Twisted Nerve (1968)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Roy Boulting

Writers:

Leo Marks (screenplay) and
Roy Boulting (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

December 1968 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Horror | Thriller | Drama

Tagline:

Cleaver. Cleaver. Chop. Chop. First the mom and then the pop. Then we'll get the pretty girl. We'll get her right between the curl.

Plot:

Martin is a troubled young man. With a mother who insists on treating him like a child, a stepfather who can't wait to see the back of him...

Plot Keywords:

Financier | Nudity | Controversy | Swimming | Drunkenness

Awards:

Won BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

Hayley Mills	...	Susan Harper
Hywel Bennett	...	Martin Durnley
Billie Whitelaw	...	Joan Harper
Phyllis Calvert	...	Enid Durnley
Frank Finlay	...	Henry Durnley
Barry Foster	...	Gerry Henderson
Salmaan Peerzada	...	Shashie Kadir (as Salmaan Peer)
Christian Roberts	...	Philip Harvey
Gretchen Franklin	...	'Clarkie'
Thorley Walters	...	Sir John Forrester
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Timothy Bateson	...	Mr. Groom
Clifford Cox	...	Insp. Goddard
Richard Davies	...	'Taffy' Evans
Basil Dignam	...	Doctor
Mollie Maureen	...	Lady Patient
Russell Napier	...	Prof. Fuller
Robin Parkinson	...	Shop Manager
Brian Peck	...	Det. Sgt. Rogers
Timothy West	...	Supt. Dakin

Runtime:

Australia:113 min | Germany:104 min | Germany:104 min (cut version) | USA:118 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:18 (video rating) | UK:X (original rating) | Australia:M | USA:M (original rating) | USA:Unrated | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Charter Film Productions

Trivia:

The film's controversial nature led to a prologue being added during post-production, explaining that there was no connection between Mongolism and psychopathic behavior.

Quotes:

Narrator: Ladies and gentlemen, because of the controversy already aroused, the producers of this film wish to re-emphasize what is already stated in the film, that there is no established scientific connection between Mongolism and psychotic or criminal behavior.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Story of 'Frenzy' (2001) (V)

More of a character study than thriller

Twisted Nerve is a rather well made film that deals with the psychopathology of a 21 year old man. His illness is "triggered" when he leaves his troubled home (a rich demanding father and infantilizing mother) to live as a border in the home of a college student (Haley Mills) and her mother (Billie Whitelaw).

The film works especially well when his sexuality is aroused by both Haley Mills and Billie Whitelaw, with disastrous results.

The movie takes its time to unfold. Although it does have some shocking scenes, this film isn't your typical slasher/psycho movie, as the advertisements suggest, its much more than that.