You'll Like My Mother

Plot synopsis:
A very pregnant Francesca (Patty Duke) travels from Los Angeles to Minnesota to meet her late husband's mother, Mrs. Kinsolving, whom she has never met before. Mrs. Kinsolving (Rosemary Murphy) is cold to Francesca, questions whether she is actually pregnant with her son's baby, and tells Francesca she wants nothing to do with her or her baby in the future. It soon becomes clear that Francesca cannot leave that night as a blizzard has made the roads impassable. Francesca is forced to stay in the Kinsolving mansion for a few days. She soon begins to suspect that something is amiss due to inconsistencies in information between what her late husband (Matthew) told her and Mrs. Kinsolving's statements to her.
While Matthew never mentioned he had a sister, Mrs. Kinsolving claims that the mentally challenged and non-verbal Kathleen (Sian Barbara Allen) is Matthew's sister. After Mrs. Kinsolving retires for the night, Francesca sneaks around and discovers in the family Bible that Matthew's mother (Maria) died eleven days after Matthew was killed in the Vietnam War, that Mrs. Kinsolving is actually Maria's sister in law, Katherine, who is Kathleen's mother and the mother of Kenny (Richard Thomas), a serial rapist and murderer who is hiding somewhere in the Kinsolving mansion. Francesca goes into labor, but Mrs. Kinsolving refuses to call for an ambulance. She sedates Francesca heavily. When the baby is born, Mrs. Kinsolving announces it is dead and hands the baby over to Kathleen to bury.
That night, Kathleen rouses Francesca and takes her to the attic where she finds Kathleen has hidden her baby (who is actually very much alive) in a picnic basket. Mrs. Kinsolving, suspecting Francesca is sneaking around the mansion, locks her in her room. Kathleen is able to locate the key to the room and unlocks it, allowing Francesca to care for her baby. One night, Francesca secretly spies the unsuspecting Kenny who is hiding in the basement laundry. She overhears his conversation with Mrs. Kinsolving, and it is menacing. Meanwhile, Mrs. Kinsolving discovers that the family Bible has been opened to the page detailing the date of Maria Kinsolving's death. Mrs. Kinsolving informs Kenny that Francesca knows Maria is dead, but does not think she is aware that Kenny is hiding in the mansion. The next morning, Mrs. Kinsolving announces that the blizzard has cleared enough for a driver to take Francesca into town to take the bus back to Los Angeles.
At breakfast, the driver arrives—and it is Kenny. Francesca quickly tells Mrs. Kinsolving that she left her gloves in her third floor room and she needs to retrieve them. Instead, she gets her baby from the attic, hides the baby under her coat and flees the mansion. However, Mrs. Kinsolving spots Francesca running away and yells for Kenny to get her. He takes chase, and Kathleen notices. Francesca sees Kenny is quickly gaining ground, and she darts into the carriage house in an attempt to elude him. He locates her, they struggle, and he knocks Francesca unconscious. The baby slips from under her coat. Kenny smiles sadistically and covers the crying baby's face with his hand. Suddenly, Kathleen sneaks up behind him and stabs him in the back with a pair of scissors. The film ends with Mrs. Kinsolving cradling her dead son as Kathleen and Francesca, holding her baby, look on, and help arrives.

Tags: insanity, murder

Review:
Francesca Kinsolving (Patty Duke) is having the kind of "bad day" that makes you want to slap yourself viciously for ever thinking that you had one.
Only a few weeks ago, she found out her soldier husband was K.I.A. in Vietnam, and now she is HUGELY pregnant, with the baby due in...oh, about five minutes from yesterday!
Especially his dear, sainted mother.So, off she goes, not letting anything get in the way of her visit (except maybe that monstrous belly); even an impending blizzard that is well on the way by the time she arrives.But speaking of blizzards, isn't it lovely that Francesca gets a glacial welcome from her hubby's iceberg of a monster mother, Mrs. Kinsolving (Rosemary Murphy), who definitely seems a lot more put-out than pleased to see her?
Oh, and then there's Kenny (Richard Thomas), her alleged "brother-in-law," whose personality not only makes Peter Lorre look like Brad Pitt, but seems to be a little too close to Mama for comfort.
And please welcome to the mix Kenny's "sister" Kathleen (Sian-Barbara Allen), who is, shall we say in the spirit of remaining PC, "special?" Put them all together in a big old house during a dire winter storm out in the middle of nowhere, and you've got yourself one cracking good W.I.P thriller!
