Though I loved Ruth Gordon, and thought Vera Miles and Honor Blackman were both pretty cattily good. For some reason, though I've only ever liked her on the X-Files, I feel that Gillian Anderson could do a good job.
Most definitely, Dirk. Maybe it was a sign of the times....but boy!! it was annoying!...I always wanted to see a male murderer..I never really enjoyed the murderer to be a female...........and as you say, the writers tried to make the females sympathetic...a ploy they used with some male ones...it worked for Donald Pleasence...and possibly Johnny Cash...but not for some of those women.....they were tyrants..Beth Chadwick??