Film what the peeper saw 1972

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What the Peeper Saw

Synopsis

What he saw is what he did.

A wealthy author’s second wife begins to suspect that her 12-year old stepson may have murdered his mother, who mysteriously died in a bathtub accident.

Directors

Producers

Writers

Editor

Cinematography

Composer

Sound

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Languages

Alternative Titles

Night Hair Child, Night Child, Diabolisch, Diabólica malicia

Genres

89 mins More at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

“Poor little devil.”

Boasts one of the most twist-filled, head-spinning final 10 minutes that I’ve seen in a long, long time. Young Marcus, a precocious 12 year old with an interest in phenology and Socratic philosophy returns home from school early to find Elise, his father’s new, young wife. What initially starts as a bit of awkwardness between stepmother and son turns into jealousy when Paul returns home. As Marcus points out, the age difference between himself and Elise is closer than that of Elise and Paul (who quickly remarried after his previous wife’s mysterious death by heart attack and drowning in the bathtub).

Andrea Bianchi is the king of discomfort, and provides plenty of thorny scenes between Elise (Britt…

Creepy Marcus shops for a pretty new Mommy after his old, less flexible, decidedly less sexy one dies mysteriously in the bath. or possibly, things are the other way around and it’s Britt Ekland acting inappropriately in this twisty, pervy, giallo-y take on Turn of the Screw.

Is this movie. is this movie even legal? What the hell did I just watch? The first half was about a snot-nosed irritating little 12-year-old brat (Mark Lester) who acts like a complete shit to everyone, his middle-aged father who ignores all of it, and his put-upon new wife, Britt Ekland, in her twenties and the target of the child’s ire. It’s a murder mystery of his first wife, and it unfolds like a TV movie of the week. and then we get to the second half of the movie. Animals are killed, psychiatrists are consulted, psychiatric wards are visited, oh, and Ekland strips naked in front of Lester, gets into bed with him, and I’m not sure what else. People, keep…

I had often heard good things about ‘What the Peeper Saw’ aka ‘Night Hair Child’ over the years, but somehow always expected it to fall into kind of a supernatural chiller category. Had I been aware that this is actually a movie about a 12 year old boy getting obsessed with his new step mom (the beautiful Britt Ekland) in some pretty creepy ways I had probably gotten to it a lot sooner.

This turned into something much more kinky and horney than I expected that I kinda loved how fucked up and wrong some of it got by the end. It’s definitely the type of movie that would possibly be even more outrageous today than in the 70s with…

At a quiet villa in Spain a 12 year old boy (Mark Lester) goes to live with his father (Hardy Kruger) and stepmother (Britt Ekland). He quickly begins to cause friction between them as his stepmother seems to become infatuated with him when it appears he may have drowned his true mother.

One of those decidedly offbeat British* horror / thrillers that appeared around this time (See also Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny, and Girly, Baby Love and Goodbye Gemini for further examples) that fuse pervy teens and ‘bad seed’ thrillers into morally ambiguous psychodramas.

Lester comes across as a seedy little nightmare of a brat, his innocent smile hiding his nefarious motives as the film psychological ambiguities play out into a…

Son of Gaslight

«What The Peeper Saw will TURN YOU ON. TO TERROR»

If you can’t stand annoying little British kids, I’m sorry, you will probably totally hate this movie (it’s the kid from Oliver! which I’ve never seen but that’s just a fact everyone likes to mention when they talk about this one) He’s very annoying, very evil, and pretty British. That’s just how it is here. I assure you, however, that if you push through this, WTPS is a nasty little movie that could only ever be made…

“Yes, young Oliver certainly does want some more…”

-My imagined tagline for What the Peeper Saw.