YOU'LL LIKE MY MOTHER was based on a popular novel of the decade written by Naomi Hintze, with a screenplay by Jo Heims (whose script for the Clint Eastwood vehicle PLAY MISTY FOR ME is the whole reason why Glenn Close was even able to HAVE a "fatal attraction.") TV vet Lamont Johnson does a great job ratcheting up the suspense at an unbearably slow and steady pace, as Our Heroine discovers that her extended "family" is not at all what it seems, and that she has to somehow get herself and her child out of harm's way with virtually no one to help her, before "something REALLY BAD happens," as it always does in such thrillers.As audiences these days have become bloodthirsty gorehounds, who like their screen sacrifices freshly squeezed and slashed, and right often, MOTHER might be too slow and stately, from a more "genteel" time when the term "nail-biting" didn't refer to a shot to the chops with an industrial-strength nail gun.
Patty Duke as Francesca shows without a doubt that talent does travel through the genes (which is likely where sons Sean and Mackenzie Astin got most of theirs from), stage and screen vet Murphy crackles as Mom, and then up-and-coming actress Allen gives a poignant and startling performance as the feeble sister who really is a lot more "special" than anybody realizes.But the biggest treat on hand is Richard Thomas.
Here, he sinks his teeth into a completely demented pre-"Waltons" performance that will leave you gasping, especially those fans of the gently rural show who thought they "knew" who John-Boy was.
(Heh-heh!) MOTHER comes highly recommended for those who enjoyed W.I.P. movies like DEAD OF WINTER, (which bears a striking resemblance to MOTHER) or WHEN A STRANGER CALLS, (the Carol Kane original, not the obnoxious remake.) In fact, it would make a great Saturday night double-feature with either.Oh, and contrary to popular belief, MOTHER was NOT originally a T.V. movie.
This was yet another great theatrical effort that came out of Bing Crosby Productions (!!!) during that time period, when they cranked out the hits like the original versions of WALKING TALL, (in which Murphy co-starred with Joe-Don Baker), WILLARD and of course its sequel, BEN..
Duke, Harris, and Thomas are well worth watching for their understated performances in this moody character study.
"You'll Like My Mother" has Patty Duke as Francesca, a pregnant widow who travels from California to the snowy backwoods of Minnesota in the dead of winter to meet her mother-in-law.
She gets more than she bargained for however, and finds herself not only stranded there, but in great danger.One of many seemingly forgotten horror-thriller offerings from the early seventies, this inconspicuously-titled chiller is severely underprivileged in terms of audience, to the point that it's been mistakenly labeled as a television film (it wasn't).
Its snowy backwoods setting is phenomenal, and the film reaps a chilling and claustrophobic atmosphere from it throughout.
Adding to the ambiance is the main setting—a secluded, ornate manor house—which acts as an oppressive force in and of itself, concealing family secrets as well as housing key scenes in the film.The film sets it self up for sinister happenings from the outset, with Patty Duke innocuously asking her bus driver about her husband's family.
It's minor, subtle moments like these—many of which are found in Duke's and Rosemary Murphy's performances—that make the film so unnerving.
The audience knows something's not quite right from minute one, and the film is an exercise in ratcheting atmosphere and tension from there on out.
Duke is likable as the doe-eyed, well-meaning widow, and Murphy is ice-cold as her unreceptive (among other things) mother-in-law.
Overall, "You'll Like My Mother" is an under-seen thriller marked by solid performances, eerie use of landscape and cinematography, and a consistently suspenseful plot.
A worthwhile effort, and one of the better (and more unusual) snowbound horror films to come of the late twentieth century.
Filmed in the woods of Minnesota this thriller is scary and exciting!
Patty Duke delivers a great performance but is at times outshined by newcomer Sian Barbara Allen!
Richard Thomas in a rare performance as a physcho!
Excellent film to watch on a cold winter night!.
Also a truly creepy performance by Richard Thomas (pre Waltons) as Kenny.
A good rental but not as bloody as genre fans might like..
"You'll Like My Mother" is reminiscent in terms of subject matter to the British, Hammer-produced thriller "Die!
Die, My Darling", as both movies deal with a recently widowed women acquainting their mothers-in-law only after the husbands' deaths and almost literally ending in hell.
Die, My Darling" was such an absorbing and creepy little thriller; I really wanted to check out this movie as well, particularly because this is an "Americanized" 70's version with exploitation undertones and complementary raw atmosphere.
Francesca, eight months pregnant and widowed since seven months as she lost her husband Matthew when his plane crashed in Vietnam, travels all the way up to Matthew's parental house to pay an unannounced visit to his mother.
From the very first minute, Mrs. Kinsolving turns out to be hateful and cynical person who hasn't got the slightest intention to get friendly with Francesca or the baby.
But there's more, as Matthew mute and mentally underdeveloped sister Kathleen – whom Francesca never heard about before – seems petrified of the mother and slips bizarre little newspaper clippings into her hands like she's trying to warn her about something sinister.
With the snowy weather getting worse, Francesca and her unborn child are trapped in a mansion with a potentially very dangerous psychopath.
