Deadly Strangers
| Deadly Strangers | |
|---|---|
.jpg) British theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Sidney Hayers |
| Produced by | Peter Miller |
| Written by | Philip Levene (original Story and Screenplay) |
| Starring |
Hayley Mills Simon Ward Sterling Hayden |
| Music by | Ron Goodwin |
| Cinematography | Graham Edgar |
| Edited by | Barry Peters |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Fox-Rank (UK) |
Release dates | April 1975 (UK) |
Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Deadly Strangers is a 1975 British psychological thriller film directed by Sidney Hayers and starring Hayley Mills, Simon Ward and Sterling Hayden.[1]
Plot
A lunatic is on the loose as a salesman, Steven Slade (Simon Ward) picks up a young lady, Belle Adams, (Hayley Mills) in a blue Austin Maxi car after she is nearly raped by a lorry driver.
Adams wishes to catch a train at a nearby station and Slade in wishing to take her there (really wishing to exploit her) lies about delays in her train as a way of keeping her with him.
With roadblocks in the area and Slade not being too forthcoming on his own background, the trip sharply descends into a case of what are they both hiding. This is never fully revealed.
On waking the next morning Slade loses Adams and hurries off to find her, where she misses him and catches a lift from aging Malcolm Roberts (Sterling Hayden). Later Roberts discovers Adams past and the truth of the film has yet to be uncovered.
Cast
- Belle Adams - Hayley Mills
- Stephen Slade - Simon Ward
- Malcolm Robarts - Sterling Hayden
- Jim Nicholls - Ken Hutchison
- Belle's Uncle - Peter Jeffrey
- Café Owner - Hubert Tucker
- Petrol Station Attendant - Nina Francis
- 1st Motorcycle Youth - George Collis
- 2nd Motorcycle Youth - Ralph Arliss
- Stephen's Girlfriend - Juliet Aykroyd
- Motorcycle Policeman - Roger Nott
- Hotel Receptionist - Norman Tyrrell
Critical reception
Time Out noted "old-fashioned psychopathic goings-on in the West Country" and its "sole redeeming feature is Hayley Mills, who suggests an actress capable of much better things than she has been offered recently. Hayers, to his credit, does exploit her best quality - an insolent, slightly offhand sex appeal" ;[2] while TV Guide found it an "occasionally intriguing tale," concluding that it was "well done, but it seems to bog down in its own cleverness"; [3] whereas The Terrror Trap found it "a satisfying and well made British psycho thriller." [4]
External links
References
- ↑ "Deadly Strangers". BFI.
- ↑ "Deadly Strangers". Time Out London.
- ↑ "Deadly Strangers". TV Guide.
- ↑ "Deadly Strangers (1974) - The Terror Trap". terrortrap.com.
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