What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

So, finally, I have watched a movie with Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Now I'm wondering, what had I been thinking waiting this long?! Bette Davis may be a new favorite of mine. I loved What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? and she was brilliant as Baby Jane Hudson. Bette really made Baby Jane seem horrifically unstable. The doll of her child-self freaked me out! Her dancing and singing in the mirror like she was still a child star was really disturbing, as well as depressing. Her makeup, hairstyle, and clothing added to this unstableness beautifully.

Being a fan of horror films, I am happy I watched this one. I'd categorize it more as dramatic-horror, than full-blown horror though. Meaning, I think that people who aren't fans of the horror genre itself would still enjoy this film. I don't think it would cause terrible nightmares for anyone. You've just have to remember: It's only a moooovie! Hitchcock knew what he was saying when he said that! Trust me! If you haven't seen this movie and you plan on it, then don't read anything below! 

Spoilers:
After watching the movie, I have a question for those who have watched it. Who is more insane, Jane or Blanche? I honestly cannot decide after thinking it over. Blanche wasn't the innocent victim by a long shot. Why? Well, it seems to me that she enjoyed the fact that Jane thought it was her fault that Blanche was paralyzed. Also, Blanche seemed to think it was a good idea to not tell Jane how she had been intending to kill her, but she missed her and rammed into the gate instead, causing her own paralysis. Jane was mentally disturbed to a higher degree because her sister never told her the truth about this accident. It made her become an angry, evil, and deranged drunk, who lived in a fantasy world and often times did not think over the severity of her actions. If Blanche had admitted the truth, as well as gotten help for her sister, then maybe she wouldn't have been tortured by her? Blanche obviously caused a lose-lose situation for both of them by not attempting to help cure her sister's mental health. She could have saved herself from being tortured by her sister! She could have saved Elvira! She could have saved Jane from being psychotic!

Don't get me wrong, I still felt awful for Blanche. Who couldn't? She grew up being treated like she meant nothing to her father. She watched as her sister danced and sang, while tons of people flocked around her for attention. Blanche had an awful childhood because of this and she suffered a large amount of neglect and jealously. Also, Jane treated her just terrible once they got older and Jane became her nursemaid after the accident that led to Blanche's paralysis. As I explained before, she could have put an end to this if she would have just told her sister the truth and gotten her the proper care that she obviously needed to restore her mental health! She didn't though, so she was tortured by Jane. Jane withheld her fan letters, she killed her pet bird, she gave her the dead bird for lunch, she gave her a dead rat for a different meal, she starved her, she kicked her and dragged her across the floor... I could go on and on! She could have prevented it though! Thankfully though, this is only a moooovie (and a novel, but that's a different medium to discuss).