Ethel Jankowski has just been released from an asylum where her both violent and suicidal tendencies had kept her under medical supervision. Deemed “cured,” save for her severe weight problem, she moves in with her grandmother who, under doctor’s orders, locks up the household’s food supply to prevent Ethel from continuing to gorge herself. However, Ethel’s raging appetite cannot be contained and, as visitors to the house begin discovering her growing stash of snacks, she has no choice but to violently kill them and hide their remains… A charmingly depraved proto-slasher anchored by a captivating performance from its (literally and figuratively) larger-than-life star, Priscilla Alden
A grindhouse era odyssey that could come off as mean spirited if the context is not understood, the film is extremely low budget but makes the most of its limited cast and sets. Priscilla Alden was a classically trained actor, and although her characters large size and hunger is central to the movies theme, it comes across as more John Waters than fat phobic. When talking of slasher villians, Ethel may not be mentioned much, but the character deserves a place in proto slasher history.
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