Scream, Pretty Peggy

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.

Bette Davis, a great actress, unfortunately has nothing to do in this one except give dire warnings to the heroine. After the first half-hour, you know how this one is going to end; the clues are just that easy. I give it high marks for atmosphere, but other than that, this made-for-TV chiller doesn't do much. Good for wasting time on a Saturday afternoon if nothing else is on.

Sian Barbara Allen stars as Peggy...a rather odd and pushy college student. When she sees an ad for a housekeeper offering ridiculously low wages, she jumps to the opportunity! The home is an odd place...and the sculptor (Ted Bessell) lives with his rather unfriendly mother (Bette Davis). But she still wants the job because she knows who Jeffery Elliot (Bessell) is...he's a famous sculptor and she is a bit of a groupie who is infatuated with him. But as I said, it's an odd house...and it has a secret called 'Jennifer'. Peggy's told that Jennifer is his insane sister...and she's kept hidden in an upstairs room much like Mr. Rochester's wife in "Jane Eyre". But you keep getting the impression that there is far, far more to the story than all this. But what? What is really going on here?!

This is EXACTLY the sort of crazy, scary plot folks looked for and expected with installments of "The ABC Movie of the Week". Subtle and sophisticated, this and most of their films were NOT....and instead they went for the weird, twisted and downright odd. This film has this in spades but I don't want to say too much more as it might spoil the film. Just be sure to watch it and try not to laugh too much at the surprise ending!!

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.

Perky college co-ed (Sian Barbara Allen, who looks a bit like Jessica Harper) talks her way into job as housekeeper for a famous sculptor and his elderly mother; soon, she's curious about the person living in the room over the garage, a woman she's told is incurably insane. TV-made extension of "Psycho"'s theme, lacking at the very least one big jolt (no shower scene here). Instead, "Scream, Pretty Peggy" is full of chit-chat, relying on a single plot-hook in which to hang all its weary exposition. The performances are unusually strong for a television feature, particularly by Ted Bessell as the artist, but the reedy-thin story is stretched to the breaking point. Interesting location, appropriately scary music from Bob Prince, pithy supporting work from Bette Davis. Otherwise, pretty tame.