In a frankly flabbergasting career move, Mark Lester who played the titular brat in the 1968 adaptation of Oliver! plays creepy child Marcus in this perverse sinister kiddie thriller from 1972.
Young newlywed Elise (Britt Ekland) arrives at the Spanish home of her new older husband Paul (Hardy Kruger) to find his son from a previous marriage (Marcus) unexpectedly in residence. Marcus’s mother died in curious circumstances and as the boy’s strange behaviour increasingly disturbs Elise she begins to unearth a number of unsavoury details about her new stepson…
Twelve year old Marcus is extremely creepy and it isn’t even his animal killing, peeping,…

i’m a very creepy, sleazy person. filthy.

but even i felt embarrassed for britt eckland when she strips in front of a 12 yr old in this movie.

i’ve said it before, & i’ll say it again: the 70s were quite a decade.

the first half of this movie is pretty dull, but the 2nd half is decently trashy & a fairly good time. It’s got some pretty wild stuff in it.

& eckland is pretty much at her hottest here.

What did the peeper see?! Watched this because I had to find out!

First of all, let us agree that neither WHAT THE PEEPER SAW nor NIGHT HAIR CHILD are good titles. for any movie.

With that out of the way, what a movie. A one-way trip down the rabbit hole with no return whatsoever, no forgiveness, no likeable characters, significant ambiguities, and no happy ending.

Add to this a disconcerting mix of film styles that would normally ruin a film: shot in Spain, spoken in English, Italian soundtrack, and two directors (American James Kelley and Italian Andrea Bianchi).

The print I viewed is the «restored» one on Blu-ray, released by VCI. But «restored» isn’t quite the right word—because it is not restored (see DVD Beaver for a discussion). Rather it is the first…

Film what the peeper saw 1972

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Freaky child horror, done Italian style! The delightful Britt Ekland is a big draw for me, and I really enjoyed this one quite a bit. Rental!

Freaky child horror, done Italian style! The delightful Britt Ekland is a big draw for me, and I really enjoyed this one quite a bit. Rental!

Britt Ekland is the new young wife of novelist Hardy Kruger. Her relationship with his young son (Mark Lester of «Oliver!») takes on a sinister edge as she becomes increasingly convinced of his sinister motives. This Italian/British co-production is sort of an immensely sleazy take on «The Turn of the Screw» as we become unsure whether Lester is the villain or Ekland is crazy. This film was originally released as a double feature in the UK with «Don’t Look Now», but was withdrawn and re-cut in the late 70’s to remove several scenes where Lester appears in the same scenes as a nude Ekland. This is an undeniably controversial and discomfort inducing film, but it kind of works despite being clumsily put together. It’s far from a conventionally good film, but it has a creepy atmosphere.

Britt Ekland is the new young wife of novelist Hardy Kruger. Her relationship with his young son (Mark Lester of «Oliver!») takes on a sinister edge as she becomes increasingly convinced of his sinister motives. This Italian/British co-production is sort of an immensely sleazy take on «The Turn of the Screw» as we become unsure whether Lester is the villain or Ekland is crazy. This film was originally released as a double feature in the UK with «Don’t Look Now», but was withdrawn and re-cut in the late 70’s to remove several scenes where Lester appears in the same scenes as a nude Ekland. This is an undeniably controversial and discomfort inducing film, but it kind of works despite being clumsily put together. It’s far from a conventionally good film, but it has a creepy atmosphere.

What the Peeper Saw is a film with potential. It has the right ideas of mixing nudity, sexuality, controversial subject matter, murder, and mystery together. Unfortunately, the nudity isn’t substantial, erotic, nor is it truly explored the way the film hints it should be. The controversy is there involving a young boy intimately with an adult female sure. But to play it safe, the film doesn’t go very far with the whole concept. The murder takes place and is the main reason for the mystery, suspense, and generally the entire film but for lovers of violence and gore, you’ll be disappointed. What the Peeper Saw relies a great deal on nudity, spectacle, and intreague to sell itself. The title is a little misleading as there really isn’t any peeping in the film (a missed opportunity imo). Outside the controversy and nudity, the film doesn’t really offer up much entertainment. It’s a standard murder mystery film where one member of the cast figures things out but nobody believes them. Audience members will likely leave the film thinking «why?» rather than «who?» or «what?» or «how?» and perhaps that is the intention. I can’t really recommend the film. It doesn’t have enough substance but those who know of the controversy and are curious might want to check it out. It’s not a terrible film, it’s just not a good story.

