What the Peeper Saw (1972)

A wealthy author's second wife begins to suspect that her 12 year old stepson may have murdered his mother, who mysteriously died in a bathtub accident.

Directors:

James Kelley (as James Kelly), Andrea Bianchi (co-director) (as Andrew White)

Writers:

Trevor Preston (original screenplay by), Andrea Bianchi

Stars:

Mark Lester, Britt Ekland, Hardy Krüger

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Mark Lester	...	Marcus
Britt Ekland	...	Elise
Hardy Krüger	...	Paul
Lilli Palmer	...	Dr. Viorne
Harry Andrews	...	Headmaster
Conchita Montes	...	Sophie
Colette Jack	...	Sarah (as Collette Jack)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ricardo Palacios
Emilio Rodríguez
Ricardo Valle

Storyline

In this stylish and atmospheric psychological thriller reminiscent of Henry James's Turn of the Screw, a widowed English writer brings a young, glamorous new bride to his bleak, isolated home in rural Spain. She soon becomes obsessed with her 12-year old stepson, who she learns has just been expelled from school for mysterious offenses; while the boy enjoys, exploits, and feeds her increasing paranoia about him. That he is a brilliant and lonely child is obvious. But is he the victim of a neurotic woman's overwrought imagination-- in Shakespeare's words, the innocent flower, or the serpent under it?

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Plot Keywords:

sexual tension | incest | stepmother stepson sex | boy | murder disguised as accident | 

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Taglines:

Normally, good little boys don't love their mother the way Marcus loves his- but Marcus isn't good, neither is he normal...

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie was distributed by 20th Century Fox for it's Australian theatrical release.

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Quotes

Marcus: Yes?
Elise: Marcus, it's Paul on the phone from Paris.
Marcus: Okay. Come in! Hello? Hello, Paul. Yes, chickenpox, that's right. The flight was fine. Yes? She's very beautiful. That's goes without saying. I'm sure we will. Quiet sure. Okay. Here she is.
Elise: Paul? Hmm? Darling it's a terrible Yes? Saturday night dinner with Clive? Huh? You don't have to explain. Paul?
[Marcus touches Elise's clothed breasts]
Elise: I must go.

User Reviews

A beautiful woman begins to suspect that her angelic-looking stepson murdered his real mother, then fears that the disturbed child may have similarly sinister plans for her.

This underrated '70's psycho-thriller is aided by a strong cast, which includes Mark Lester(of OLIVER! fame) as the disturbed youngster, Britt Ekland as the terrified stepmother, Hardy Kruger as the boy's well-meaning, but clueless father, and Lilli Palmer as a seemingly level-headed psychologist. Admittedly, it's little more than THE BAD SEED with a sex change and a few kinky, voyeuristic sequences thrown in for good measure, but the wonderful cast has done wonders with their roles, particularly Lester who gives a startlingly mature and downright chilling performance as the evil child. After seeing him go at it as the little stepson from Hell, it's hard to believe that this is the same little boy who captured our hearts in the award-winning musical "OLIVER!". It takes a good actor to play two wildly different roles so convincingly, and that's Lester. After seeing him in these two films alone, I'm convinced he's one of the finest child actors of all time! After doing some research, I've discovered that the magnificent Lester has retired from show business and is now an osteopath. The medical profession's gain is our loss.

Details

Country:

UK Italy West Germany Spain

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

18 May 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Night Child

Filming Locations:

Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cemo Film, Corona Filmproduktion, Eguiluz Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min 95 min (uncut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1