Fresh and Exciting

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

It seems like I Dismember Mama as become the standard release title for this one, originally Poor Albert and Little Annie. It really shouldn't have been renamed, as no one gets dismembered and there isn't even any gore (unless you count a split second stabbing), so anyone who hit this one at a drive in or grabbed a VHS copy expecting gruesome goods would have been severely disappointed. The original name is pretty suitable though, there's an Albert and an Annie, and the Annie is little. I wouldn't call Albert poor though, he seemed like a pretty run of the mill ass hole psycho to me. Still, the title suggests strange drama and strange drama makes up a considerable portion of the film, so it works. The titular Albert is a misogynist mama's boy creep who got institutionalised for attempting to off said mama, but breaks out in order to finish the deed. Along the way he befriends the young daughter of his mothers maid and they have a happy day out. Which is where things get weird and the film scotches its previously decent efforts at being a grimy little exploiter. The first third is pretty promising, attempted rape and strangulation, hateful and arrogant chatter and then a rather disconcerting episode of naked torment followed by murder. But when Albert meets Annie it all shifts, there's some suspense but only in vague currents through overall dullness, their dynamic is somewhat interesting and ambiguous but young Gerri Reischl is a tedious cute young girl and events are utterly prosaic and cheesy. Zooey Hall is decent as Albert though, aloof and malign with a definite sense of threat to him, he carries things as best he can but its difficult when substantial portions of the film are so uneventful, only perking up for a fairly intense closing ten minutes or so. Mostly the score is more exitable than the film, tense strings, saccharine romance and a fair amount of brash and brassy jazz moments, its good fun to boogie along to even when not much interesting is happening. The direction is stolid and other performances tend to be quite weak, but there's enough low key unease for things to be just about passable, and an interesting palpable air of misogyny. Not only is good time given over to Alberts unpleasant blather the portrayal of women in the film does little to contradict him, I'm sure the effect wasn't especially intentional but its notable nonetheless and gives the film a creepier feel than it might otherwise. Altogether this won't do much for anyone other than the more thoroughoing of early 70's trash enthusiasts but if you're the kind of person that just has to see it, its worthy enough. 5/10.

This is more like a look into a perverted misogynist's head. It was creepy to me as a woman, especially since numerous films like this exist (Night After Night After Night, Terror on Tour, Pieces, Shadows Run Black and many many others). Too many films are about psychopaths obsessed with women's "purity" it makes you wonder. Why do people care so much? And why is it constantly shown in movies that virgins are better women? Why do non-virgins deserve to die? What goes on in the minds of writers of this main theme? The acting was decent. The story was awful.Anyway, this movie creeped me out. Maybe it seemed too real. I hated it. 1/10

Original title belies what is really a bad movie. Hall plays a strange psycho who hates all women who are not virgins. Then he meets a innocent 11 year old. They take a extended trip to a amusement park. We see a long series of montages of them playing on the rides. Complete with a syrupy song titled "Poor Albert". (And you thought this was supposed to be a horror movie). The climax takes place in a abandoned warehouse full of mannequins, which the director does not take advantage of. A truly pathetic excuse for filmmaking. No scares, no suspense, no creativity; just Zooey Hall trying desperately to act. The worst film I've seen and I have seen a lot.

The alternative title of this film would make much better sense. Through some extremely unrelated footage, it does very good at hiding the truth of our "Poor Albert" who killed "Little Annie's" mama. That way, we can slowly await the climax. Horror and gore fans, be warned! You will be disappointed by the lack of severed body parts and / or any detailed scenes of graphic violence, and just because it's titled I DISMEMBER MAMA! Don't blame me if I said this! I watched this film from an out-of-print Simitar version that might have been cut from any over-the-top gore. So what? A good little El Cheapola drive-in thriller, but try not to get too high on your expectations.