What the Peeper Saw (1973)

Better Late Then Never

A Brilliant Conflict

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

"What the Peeper Saw" is much more of a psychological drama than a horror film, or even a thriller. It focuses heavily on the antagonistic relationship between Elise (Britt Ekland), the new wife of an older man, successful author Paul (Hardy Kruger), and her stepson Marcus (Mark Lester of "Oliver!" fame). They initially seem to get along all right, but Elise becomes increasingly frustrated by this enigmatic, aloof kid, who acts much older than his actual age. She comes to suspect that he had murdered his biological mother Sarah (Colette Giacobine), and now has similar designs on her.As directed by James Kelley ("The Beast in the Cellar"), you can't ever expect a lot of tension in this film. That doesn't seem to be its primary concern. It DOES have a sexual charge about it, however. Hell, the uncut version opens with a scene of nudity. The evolving relationship between our heroine and bratty antagonist does play up this quality. (Still, it must be noted that you don't ever see the kid indulge in the act of peeping on screen.) The single most memorable sequence involves the two main characters exchanging clothes for information, as Elise strips in front of Marcus in order to get some truths out of him.And this kid is one truly cagey character. One thing you can expect is that the scenario turns into one of "he said, she said", and Elise is understandably flustered that she can get almost nobody to believe her about this bad seed.Ekland is no great shakes as a dramatic actress, but she just looks so damn fine that some viewers probably won't mind very much. (She DOES give the proceedings an earnest effort.) Kruger is fine as the dad, but the film belongs to young Lester, who's quite amusing throughout. Lilli Palmer and Harry Andrews are excellent in special guest appearances as a psychiatrist and school headmaster.The out of nowhere violent ending is downright hilarious, even if it's probably not intended to be that way.The Italian version is credited to Andrea Bianchi ("Strip Nude for Your Killer", "Burial Ground").Six out of 10.

This is one of those psychological chillers which gradually creeps up on you, starting off slowly and later turning into something very strong indeed. It's an ultra-rare obscurity which has one of the most sinister children ever to appear on film - forget those young uns from VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED, this kid is the real thing, the spawn of the devil. Or is he? It's one of those films which doesn't feel the need to tie up loose ends - instead much is left unexplained and to your imagination. We never positively know whether the child is evil or not, only that he perhaps might be. The pacing is deceptively slow to begin with but soon builds up as more and more disturbing events begin to appear. And we've got it all in this film - voyeurism, incest - all involving the young 12 year old boy. This may sound a bit sick to you, but instead it's a decently handled film which uses the themes for the purposes of disturbing the viewer rather than disgusting him or her. In fact, there is no violence or nudity - instead, this is pure psychological horror, with little in the way of visual menace.This film scores on many levels. Filmed in Spain, there is some lovely sun-drenched scenery to look at. The camera-work is involving and rarely are there any conventional shots - all scenes are shot to show the increasing madness of the situation. The acting is top notch - from Mark Lester, excelling in the pivotal role - to Britt Ekland, who is actually VERY good as the woman who may be discovering the truth or alternatively losing her mind. Harry Andrews also pops up in a commanding cameo while Hardy Kruger lends a masculine, powerful figure to the film.This is somewhat unforgettable, dealing with adult themes which few others have dared to touch over the years. It breaks many boundaries and thereby becomes much more frightening than the conventional Hammer films of this period. It may be a little confusing towards the end, but it's a film that isn't afraid to take chances or underestimate the viewer and should be lauded for doing so. Once seen, always remembered.

A wealthy author's second wife (Britt Ekland) begins to suspect her 12-year old stepson (Mark Lester) may have murdered his mother whom mysteriously died in a bathtub accident. Hardy Krüger ("Sundays and Cybele") plays the father.The film was directed by James Kelley ("The Beast in the Cellar"). The Italian version of the film credits the prolific Andrea Bianchi as writer and director, under the pseudonym Andrew White. The cast is strong, with child star Mark Lester ("Oliver!") and Bond girl Britt Ekland ("The Wicker Man") appropriately cast.As of 2014, the cut version is available on CrypticTV (and probably YouTube), with the uncut now out on Blu-ray from VCI. Although, the latter is very, very pricey. Depending on how you see it, of course, the sound and picture will vary in quality. Overall, though, well worth seeking out for fans of 1970s Italian horror / suspense movies.

I'd always been intrigued by this controversial film, given its cast and subject matter; being an international production between Spain, Great British and Italy, it was released under various titles – DIABOLICA MALICIA in Spain, LA TUA PRESENZA NUDA in Italy and several more in English-speaking countries, but perhaps most popularly as the obscure NIGHT HAIR CHILD (which is how I knew it) and the lurid WHAT THE PEEPER SAW; the print I watched, then, omitted the middle word from the former and left it at that! Anyway, the film is notorious for turning Mark Lester, the cute protagonist from the musical OLIVER! (1968), into a true nightmare of a child: liar, sadist, voyeur, lecher, murderer! As I said earlier, he's surrounded by other notables: Britt Ekland (at the height of her beauty) is his bewildered stepmom; Hardy Kruger plays the boy's clueless and over-protective father; and, also appearing in bit parts, are Harry Andrews as the headmaster of Lester's school (who's forced to expel him due to gross misconduct) and Lilli Palmer as a psychiatrist (intending to analyze the boy, she ends up checking in Ekland for treatment!).The film is undeniably sleazy, as we get to see Ekland stripping in front of Lester (at his behest, but to which she acquiesces in order to get at the truth of his mother's mysterious demise!) and even getting into bed with him stark naked (though this is presented as a mere hallucination on her part, witnessed by a cackling Kruger!); however, it's lifted out of the exploitation rut by all-round credible performances and a typically nice score by Stelvio Cipriani. The scene, then, in which Lester imagines his mother's corpse (whom he has callously killed in the film's very opening scene) in the pool is effectively macabre; the finale, too, is worth waiting for: the boy almost coerces Ekland (no sooner has she been released from the asylum) into murdering Kruger and becoming his lover since he tells her she's closer to his own age (Lester being 12 and Ekland 22, while Kruger's 42!); she gives him the impression of agreeing with this latest scheme of his but, realizing the kid will never change, Ekland immediately provides herself with the opportunity to get rid of Lester once and for all… Incidentally, co-director Bianchi would go on to make an even more explicit 'monster child' effort on his home turf with MALABIMBA – THE MALICIOUS WHORE (1979); as for Britisher Kelly, his only other film was the passable Tigon production THE BEAST IN THE CELLAR (1970). By the way, I have two more of Lester's vintage films to check out – MELODY (1971) and another Italian-made "Grindhouse" flick, REDNECK (1973); while I'm at it, I should try to get my hands on EYEWITNESS (1970), the well-regarded Hitchcockian thriller he starred in that was entirely filmed in Malta.