Poor Albert and Little Annie (1972)

What a shame that the distributors billed this fascinating Grindhouse classic as a splatter film; "I Dismember Mama" is not the original title of this obscure gem, and it is a misleading title as well, as nobody gets 'dismembered.' This is the story of a paranoid schizophrenic, who has been committed to a private asylum. Albert is convinced that all women are whores, and that the world must be cleansed of the evil that they bring. After sexually attacking a nurse and cutting the throat of an orderly, Albert escapes and returns to his childhood home, in search of his mother, who is his main obsession. He doesn't find her. He does find the 12 year old daughter of his mother's friend, and becomes convinced that little Annie should become his bride, as she is the only truly "pure" female left in the world.This movie is something that could have only been made in the glorious 1970's, cinema's most notorious decade for rule breaking and boundary pushing themes and images. "I Dismember Mama" aka "Poor Albert and Little Annie" is a must for fans of the "grindhouse" films of the 70's. It has it all; extreme fashions and hairstyles, bizarre music, and a truly twisted story. The seedy, low budget production is rich with atmosphere, and a feeling of dread permeates the film from beginning to end. The subject matter is sure to make certain viewers a bit uncomfortable, but then so do many of the best movies. Sadly it is very difficult to find a watchable copy of this movie, but it is worth tracking down. I'm kind of surprised that it doesn't have more of a cult following. Recommended; along the lines of "The Baby" and "Toys Are Not for Children," other films about bizarre sexual deviations.

Yes the title kicks ass but the film is just okay.I don't care what anyone says,I liked it because it was different.It had an awesome sample.."Breeding is the manifestation of worms" I actually rented it in 1999 and just bought it last week off Amazon.com for like $7.It's really rare.The part I didn't like was that he didn't kill his rich mother.(I'd like to dismember my mama myself).This is one of the films that inspired me to be a screenwriter because it's a low-budget film.I think I can do better though..We'll see.I talk about this movie at work and people are like "what?! I Dismember Mama? I like the guys hairstyle.He looked pretty scary.I also liked the part at the beginning when he was in the mental institution.I can relate to that.I'm glad I have this in my collection, right next to Friday the 13th.The naked girl at the end looked pretty nice too.This is worth checking out.

The "Poor Albert" montage alone is worth the price of admission. The relationship between Albert and Alice is bittersweet, and I found myself wanting them to end up together for some reason. The guy just killed her mother and I totally forgot about it! Zooey Hall is a real find and that little girl is so adorable. And I totally love Albert's wardrobe. He's like a psycho dressed in pimp's clothing. And that hat? Oh, my God, I just love that hat, it's just so...The film's cheesy too, by the way. And it has the tendency to get boring in spots. It also has the tendency to be stupid too. And not all the acting is as good as Zooey's. But why carp, it's great!

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.