What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

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What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

1962

2h 12m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

51 Reviews

91%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Jane Hudson (Bette Davis) is an aging child star left to care for her wheelchair-bound sister Blanche (Joan Crawford), also a former child actress. Stuck living together in a mansion in old Hollywood, Blanche plots to get even with Jane for the car crash that left her crippled years earlier. But Jane is desperate to keep Blanche imprisoned as she plans a new rise to fame, and tries to hide Blanche's existence from doctors, visitors and neighbors while she devises a way to get rid of her sister.

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Critics Consensus

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? combines powerhouse acting, rich atmosphere, and absorbing melodrama in service of a taut thriller with thought-provoking subtext.

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James Powers

The Hollywood Reporter

Mar 5, 2017

A lurid melodrama of hate, revenge and murder, a high-class horror film, in the Hitchcock vein, with virtuoso performances from Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, and moments both searing and poignant.

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Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

Mar 3, 2017

What so often gets lost about 'Baby Jane' is that it's a real thriller, dark, suspenseful, and intense.

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Andrew Schenker

Little White Lies

Dec 13, 2012

3/5

There are plenty of thrills and no shortage of suspense in this darkly comic horror film.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Mar 27, 2025

3.5/4

This offers an endless stream of indelible moments directed with ghoulish glee by Robert Aldrich.

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Penelope Gilliatt

Observer (UK)

Mar 6, 2024

It plays on the public's subconscious resentment of film stars... Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? is an oddly vengeful movie.

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Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

May 17, 2023

4/5

What could have been a campy B-movie becomes a rather touching tragedy thanks to two powerhouse lead performances from Joan Crawford and (especially) Bette Davis.

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Ed B

@EdLee Oct 28, 2026

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, Bette Davis & Joan Crawford portray two sisters who have anger towards each other. Both actresses perform exceptional as one would expect. Good movie.

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Sharon I

@Puddles426 Oct 19, 2026

I’ve watched Whatever Happened to Baby Jane since I was young and I’m still floored at the performances by these iconic actresses Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Bette’s my absolute favorite actress ever.,she is totally fearless when she takes on a role. Joan is also fantastic. This movie is a classic and will always be legendary!

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Everett T

@RT41780084 Aug 15, 2026

Great movie! The movies from the 60s are always good

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Matthew A

@iWupp Jun 28, 2026

Sunset Boulevard meets Misery. This is a look at the effects of childhood stardom and jealousy. We follow Jane Hudson, a famous child star who has a sister. When her sister becomes an actress and naturally outgrows Jane over the years she can't handle it. Jane ends up injuring her in an accident on purpose, permanently putting her in a wheelchair. From there we watch Jane torment her sister while she's confined to the upstairs of their house. I'm sure the most memorable thing about this film for most people is the bird or rat scene. But for me it was something extremely minute that lasted maybe five seconds. It was the most terrifying shot in this whole film, the overhead of Blanch spinning in circles in her wheelchair. There's literally no where for her to go, no escape from this hell. No other moment in this film truly captured how trapped and helpless she is in this situation. The best part of this film is definitely the performances. Reviews continued on Letterboxd - @iWup

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B B.

@BethBrown Apr 14, 2026

A go to for classic psychological horror and repeated trope in subsequent films. Betty Davis and Joan Crawford unmatched talent.

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Noel L

@RT15930389 Mar 29, 2026

I wonder if this is where the idea for Misery came from

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Robert Aldrich

Director

Bette Davis

Miss Baby Jane Hudson

Joan Crawford

Miss Blanche Hudson

Victor Buono

Mr. Edwin Flagg

Marjorie Bennett

Mrs. Dehlia Flagg

Anna Lee

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Synopsis

Jane Hudson (Bette Davis) is an aging child star left to care for her wheelchair-bound sister Blanche (Joan Crawford), also a former child actress. Stuck living together in a mansion in old Hollywood, Blanche plots to get even with Jane for the car crash that left her crippled years earlier. But Jane is desperate to keep Blanche imprisoned as she plans a new rise to fame, and tries to hide Blanche's existence from doctors, visitors and neighbors while she devises a way to get rid of her sister.

Director: Robert Aldrich
Producer: Robert Aldrich
Screenwriter: Lukas Heller, Henry Farrell
Distributor: Warner Bros., Warner Home Vídeo
Production Co: The Associates & Aldrich Company Inc., Aldrich, Seven Arts Pictures, Warner Brothers
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 31, 1962, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 21, 2016
Runtime: 2h 12m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)

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