"You'll Like My Mother" is a very tense and unnerving 70's thriller with a solid script that gradually becomes more convoluted through effective twists and a couple of powerful moments that are simultaneously disturbing and saddening.
Particularly halfway through the movie, the story becomes unusual and nightmarish (all comparisons with "Die!
This movie is another perfect example to show you don't necessarily require a big budget to deliver a spine-chilling thriller.
"You'll Like My Mother" contains no special effects or particular gimmicks, but thrives exclusively on dreary atmosphere and offbeat plotting.
It's an incomprehensibly underrated 70's highlight with great acting performances (Patty Duke is sublime as the mother in distress) that urgently needs a much wider audience..
Capable cast goes through the motions in a predictable, mechanical snowbound thriller, yet another in a long line of genre screamers pitting one 'helpless' woman against a gang of crazies.
This time it's Patty Duke's turn to portray the captive: a pregnant widow who goes to visit her mother-in-law for the first time in frigid Minnesota and quickly finds herself unable to flee.
Director Lamont Johnson, who ended up having a very spotty resume of good films and duds, handles the story in a workman-like, perfunctory way without a drop of self-effacing humor or even morbid interest.
When her Army husband is killed in combat, a pregnant Patty Duke travels to the remote Minnesota home of his family, whom she's never met, for a visit.
Meeting with icy acceptance from mother-in-law Rosemary Murphy and stranded by a blizzard, Duke begins to discover terrifying--and deadly--secrets about her husband's family.I wish had known about this film before I had been in Duluth many years ago.
The movie was shot in the Congdon Mansion, and it would have been fun to visit the building, even if I was not allowed inside.Well played, Scream Factory, for giving this one a release.
Patty Duke is lovely and appealing as Francesca Kinsolving, a very pregnant young woman whose husband Matthew was killed in Vietnam.
But when she gets to the estate, the mother (Rosemary Murphy) turns out to be an odd duck, and a forbidding character.
What's more, this woman has a daughter, Kathleen (the memorable Sian Barbara Allen), who has her own problems.
Francesca realizes that she's not welcome there, but becomes a prisoner anyway when bad weather prevents her from leaving.It's understandable that people might think that this was a made-for-TV affair, but in truth it *did* play in theatres.
The director is Lamont Johnson, who had lots of television credits, but did a couple of theatrical features as well.
Hintze) some respectable suspense, and utilizes the real life Glensheen Historic Estate to great effect.
Refreshingly, although Hintzes' tale has some twists to it, it's not overly complicated, and it's surprisingly absorbing, doing a good job of keeping the viewers' attention.Another heavy asset is Dukes' character.
You do sympathize with her and feel a certain suspicion towards Mrs. Kinsolving, who is played with effective frostiness by Ms. Murphy.
Richard "John-Boy Walton" Thomas has fun with his cocky and creepy character, who's not given a proper introduction until well into the picture.
Despite what a few other reviewers have noted, this movie was a.
The Glensheen Mansion is in the eastern part of Duluth, nestled in amongst other mansions built around the turn of the last century by the "robber barons" who made their fortunes in lumber, railroads or other enterprises of the times.I happened to be in St. Mary's Hospital in Duluth when this movie was filmed in early 1972 and we had a celebrity guest on our floor at the time.
Every morning an entourage would parade down the hall to visit Patty Duke, to include her dog and numerous hangers-on.
Patty Duke was hospitalized at the same time for a "nervous condition".
Read her bio and you will understand what that means in English.The movie was OK, but a real treat for people who knew about the mansion because that was long before it became open to the public.
The movie was made about five years before Mrs Congdon and her night nurse were savagely murdered.
I've read that this was originally shown in theaters, which I don't doubt is true, but it was on television a very few years later.
I recall this movie from television and I could not have been much older than 8, so it must have been around 1974 or 75.
It was one of those disturbing thrillers, that relied on good acting, not gratuitous violence.
This must have been the movie where Richard Thomas and Sian Barbara Allen met, as they dated for several years.
A Credible Thriller For A Made For TV Movie !.
This was one of ABC's TV Movies Of The Week, and a fairly good thriller.
Recently widowed by her military husband, pregnant Patty Duke goes to stay at her mother in law's New England country home.
Having never met before, the only thing that Patty knows about her hostess is that her late husband had often commented, " You'll Like My Mother ".
With Sian Barbara Allen as a mildly retarded relative, and Richard Thomas as Kenny who is an uneering presence that was one of the better made for TV movies of the early 70's..
A Good Thriller as is showed.
"You'll Like My Mother!
The movie was a good thriller.
However, there was no beginning nor was there an ending in this movie.
There was no pictures or showing of the mother or the husband on this movie.
Patty Duke should have had at lease a picture of her husband with her.
And at the ending, the movie could have shown her with the estate and money left behind.
The movie left you wondering about her and her baby, and the women and her daughter.
