Sam Panico The ABC Movies of the Week for November 24, 1973, Scream, Pretty Peggy was directed by Gordon Hessler, who was behind films as diverse as In 1969, The Oblong Box, Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park and Sho Kosugi's introduction to the U.S., Pray For Death. It was written by Jimmy Sangster (who directed Hammer's Lust for a Vampire and wrote The Curse of Frankenstein, Who Slew Auntie Roo? and many more), so this film has a much better pedigree than you'd expect.Peggy is a college student who wants to be an artist, so she applies for a job at the home of noted sculptor Jeffrey Elliott (Ted Bessell, TV's That Girl) and his mother (Bette Davis!). Peggy is also one of the most annoyingly chipper heroines ever.Let me give you some advice, in case you are a young girl and looking for a housekeeping job and find yourself in a 1970's TV movie. If the house you're working in has an Old Hollywood actress in it, run (refer back to my past rules of always avoiding Old Hollywood actors and actresses). And if you find out that there's a room that you aren't allowed to go into, don't try and go into that room. Just get away as fast as you can.Peggy is too dumb to do that. No, she finds all of Jeffrey's crazy demon sculptures. And she meets George Thornton, whose daughter used to work in the house. And she runs afoul of Mrs. Bette Davis and you simply do not do that.Turns out that Jessica, Jeffrey's sister, is living in that room above the garage that Peggy isn't allowed into. Again, get out. Now.No, Peggy decides she wants to make a new friend. And what if that friend is really Jeffrey, who killed his sister and has split his personality with her inside his head? Oh Peggy. You brought this on yourself.Scream, Pretty Peggy is a fine little slice of 70's TV movie thrills. Any time you have Ms. Davis deigning to be in a TV movie, you're going to get something good. But seriously, I wish these girls would wise up. There are better things to do in this world than live in a house of manaics!

Rainey Dawn I don't know about "Pretty Peggy" but I did notice a "Pushy Peggy" in the film. Peggy has a way of pushing, she pushed herself in to the lives of the Elliott family... even pushing her way to stay with them and using the car when she wants to most of the time. Peggy's pushing almost got her killed as she tried to push her way into finding out more about Jennifer Elliott, the sister of the man Peggy is falling in-love with, Jeffrey.This is a decent made for TV mystery-thriller, horror film. The movie is worth a looksy. Bette Davis is great as usual, this time playing the weird, drunk mom of Jeffrey & Jennifer.7/10

moonspinner55 Perky college co-ed (Sian Barbara Allen, who looks a bit like Jessica Harper) talks her way into job as housekeeper for a famous sculptor and his elderly mother; soon, she's curious about the person living in the room over the garage, a woman she's told is incurably insane. TV-made extension of "Psycho"'s theme, lacking at the very least one big jolt (no shower scene here). Instead, "Scream, Pretty Peggy" is full of chit-chat, relying on a single plot-hook in which to hang all its weary exposition. The performances are unusually strong for a television feature, particularly by Ted Bessell as the artist, but the reedy-thin story is stretched to the breaking point. Interesting location, appropriately scary music from Bob Prince, pithy supporting work from Bette Davis. Otherwise, pretty tame.

christopherleebrick This movie scared the CRAP out of me when I was a kid; I loved it! I was getting it confused with another t.v. movie from the same period--"Let's Scare Jessica to Death" (1971); not nearly as good--since I really don't remember it. What confused me, is that I think the name Jessica appears in this movie as well. I tracked this down because I remembered it stars "Don-nald!"--the boyfriend from THAT GIRL. I had forgotten that the great Bette Davis is also in this film. I would love to see it again now as an adult and see if it is as effective as I remember. I recommend this film as a fun scary t.v. movie from the 70's with some great suspense and shocks.