Gothic fiction whose best-known work was the 1960 Hollywood horror novel "What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?" Farrell's novels spawned a subgenre of "Grande Dame Guignol" in the cinema, represented by such films as the 1962 film based on Farrell's novel, which starred Bette Davis versus Joan Crawford; this subgenre of films was dubbed the "psycho-biddy" genre. Many modern writers of horror (or indeed other types of fiction) exhibit considerable Gothic sensibilities—examples include the works of Anne Rice, Stella Coulson, Susan Hill, Poppy Z. Brite and Neil Gaiman as well as some of the sensationalist works of Stephen King Thomas M. Disch's
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962 film) throwing a note pleading for help out her bedroom window. Jane returns in time to notice the note and prevent Mrs. Bates from seeing it. When the Hudsons' maid Elvira Stitt (Maidie Norman) comes to the house, Jane gives her a paid day off to keep her from seeing Blanche. Eccentric, overweight and cash-strapped Edwin Flagg (Victor Buono) sees Jane's newspaper advertisement and arrives at the mansion for an audition; Jane hires him as her accompanist. After cringing at her off-key warbling, Edwin insincerely flatters Jane and encourages her to revive her act. While Jane drives Edwin home, Blanche searches