''Deadly Strangers'' is a 1975 British

psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting. In terms of context and c ...

film directed by

Sidney Hayers Sidney Hayers (24 August 1921 – 8 February 2000) was a British film and television director, writer and producer. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Hayers began his career as a film editor. Among the films he directed are '' Circus of Horrors'' (1 ...

and starring Hayley Mills,

Simon Ward Simon Anthony Fox Ward (16 October 194120 July 2012) was a British stage and film actor. He was known chiefly for his performance as Winston Churchill in the 1972 film ''Young Winston''. He played many other screen roles, including those of Sir ...

and

Sterling Hayden Sterling Walter Hayden (born Sterling Relyea Walter; March 26, 1916 – May 23, 1986) was an American actor, author, sailor and decorated Marine Corps officer and an Office of Strategic Services' agent during World War II. A leading man for mos ...

Plot

An unseen dangerous patient escapes Greenwood Mental Hospital killing or injuring two staff. Soon afterwards, in a private house, a couple discovers that their bedroom has been burgled. A motorist stops at a

telephone box A telephone booth, telephone kiosk, telephone call box, telephone box or public call box is a tiny structure furnished with a payphone and designed for a telephone user's convenience; usually the user steps into the booth and closes the booth ...

, and his unattended car is stolen by an unseen thief who runs over the owner, killing him. The next day a man in his thirties, Stephen Slade, notices an attractive young woman, Belle Adams, in a

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

, and when she is given a lift by a

lorry A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructio ...

driver, he follows her in his own car, which is the same color and make (an Austin Maxi) as seen in the earlier murder scene. The lorry driver attempts to rape the girl but she escapes and is rescued by Stephen. Belle wishes to catch a train at a nearby station and Stephen drives her there; but on arrival he untruthfully claims her train is not running and offers to drive her to her destination instead. With Stephen not being too forthcoming on his own background, the trip focuses on what they are both hiding. Flashbacks gradually reveal that Stephen is a

voyeur Voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of watching other people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other actions of a private nature. The term comes from the French ''voir'' which means "to see". ...

deeply into sexual perversions, and that Belle is an orphan who was a victim of sexual abuse on the part of her uncle who used to watch her undress through peepholes in the wall and walk in on her as she bathed. At an isolated petrol station manned only by one young woman, Stephen fills up his tank, disappears for a while in the petrol station ostensibly to make a telephone call, and then rejoins Belle in the car, and they drive off. The next scene shows the petrol station attendant murdered. On the road, Stephen and Belle are keen to avoid police checks and roadblocks, at first because Stephen was drinking alcohol, and then because the couple are harassed by two young motorcyclists and Stephen knocks one of them into the roadside where he lies motionless, presumably injured or dead. To avoid detection Stephen and Belle sleep in the car. On waking the next morning, Stephen notices Belle has disappeared and drives off to find her, assuming disloyalty. She however has simply been shopping for breakfast and so is obliged to catch a lift from aging Malcolm Robarts. Before long Stephen reunites with Belle, leaving Robarts alone. Upon seeing a newspaper headline, Robarts tries to chase them but loses them. The film culminates with the couple spending the night at a hotel. A flashback reveals the truth: after sexual abuse by her uncle during her orphaned childhood, Belle snapped and murdered her uncle, which resulted in her confinement in Greenwood Mental Hospital. Now, Belle is finally arrested by the police, but not before she murders Stephen. The title is explained: they were both deadly strangers.

Cast

*Belle Adams - Hayley Mills *Stephen Slade -

*Malcolm Robarts -

*Jim Nicholls -

Ken Hutchison Aitken Hutchison (24 November 1948 – 9 August 2021) was a Scottish actor. Life and career Hutchison played roles in many episodes of ''Play for Today'' from 1970 to 1980, such as in " Just a Boys' Game". Hutchison played Norman Scutt in the ...

*Belle's Uncle -

Peter Jeffrey Peter Jeffrey (18 April 1929 – 25 December 1999) was an English character actor. Starting his performing career on stage, he would later have many roles in television and film. Early life Jeffrey was born in Bristol, the son of Florence ...

*Café Owner - Hubert Tucker *Petrol Station Attendant - Nina Francis *1st Motorcycle Youth - George Collis *2nd Motorcycle Youth -

Ralph Arliss Ralph Arliss (born 11 September 1947) is a British actor. His television credits include: ''Doctor Who'' (in the serial '' Planet of the Spiders''), ''Z-Cars'', ''The Sweeney'', '' Survivors'', '' Return of the Saint'', '' Secret Army'', '' Love ...

*Stephen's Girlfriend - Juliet Aykroyd *Motorcycle Policeman - Roger Nott *Hotel Receptionist - Norman Tyrrell

Filming locations

The film credits state that all filming was conducted in the

West Country The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is a loosely defined area of South West England, usually taken to include all, some, or parts of the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, and, less commonly, Wiltshire, Glo ...

. Specifically, the locations have been identified as

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

and

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

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" ; while ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

'' found it an "occasionally intriguing tale," concluding that it was "well done, but it seems to bog down in its own cleverness"; whereas ''The Terror Trap'' found it "a satisfying and well made British psycho thriller." ''Filmink'' criticised the story.

External links

*
Deadly Strangers
at Reel Streets

References

{{Sidney Hayers 1975 films 1970s crime thriller films 1970s psychological thriller films British crime thriller films Films directed by Sidney Hayers Films scored by Ron Goodwin 1970s English-language films 1970s British films