Scream, Pretty Peggy

Scream Pretty Peggy casts Ted Bessell as a famous sculptor who hires college student Sian Barbara Allen as a housekeeper and to help tend to his mother played by Bette Davis. As Allen is an art major she initially is quite simpatico with Bessell and Davis. Soon enough she feels something just ain't quite right in this house. This film is a small screen ripoff of Psycho and if you've seen the Hitchcock classic you know how this ends. Bessell who was most famous for being Marlo Thomas's boyfriend on That Girl can't and could never escape his image from That Girl as Mr. Nice Guy. Davis does some of her shtick which she always did to make bad films palatable. This one is for Bette Davis completists.

Spoilers ahead.... This movie scared the biscuits out of me as a 5 year old in 1973, Ted Besell with the makeup on at the end haunted me for months. Very tense and scary for a made for TV movie in the 70's. But now as a hoary old adult, the college broad comes off as a bit stupid and altogether pushy, knowingly doing things that she would be better off not doing. Perhaps a little sharp blade to the kidney would have done her good. The problem that really prevents this from getting a higher rating is that the boogey man of the movie kills so swiftly and silently, which sets up the thrill. But when Peggy is about to get hers, is it quick and deadly? No! She.....drum roll please.....DUCKS! And runs away. The Phantom was so deadly and stealthy for so long, makes a long introduction of its presence then proceeds to MISS! Sort of lets the air out of the whole production. But for all that, it was a nice trip down memory lane. Decent suspense on a small budget.

Low budget TV movie and even if it is a bit derivative not a bad effort at all. Sian Barbara Allen doesn't impress and was probably a bit too old at 27 to convince as the young student. Ted Bessell is OK but both were destined to have careers restricted to TV. Bette Davis on the other hand, professional to the end, seems to struggle at times but always maintains that menacing presence. Indeed although 64 here would go on to make almost twenty more films before her death some 16 years later. Very early on when we see Bessell as the home based sculptor I'm already thinking of Corman's 1959 Bucket of Blood. Little do I know that by the end we shall see the influence of the following year's, Psycho as well. Nothing to get particularly excited about but enjoyable enough, thanks mainly to Bette Davis.

This movie scared the CRAP out of me when I was a kid; I loved it! I was getting it confused with another t.v. movie from the same period--"Let's Scare Jessica to Death" (1971); not nearly as good--since I really don't remember it. What confused me, is that I think the name Jessica appears in this movie as well. I tracked this down because I remembered it stars "Don-nald!"--the boyfriend from THAT GIRL. I had forgotten that the great Bette Davis is also in this film. I would love to see it again now as an adult and see if it is as effective as I remember. I recommend this film as a fun scary t.v. movie from the 70's with some great suspense and shocks.

Sweet and perky college student and aspiring artist Peggy Johns (a delightfully spunky portrayal by the adorable Sian Barbara Allen) takes a job as a housekeeper at a mansion where sculptor Jeffrey Elliott (an excellent and engaging performance by Ted Bessell) lives with his elderly mother (a splendidly snippy turn by Bette Davis). It turns out that there's a third secret resident in the form of Jeffrey's insane sister Jennifer. Director Gordon Hessler relates the absorbing story at a steady pace, adroitly crafts a spot-on spooky atmosphere along with an intriguing aura of mystery, and makes good use of the sprawling estate main location. The clever script by Jimmy Sangster and Arthur Hoffe offers a pretty predictable, but sill effective twist at the end along with exceptionally well-drawn characters. The three leads all do top work, with sturdy support from Charles Drake as a devoted father looking for his missing daughter. A solid 70's made-for-TV thriller.

I don't know about "Pretty Peggy" but I did notice a "Pushy Peggy" in the film. Peggy has a way of pushing, she pushed herself in to the lives of the Elliott family... even pushing her way to stay with them and using the car when she wants to most of the time. Peggy's pushing almost got her killed as she tried to push her way into finding out more about Jennifer Elliott, the sister of the man Peggy is falling in-love with, Jeffrey. This is a decent made for TV mystery-thriller, horror film. The movie is worth a looksy. Bette Davis is great as usual, this time playing the weird, drunk mom of Jeffrey & Jennifer. 7/10

Fairly competent early '70's, made for TV suspense flick is notable mainly for the presence of Bette Davis who breathes some much needed life into Jimmy Sangster's ultra-conventional script that was apparently written after too many viewings of PSYCHO. This small screen release can't hold a candle to that classic chiller, but at least director Gordon Hessler does an adequate job of handling the familiar material, and this is undeniably one of the most stylish and professional-looking TV films ever.