Scream, Pretty Peggy (1973)

Leave this house now!  

Peggy (Sian Barbara Allen, Billy Two Hats) never should have taken the housekeeping job at the Elliot Estate.  She knows this now that its deadly mysteries have been unearthed.  Of course, it might be too late for her, but it is not too late for us.  You’ve been warned!  With tall shadows, insanity, and murder waiting for Peggy, this spooky Psycho-like affair in the mansion of the mysterious recluse lives again thanks to Kino Lorber’s new 2K HD master of Scream, Pretty Peggy!

"Instead of being forgotten after its broadcast on ABC, Scream, Pretty Peggy has gone on to resonate within the halls of Horror"


 

Leave it to ace director Gordon Hessler (The Golden Voyage of Sinbad) to breathe greatness into a horror narrative that could have been very, very bland and routine.  Thankfully, Scream, Pretty Peggy is anything but routine as it has gone on to live in B-movie history.  This is a horror film that delivers on almost every premise as a sculptor who has very interesting (and demonic-looking) pieces of art in his self-made collection goes about hiring a college age housekeeper where he lives with his estranged sister and his mother.Scream, Pretty Peggy (1973)

But, with the father (Charles Duke) of the former housekeeper suddenly popping up to add even more mystery to the madness, something about this job has Peggy a bit spooked.  As she should be.  Nothing here in this haunted house, full of bizarre red statues, is as it seems.  Full of intrigue and solid performances, this is one made-for-television haunt that time has not forgotten thanks to its genuine creepiness.

Instead of being forgotten after its broadcast on ABC, Scream, Pretty Peggy has gone on to resonate within the halls of Horror thanks to a foundation of three solid performances, a keyed-up sense of suspense and atmosphere, and a spooky location courtesy of the old Noah Dietrich estate above the Sunset Strip in Hollywood.  You, too, will be chilled by the occurrences in the house.

Starring the one and only Bette Davis (All About Eve, Burnt Offerings), Ted Bessell, and Sian Barbara Allen, Scream, Pretty Peggy will leave you doing exactly that!  Screaming at Peggy to get the hell out of the house at the center of this 74-minute made-for-television shocker.

4/5 stars

Scream, Pretty Peggy (1973)

Blu-ray Details

Home Video Distributor: Kino Lorber
Available on Blu-ray
- October 5, 2021
Screen Formats: 1.33:1
Subtitles
: English
Audio:
DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Screen great Bette Davis (All About Eve, Burnt Offerings) stars in Scream, Pretty Peggy, a made-for-TV creepfest crafted in the grand tradition of Hitchcock’s Psycho. College student and aspiring artist Peggy (Sian Barbara Allen, Billy Two Hats) takes a housekeeping job at a mansion where sculptor Jeffrey (Ted Bessell, TV’s That Girl) lives with his elderly mother (the diabolical Ms. Davis). Things get strange when Peggy discovers a third resident: Jeffrey’s hopelessly insane sister. Horror maven Gordon Hessler (The Oblong Box, Scream and Scream Again) directed this atmospheric shocker, co-written by Jimmy Sangster (Horror of Dracula, Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?) and co-starring Charles Drake (Back Street) and Allan Arbus (TV’s M*A*S*H).

Video

Newly minted from the original 35mm camera negative, Kino Lorber’s new HD Master handles the chills and the spills of this spooky cult classic is strong with bright colors, sharp edges, and deep black levels.  Night scenes are no longer blurry puddles of goo.  Lines have edges and black levels are STRONG as a bunch of creepy happenings roll out on the screen.  Scars on the skin are clear and facial imperfections are sharp.  The transfer looks to have had extensive color corrections and it shows with a blissfully sharper palette.  Details are strong and the night scenes of escape and pleasure have strong edges throughout.  Shadows are defined, too.  

Audio:

The film is presented in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio and has a DTS Master Audio  track.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • There is one commentary from Film Historians Troy Hayworth and Nathaniel Thompson which covers the film, its history, and the stars.  

Special Features:

Kino Lorber gives fans of this flick the audio commentary, newly commissioned artwork from Vince Evans, and a TV Spot

  • TV Spot

Blu-ray Rating

  Movie 4/5 stars
  Video  4/5 stars
  Audio 2/5 stars
  Extras 2/5 stars

Composite Blu-ray Grade

3/5 stars


Film Details

Scream, Pretty Peggy (1973)

MPAA Rating: NR.
Runtime:
74 mins
Director
: Gordon Hessler
Writer:
Jimmy Sangster; Arthur Hoffe
Cast:
Ted Bessell; Bette Davis; Sian Barbara Allen
Genre
: Horror | Drama
Tagline:

Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor:
ABC
Official Site:
Release Date:
November 24, 1973.
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
October 5, 2021.
Synopsis: College student and aspiring artist Peggy (Sian Barbara Allen, Billy Two Hats) takes a housekeeping job at a mansion where sculptor Jeffrey (Ted Bessell, TV's That Girl) lives with his elderly mother (the diabolical Ms. Davis). Things get strange when Peggy discovers a third resident: Jeffrey's hopelessly insane sister.

Art

Scream, Pretty Peggy (1973)