Deadly Strangers

One surprise after another in this (would you call it a thriller?) English film. I especially liked it because it showed me a lot of England as it might look from a car window (at least in 1975). Stores, pubs, petrol stations and the everyday places you would encounter traveling along the road. All sorts of action takes place yet (somehow) it still manages to be on the slow side despite the excitement that keeps cropping up. The mystery of it, and its oddity and unpredictability keep it going. For some reason I really found the sounds in this film appealing.

Being a big fan of road movies, this rarity instantly appealed to me. It's a British production, a thriller which has enough twists, turns, tricks and red herrings to rival any recent blockbuster. By keeping the plot simple (it's a bit like a low-key, subtle version of THE HITCHER), the director allows us to focus on the characters in the film and get to know them as events unfold through plenty of down-to-earth dialogue. It's a simple way of grabbing the audience's attention, but you'd be surprised how many films can't even grasp this simple concept.

Every trick in the book is pulled out here to keep the pace flying along. There's plenty of action, car chases, some weird psychological flashbacks which only reveal their importance at the film's climax, drama, suspense, plus the expected violence and nudity required to make this a sleazy epic. And it's all British, too, which gives it a novelty value unlike any other film I've seen - as I've said before, a little bit of originality goes a long way.

Another plus is the high standard of acting on display here from the two leads. Both Simon Ward and Hayley Mills utterly convince us that they are the characters that they play, each with distinctive personalities and their own ways of dealing with situations. Ward is thoroughly charismatic and appealingly innocent as the young man who may or may not be a killer, while Mills bypasses the "screaming girl" factor so apparent in many horror films to become a fully-fleshed, believable person who proves to be resourceful and independent time and time again. American legend Sterling Hayden also pops up for a cameo as a quirky old chap who thinks that his luck's in with Mills - it isn't.

This is a film which had me gripped right until the very end. Only in the closing minutes is the killer's identity confirmed, so it has you guessing right up until then. All this and plenty of fun moments too, such as a pair of Hells Angels who get more than they bargained for when one of their bikes is run off the road and explodes! What makes this film work for me is that the film is firmly rooted in reality, making what happens all the more interesting and involving. All the characters come across as real, everyday folk and even the British weather is spot on. DEADLY STRANGERS is a good example of clever, intelligent film-making and of what can be achieved on a low budget. Outstanding.

"Deadly Strangers" opens with opens with a mysterious killer escaping from an asylum-type scene after murdering nurse.Haley Mills misses her train.She accepts a ride from a truck driver,who tries to rape her.She escapes and is then picked up by a mysterious who was watching her in the bar.He behaves suspiciously and may be an escaped lunatic...Very suspenseful and fast-paced thriller with a surprising twist ending often spoiled in various reviews.The film is currently only available on a rare VHS tape.It features Hayley Mills in several nude scenes and is told in flashbacks.The finale is gripping and suspenseful.I haven't seen Sidney Hayers "Assault" and "Revenge",but after enjoying "Deadly Strangers" I'd really like to.8 out of 10.

A young woman (Hayley Mills) misses her train and is forced to hitchhike. After a misadventure with a horny truck driver who wants her to pay a "fare", she is picked up by a handsome but mysterious stranger (Simon Ward) who may just have escaped from an asylum for the criminally insane. This is a familiar role for Hayley Mills that she had basically performed several times before: the pretty dolly bird who meets a slimy creep that she is nevertheless somewhat sexually attracted to (except that her usual co-star Hywel Bennet is replaced here by Simon Ward). When she played this role back in "Twisted Nerve", however, she was still coming off her wholesome Disney image, and was appealing, but also pretty two-dimensional. In "Endless Night" she played a troubled heiress and had little more of a rounded character and performance. In this movie the back-story of her character, revealed in flashbacks where she is orphaned in a car accident and sent to live with a lecherous uncle, might make her even more troubled than the sinister young man who picks her up. (There is in fact a great twist at the end here that I don't want to reveal).

Ironically, Mills first played this "endangered innocent" role as a child actress way back even before Disney in 1959's "Tiger Bay" (where she plays a pre-pubescent girl who steals a gun and befriends a murderer). It took her this long, in what was basically to be her last film, to get back to the acting and fully developed roles in which she first started. It was revealed years later that Mills had been offered, and nearly accepted, the title role in Stanley Kubrick's "Lolita". And while that notorious role ruined the career (and perhaps life) of the actress who eventually took it (Sue Lyon), it might have actually been better for Mills than all the saccharine, cloying Disney movies she got typecast in.

This is pretty much Mills show all the way. Ward is good but pretty functional. It's generally well directed by journeyman director Sid Hayers ("Assault", "Circus of Horror", "Revenge"). Sterling Hayden shows up in a cameo as an eccentric old coot (and his character's harmless flirtations with Mills have some unintentional sexual tension given that in real life she had recently married a man about Hayden's age). And, oh yes, and for those of you whose minds are in the gutter (along with mine), Mills also has some nice nude scenes. Good luck finding this as it is undeservedly very obscure today, but it's definitely recommended.

DEADLY STRANGERS opens with the escape of a dangerous -unseen- maniac from a mental hospital. Said psycho now roams the countryside, leaving a trail of victims along the way.

Meanwhile, young Belle Adams (Hayley Mills) is hitching her way to the train station. After escaping a lecherous trucker, she hitches a ride with a normal-looking young man named Stephen (Simon Ward). As they drive on, we learn about his history, as well as Belle's tragic past.

Sort of a road trip / mystery / thriller film, it's complete with murder, voyeurism, bikers, road rage, and the lovely Ms. Mills in just about every scene! She's really quite good in this. And yes, she does don her birthday suit. Also, watch for Sterling Haydon in an important cameo appearance...