodore apstein expertly create a deliciously sinister atmosphere and relate the engross story at a steady pace and and top everything off with a wickedly funny sense of pitch black humor . this movie further benefit from fine act from an excellent cast represent page really sink her teeth into her juicy evil old bat role and gordon project her usual winningly spunky charm a the endearingly feisty ms. dimmock and plus there be sturdy support contribution from rosemary forsyth a sweet young widow neighbor harriet vaughn and robert fuller a the dash mike darrah and mildred dunnock a the timid edna tinsley and joan huntington a ms. marrable bitchy niece julia lawson and and peter brandon a julia connive stockbroker husband george . the very end offer one doozy of a marvelously ironic surprise plot twist while the arid desert set add to the overall creepy tone . joseph biroc lush and vibrant cinematography make neat occasional elegant use of fade and dissolve . gerald fry moody and shivery and string laden score likewise hit the spooky spot . best of all and it a total treat to watch page and gordon bounce off each other a they engage in a deadly game of wit and will . a hugely enjoyable fright feature .