It certainly didn't show you her heart monitor, but she is supposed to be dead in a dramatic sense, esp. after her final confession; hell I think they actually did show the heart monitor.

@drcarolC said:

Did the director /screenwriter ever say if Blanche dies at the end or if she lives?

She does die of starvation at the end. That's why she confesses do Jane the truth about the accident that disabled her. Also it is mentioned in that TV series Feud, about the filming of Baby Jane.

It is hard to believe someone who was lucid enough to hold a conversation could then drop dead from starvation in the time it takes someone to purchase an ice cream from a nearby vendor. Maybe the source material says she dies but in terms of the film it didn't convey that sensibly to me.

@Fergoose said:

It is hard to believe someone who was lucid enough to hold a conversation could then drop dead from starvation in the time it takes someone to purchase an ice cream from a nearby vendor.

You think?? That moment comes off highly unbelievable to me every single time I see the film. At the same time, all through the movie there are scenes that just come off campy as hell, and I'm unsure why this is. I mean, the part where the one sister gives the other one a dead rat under a platter?

I didn't mind that given they were portraying Davis as completely unhinged, but devious. First the dead budgie is served up to the hostage, then her hostage would rather starve than eat the next (tasty and fine) meal out of suspicion, then the rat against served. All to keep messing with her head and the film shows Davis taking manic delight in her sister's screams of torment. I guess given starvation was a theme of the film the meals were an important precursor, but yes, it was as campy as all hell! But a lot of great horror/thriller films walk that tightrope.

Some of the characters were as stupid as they come, but that's also a horror standard.

Yeah, esp. with the standards of contemporary horror fare being as they are... stupid as heck.