Classic Horrors Club

Sometimes I feel like I’ve watched so many horror movies that I can tell where one’s headed during its early moments. It’s not disappointing when I’m right. I’d almost be disappointed if these films didn’t end like I’ve been trained to think they will. More often than not, it’s the only satisfying way they could end.

Further, I wonder if someone who hasn’t watched as many horror movies sees the surprises coming. Scream, Pretty Peggy (1973) works for either audience. You get either the comfort of a perfect conclusion or the shock of not anticipating what’s going to happen. It felt so familiar to me, though, that I wondered if I had seen if before and not remembered.

Anyway, the story opens with a young woman trying to escape a big old house when a figure dressed in a nightgown appears behind her and stabs her with what’s possibly the longest knife I’ve ever seen. The rest of the story follows Pretty Peggy (Sian Barbara Allen) as the new housekeeper to learn if she ultimately suffers the same fate.

Peggy, familiar with the house’s owner, famous sculptor Jeffrey Elliott (Ted Bessell), snatches the job when it’s offered through the Student Employment Service of her college. She’s a bit obsessive, so I suppose there’s a chance that she shares some of the insanity of Jeffrey’s sister, Jennifer (Christiane Schmidtmer.)

Mrs. Elliott (Bette Davis), Jeffrey and Jennifer’s mother, doesn’t seem to be burdened by insanity. However, she’s old and drinks a lot, climbing up on a stool to reach a hidden bottle at the top of a bookcase. When such an adventure produces an inevitable fall, she’s ordered to stay in bed while her leg heals.

This provides an opportunity for Persistent Peggy to offer to live there full time and take care of her. Jeffrey doesn’t mind. He may be developing romantic feelings toward Peggy just as he did for the young woman stabbed at the beginning of the movie, whom we learn was Agnes Thornton (Tovah Feldshuh, in her first screen appearance.)

Agnes’s father, George (Charles Drake), arrives to investigate her disappearance. He pokes around a little too much and is soon familiarly stabbed in the back. The next morning, the garage is locked and Peggy peers in the window to see Mr. Thornton’s car. Then she finds his glasses under a bush by the driveway.

Peggy pushes Jeffrey for information about the mysterious room above the garage and, having earned his trust, learns the secret that the Elliott’s are hiding. Just as we think she’s being taken into the family fold, Mrs. Elliott (from her bed) begins insisting that she leave the house immediately. This is when the fun really begins.

The extended climax is truly suspenseful. Just because you think you know where the story is headed doesn’t mean you can’t experience some thrills and chills along the way. Kudos to director Gordon Hessler (Scream & Scream Again on the big screen, The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver on the small screen) for demonstrating his often overlooked talent.

Perhaps no kudos for Hammer’s Jimmy Sangster since Scream, Pretty Peggy ultimately lacks originality, but he wrote the screenplay (with Arthur Hoffe) and brings some genuine humor to balance the horror. Davis is fantastic as Mrs. Elliott, which is something I’m not sure you can say about every one of her late in life performances.