#14: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
Baby Jane Hudson was grotesque, funny, frightening, and pitiful, which means Davis had found a banquet. The smeared makeup, doll curls, and cracked-child-star voice created one of her most unforgettable late-career images. Opposite Joan Crawford, she helped turn Hollywood’s fear of aging actresses into gothic spectacle. The movie revived her career for a new generation, though “revived” feels too polite. Davis kicked the coffin lid open.
