"Sister, Sister" is Bill Condon's first feature and possibly one of his best. This delicious Southern Gothic fantasy involves two sisters running a bed and breakfast in their Louisiana mansion. Terrible things start happening when a group of new guests arrive and the sisters' dark secrets start to come out. This reminds me of the types of horror films Bette Davis/Joan Crawford/Olivia DeHavilland would have starred-in in the 60s. I loved every minute of it. Jennifer Jason Leigh and especially Judith Ivey are perfect in the lead roles. I have no idea why this film is so underrated, but it's one of my favorite horror movies from the decade of excess.

Willful and dominating Charlotte (a splendid portrayal by Judith Ivey) and her more fragile and passive younger sister Lucy (a terrific performance by Jennifer Jason Leigh) reside in a dreary mansion that they have converted into a guest house in the Louisiana swamps. The arrival of the handsome and enigmatic Matt Rutledge (a sound and engaging Eric Stoltz) forces them to confront a dark secret from their unfortunate past. Director Bill Condon, who also co-wrote the engrossing script with Joel Cohen, relates the absorbing story at a leisurely, yet hypnotic pace, does an expert job of crafting an exquisitely brooding gloom-doom Southern Gothic atmosphere that seethes with pent-up repression and thwarted passion, vividly evokes a dreamy feeling of the remote bayou region, and tosses in a startling, but effective supernatural element at the surprising conclusion. The uniformly excellent acting from a bang-up cast holds everything together: Ivey, Stoltz, and especially Leigh all do sterling work in their roles, with sturdy support from Dennis Lipscomb as the suspicious Sheriff Cleve Doucet and Benjamin Mouton as the smitten and possessive Etienne LeViolette. As a sweet extra plus, the lovely Ms. Leigh bares her yummy body in a couple of sizzling and sensuous soft-core sex scenes as well as takes a steamy bath. Stephen M. Katz's striking'n'stylish golden-hued cinematography and Richard Einhorn's beautifully lush'n'lilting orchestral score both further enhance the overall fine quality of this unjustly neglected little dilly.

Two repressed sisters run a bed and breakfast in old mansion-like motel in the Louisiana swamps for passer-byes. A young man, Matt Rutledge comes to stay, for a break from the fast city-life and at first glance catches the eye of the younger sister, Lucy. Though soon, Matt realises that Lucy and her older sister, Charlotte are hiding some sort of secret from their past and this is the reason for Charlotte being so overprotective towards Lucy.

Oh, my beloved sister… what have you done? Now why has this film gone by terribly unnoticed? Hmm, it's hard actually to pinpoint. There's just something highly enticing about this effectively minor southern Gothic shocker. Shocker, might be too strong of a word, but chiller fits snugly I guess. Honestly, I wasn't expecting anything of quality or uniqueness. But it delivered. No doubts that the film's premise, developments and actual surprises aren't anything we haven't seen before, but because it's very well crafted by director Bill Condon. He professionally constructs an unsettling air from the beautifully damp backdrop and cooks up some stunning imagery.

You can't help but be drawn into this well-devised (if slow-grinding) mystery that leads you along with its stylishly taut direction and steamily uneasy scenery. I found it to get more and more involving upon every occurrence that resulted in this psychological drama-packed tale. Streaming through it is an erotic tone with tension boiling underneath the lavish-looking surface, as people play each other off in a complicated web of deceit and jealousy. Even a sprinkle of the hazy supernatural makes its way in, but honestly the surprise twist to close up shop puts a real spanner into the mix. It doesn't sit that well with what has gone before it and actually dumb-down the whole build up. Shaping up the classiness of the production is a bell-ringer of a melancholy score by Richard Einhorn that was intoxicatedly lyrical in its cues and Stephen M. Katz's wonderfully poignant camera-work gave it a delicate touch. The cast were exceptional in their parts and had a huge impact on the success. Eric Stoltz, Judy Ivey, Denis Lipscomb and the breathtakingly ravishing Jennifer Jason Leigh definitely lead the way with blindingly precise performances.

A fascinating, haunting little thriller that from the outset will just eat you up.