Plot summary for
Peyton Place (1957) More at IMDbPro »

Allison MacKenzie looks back on life in the New England town where she grew up around the time of Pearl Harbor. Beneath the town's placid god-fearing exterior lay any number of dark secrets involving sexual attraction and repression, illegitimacy, rape, gossip, intolerance, and class snobbery. No wonder Allison had moved to a quiet place like New York. Written by Jeremy Perkins {jwp@aber.ac.uk}

Coming-of-age story set in a small New England village whose peaceful facade hides love and passion, scandal and hypocrisy. Allison, a beautiful high school student and aspiring writer, struggles to grow up under the thumb of her emotionally crippled single mother. The mother, Constance MacKenzie, a woman with a hidden past, is now aroused by the temptations of the new high school principal. On the other side of town, Allison's best friend Selena lives in a shack with an abusive stepfather. As the seasons change, so do Allison and her friends, as they struggle to mature in the stifling small town. Finally, Allison leaves Peyton Place, but she returns to help Selena, now accused of murdering her stepfather. The trial will expose the town's bankrupt moral standards and finally bring its citizens together. Written by Fiona Kelleghan {fkelleghan@aol.com}

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