Deadly Strangers (1974)

Director:

Sidney Hayers

Writer:

Philip Levene (story)

Release Date:

28 May 1976 (Finland)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Two on the run . . . !

Plot:

After she misses her train, a young woman is forced to hitch a ride back to town. After managing to get away from a lecherous trucker...

Plot Keywords:

Escaped Mental Patient | Police | Road Movie | Nudity | Rain

Cast

Hayley Mills	...	Belle Adams
Simon Ward	...	Stephen Slade
Sterling Hayden	...	Malcolm Robarts
Ken Hutchison	...	Jim Nicholls
Peter Jeffrey	...	Belle's Uncle
Hubert Tucker	...	Cafe Owner
Nina Francis	...	Petrol Station Attendant
George Collis	...	1st Motorcycle Youth
Ralph Arliss	...	2nd Motorcycle Youth
Juliet Aykroyd	...	Steven's Girl Friend
Roger Nott	...	Motorcycle Policeman
Norman Tyrrell	...	Hotel Receptionist

Runtime:

USA:88 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | UK:AA | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bristol, England, UK

Company:

Rank Organisation, The

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Psychos in Love (1987)

Interesting Change of Pace for Hayley

5 out of 10

A dangerous mental patient has escaped from a nearby asylum. Mills is the beautiful women whose car has just broken down. She accepts a ride from Ward who just may be that patient.

Seems very similar to SEE NO EVIL which also took place in the British countryside and also hid the killers identity until the very end. There though the identity of the killer was a big letdown here it is actually what makes the movie. However some of the techniques used to conceal the killers identity come off as contrived. The opening escape sequence inside the institution, where you see everything from the patients point of view, looks kind of tacky.

The suspense is at a minimal and things never really get too intense until the climatic finish. There are twists and turns throughout, but some of them seem to be put in just to keep the story moving. The overall production looks cheap and the film stock looks very grainy and faded.

It is nice to see a British movie that doesn't take place in London. The brown, barren landscape (looks like it was filmed in the autumn) gives the film a certain added character. The car they drive is another added sight it looks as flimsy as a Yugo.

Mills makes a sort of daring film choice here and it does her well. She no longer has that mousy, awkward look. She is a good looking, full grown women with a nice short hair cut. She acts more mature and streetwise without that wide eyed persona that she had in all those Disney movies. Her nude scenes aren't bad and are even a bit gratuitous.

Ward has never seemed to be that great of a actor. He has always had a very tired look on his face and seems to plod through his parts in much the same way. Hayden is fun playing a sort of aging womanizer and sporting a very wild beard and hairstyle. He talks in a goofy Scottish accent and amusingly tries to court Hayley. Unfortunately he is on for only a short time.

The final twist is pretty good, but a real sharp viewer will probably figure it out before it happens (I DID!). The film is a nice alternative for Mills, but it also tends to be kind of gimmicky and flat. It is also the only time I have ever seen a policeman pull over a car and when the driver is unable to find his license is simply allowed to drive on.