I remembered this movie years ago when it came on the A&E channel.
A Good Thriller Indeed!
You'll like this movie.
Theatrically released in 1972, this good old fashioned B-movie is sometimes mistaken for a made for TV film.
The material is thin, but deftly stretched out, and given some substance and distinction by a quartet of strong performances, Lamont Johnson's taut direction, and location filming that creates a palpably chilly atmosphere.
An entertaining film that is reminiscent of Die!Die!My Darling!, The Collector, Misery, Dead of Winter, and even Rosemary's Baby.
The film features Sian Barbara Allen in an impressive debut as that familiar mute servant who aids the lady in distress, and Patty Duke is perfectly cast as the lady in distress.
As a menacing mother and son, Rosemary Murphy and Richard Thomas are excellent, and their incestuous relationship is effectively handled.
Unfortunately, the ending is a bit anti-climactic, but You'll Like My Mother is a film you'll like, and that is worthy of a DVD release.
Lamont Johnson and Patty Duke worked together on the Emmy-winning My Sweet Charlie(1970)..
A vintage VHS of this movie recently sold on eBay for $67.50.
A vintage VHS of this movie recently sold on eBay (after 16 bids) for $67.50!
This is an excellent 70's movie.
One of the best mystery-mansion movies ever!
Richard Thomas is somewhat out-of-character (compared to John Boy), since he plays the part of a murderer-rapist, but his acting is superb.
I loved "You'll Like My Mother".
Richard Thomas was superb.He was very frightening as Kenny.Kenny and his mother had a strange relationship going on there.I could never look at "John Boy" the same way after seeing this.
I truly enjoyed Patty Duke in this film, as well.
"You'll like my mother!" concerns a young,pregnant widow who's attempt to get to know her wealthy and strangely distant "mother-in-law" almost costs her life-and her infant's life as well!
The young woman Francesca arrives at the old,crumbling mansion of her dead husbands "mother" It dosen't matter to Francesca that she's in the last stage of her pregnancy and has arrived during the height of a Minnesota snowstorm-she wants to finally meet her husbands mother!Much to her surprise Francesca is greeted by an unusually cold and unconcerned matriarch who lives an isolated life in her enormous mansion with her "feebleminded" teen-aged daughter Kathleen!( Francesca's husband NEVER mentioned having a sister!
) By the time Francesca decided to leave it is too late-she's snowed in!
And during Francesca's  stay overnight she learns some disturbing truths:Her husband's mother had died shortly after he did!The "feebleminded" girl is not his sister!This cold,distant woman is not her mother-in-law!And there's a deranged man lurking in the corridors of this sprawling,isolated mansion!With the Minnesota snow falling and Francesca's baby due any day now there is much cause for suspense!
And suspense is the key element in this unusually scary and disturbing movie!
It is to the credit of the palpable performances of Patty Duke as the frightened and bewildered Francesca;Rosemary Murphy as the cold "mother-in-law";newcomer Sian Barbara Allen as the mute and "feebleminded"(one suspects)little sister;and a rare and chilling performance by a pre-Waltons Richard Thomas as the rapist-murderer Kenny!
It is a true gem of a horror movie that combines the best elements of character portrayal,storyline,scenery(filmed on location during a Minnesota winter!) and a shocking finale that makes "You'll like my mother" a movie you don't want to miss!.
Nice little thriller , good acting, weak climax.....why no DVD?.
The announcer "You'll Like My Mother; A Thriller" if any of you remember.
It has no earmarks of a flat, studio shot ABC Movie of the Week from the enchanted year of 1972.
3) The climax when Kenny (Richard Thomas) gets killed is pretty lame as well as the fate of Mrs. Kinsolving.
4) The movie needs a little more action towards the middle.
5) Overall, this is a great "late night TV" thriller.
You know-- when you're alone flipping the dial and come across something just like this to help you get to sleep after it's over.
a previous posting, this was a limited theatrical release in the early '70s--not an ABC TV Movie of the Week.Not much more to add, except to say that this is a somewhat slow, but effective thriller (Thomas's death scene is pretty spectacular)..
I'm glad I was able to watch this movie, it was so very good!
Lots of suspense and creepy good times.
I really wish that the ending had shown the bus 'driver finding Francesca and the baby and Kathleen.
I loathed Richard's character in this movie, he is just too sick and rotten.
I've seen him in other TV movies, but he was extra freaky in this one.
I like him better as John boy or playing other good guys.
I kept wanting Francesca to take the baby and run so many times after she knew for a fact that she was amongst sicko-freaks, obviously it was going to come to doing just that at some point.
It wasn't like they were going to let her waltz out.
It really bugged me when Francesca opened her big mouth and gave away the fact that she "the mother" hadn't been slapping Kathleen around.
Boy was I glad when psycho-freak got it good in the back!