--- title: "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/what-ever-happened-to-baby-jane/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/what-ever-happened-to-baby-jane" critics_score: 75 critics_reviews: 12 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962): what the critics said Critics' score 75 from 12 reviews: 10 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics are firmly in favour. Ten of the twelve reviews are positive, and the praise gathers almost entirely around Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, whose performances are described as fearless, grotesque and chilling, with Davis in particular credited for going furthest. Several critics also admire the film’s mix of psychodrama and black comedy, and its merciless view of a Hollywood that discards its stars once they age. A few note Aldrich’s direction and the vivid black-and-white cinematography as sharply constructed. The reservations are few but pointed. Variety finds the opening inept and slow before the pace picks up, and Empire admits the mood makes for uncomfortable viewing. The one outright dissent comes from The New York Times, whose review on release treats the film as grisly horror rather than drama and objects to its excess. The spread is otherwise narrow, with the newer reviews warmer than the older ones. ## Radio Times — Alan Jones Rating 5/5. The review praises the film as an innovative, much-imitated chiller. It singles out Bette Davis and Joan Crawford’s hair-raising chemistry and performances as unmatched. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-zhar2h/what-ever-happened-to-baby-jane/) ## The AV Club — Nathan Rabin Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 6 June 2008. Rabin considers the film a straight-up classic, praising its blend of warped psychodrama and pitch-black comedy. He especially singles out Bette Davis’s fearless, monstrous performance and the film’s gleefully lurid show-business satire. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/what-ever-happened-to-baby-jane-1798214226) ## Slant Magazine — Budd Wilkins Rating 4/5. 6 November 2012. Wilkins praises the film as a demented, sharply constructed masterwork, while finding the Blu-ray presentation impressive. He singles out the sisters’ chilling shared psychopathy and the film’s vivid black-and-white cinematography. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/what-ever-happened-to-baby-jane/) ## Total Film — Jane Crowther Rating 4/5. 4 December 2012. Crowther finds the film a masterclass in grotesque, antagonistic performance and a still-relevant comment on celebrity. She especially praises the deliciously ugly performances by Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/whatever-happened-to-baby-jane-review/) ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2014. Newman regards the film as a creepy, darkly comic classic, though its mood makes for an uncomfortable watch. He singles out Davis and Crawford’s committed performances, especially Davis’s disturbing mirror scene. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/whatever-happened-baby-jane-review/) ## The Guardian — Philip French Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 16 December 2012. French presents the film as a frightening, darkly comic classic and a merciless satire of Hollywood. He singles out the sisters’ twisted show-business history and the film’s debt to *Sunset Boulevard*. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/dec/16/whatever-happened-baby-jane-review) ## The New Yorker Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). The capsule presents the film as a sharply observed, grotesque melodrama. It singles out Davis and Crawford’s contrasting performances and Aldrich’s ironic imagery. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/what-ever-happened-to-baby-jane) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1961. The review finds the film’s pace increasingly forceful after an inept, draggy start. It singles out Bette Davis’s performance as especially deserving of credit, while also praising Joan Crawford’s restrained portrayal. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1961/film/reviews/what-ever-happened-to-baby-jane-1200420011/) ## Time Out — Wally Hammond Rating 3/5. 7 December 2012. The 3/5 rating suggests a mixed but appreciative verdict. The page’s description highlights the film’s muscular direction and lasting admiration, though the review text is unavailable. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/what-ever-happened-to-baby-jane) ## The New York Times — Bosley Crowther Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 7 November 1962. Crowther’s verdict was negative, treating the film as grotesque horror rather than effective drama. The sisters’ performances anchor the film, but the review objects to its grisly excess. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1962/11/07/archives/screen-bette-davis-and-joan-crawfordthey-portray-sisters-in.html) ## The Skinny — Helen Wright Rating ★★★★★. 10 December 2012. Wright presents the film as macabre, campy entertainment and celebrates its showbiz rivalry. She singles out Crawford and Davis’s furious attempts to out-act each other as making burlesque film history. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/what-ever-happened-to-baby-jane-film_review) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 26 January 2008. Kermode calls it the greatest melodrama of its era and an unforgettable film. She especially praises Davis and Crawford’s towering performances and the script’s merciless wit. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/whatever-happened-to-baby-jane-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/what-ever-happened-to-baby-jane.md