A fun take on the Hansel and Gretel story with a glorious performance from the great Shelley Winters.

54 years after being terrified by the cinema poster on a friend's bedroom wall, I finally get to see the movie that haunted my childhood for years with the chilling tagline, _"Say goodnight to Auntie Roo, children...it's DEADTIME!"_ I remember seeing the poster, with that tagline, and thinking this must be the scariest movie ever made, and I've (in all honesty) thought of that tagline for years. Now, with the advent of the Internet and streaming video, I get to finally confront my nightmare...and absolutely enjoyed every minute of it. Shelley Winters puts on an amazing performance and almost singlehandedly carries this old mystery, based loosely on the folktale _Hansel & Gretel_. For a movie that is 54 years old, this has aged gracefully and thankfully doesn't try to pretend to be something other than what it is: a retelling of the childrens' fairytale with a slight twist. I watched it - and enjoyed it - strictly for the sake of nostalgia but anyone with a knowledge of the childrens' tale would probably enjoy this one. Yes, it's dated, but the acting and storyline are still great, and there are no lame SFX getting in the way of a good story. It's taken me 54 years (so I was 9 years old when I first spotted the theatrical poster) but I can happily close the door on this one, and do it with a smile.