What the Peeper Saw is a film with potential. It has the right ideas of mixing nudity, sexuality, controversial subject matter, murder, and mystery together. Unfortunately, the nudity isn’t substantial, erotic, nor is it truly explored the way the film hints it should be. The controversy is there involving a young boy intimately with an adult female sure. But to play it safe, the film doesn’t go very far with the whole concept. The murder takes place and is the main reason for the mystery, suspense, and generally the entire film but for lovers of violence and gore, you’ll be disappointed. What the Peeper Saw relies a great deal on nudity, spectacle, and intreague to sell itself. The title is a little misleading as there really isn’t any peeping in the film (a missed opportunity imo). Outside the controversy and nudity, the film doesn’t really offer up much entertainment. It’s a standard murder mystery film where one member of the cast figures things out but nobody believes them. Audience members will likely leave the film thinking «why?» rather than «who?» or «what?» or «how?» and perhaps that is the intention. I can’t really recommend the film. It doesn’t have enough substance but those who know of the controversy and are curious might want to check it out. It’s not a terrible film, it’s just not a good story.

A disturbed twelve year old boy seems to dislike his hot new 22 year old stepmom. Dad dismisses his spying on her in bed through a peephole. Some strange parts to this one, not the least of which is the long ending kiss stepmom gives the boy.

A disturbed twelve year old boy seems to dislike his hot new 22 year old stepmom. Dad dismisses his spying on her in bed through a peephole. Some strange parts to this one, not the least of which is the long ending kiss stepmom gives the boy.

Film that clings hard to a 70s feel. Stepmom and son battle each other while Dad fails Parenting 101 repeatedly. A few confusing twists, mostly due to crucial scenes edited out of the ‘Peeper’ version. Would seem to be rather controversial subject matter for then or now.

Film that clings hard to a 70s feel. Stepmom and son battle each other while Dad fails Parenting 101 repeatedly. A few confusing twists, mostly due to crucial scenes edited out of the ‘Peeper’ version. Would seem to be rather controversial subject matter for then or now.

A disturbed twelve year old boy seems to dislike his hot new 22 year old stepmom. Dad dismisses his spying on her in bed through a peephole. Some strange parts to this one, not the least of which is the long ending kiss stepmom gives the boy.

A disturbed twelve year old boy seems to dislike his hot new 22 year old stepmom. Dad dismisses his spying on her in bed through a peephole. Some strange parts to this one, not the least of which is the long ending kiss stepmom gives the boy.

Horror Movie Review: What the Peeper Saw (1972)

The very first thing that will grab most people’s attention is that Mark Lester has a starring role here, the cute lead of the musical Oliver! In What the Peeper Saw though, he plays a sadistic voyeur called Marcus with murderous tendencies. Seriously, he’s a nightmare child and he causes serious problems for his stepmother, Elise (Britt Ekland).

The pair just can’t connect following the accidental death of the boy’s mother. At least it looks like an accident but once we meet Marcus it quickly becomes clear that he may have had some involvement.

His behaviour is disturbing and his detachment from emotions is creepy. That’s not the worst of it though as he reveals himself to be sexually attracted to Elise. Prepare yourself for discomfort as an early scene sees the bathing boy grab and fondle her breasts.

She doesn’t quite react the way most would, instead just giving him a withering look before leaving the room. However, this and scenes that follow spark suspicions in her but her husband, the boy’s father (Hardy Krüger) is totally oblivious to it all.

As she tries to find out the truth, her relationships begin to fracture and her mind unravel. Will anyone believe that such an innocent boy could be so twisted?

What the Peeper Saw is such a sleazy film. If it wasn’t for the great performances it would be consigned to the grubby exploitation bin. It can’t even be called sexy even though Ekland takes her clothes off a far amount here. One such scene sees her strip in front of the boy as he demands it. All in return for the truth about his crimes. Another sees her climb into bed naked with him. Even though it is a hallucination, you’re not left feeling too good about it.

The tightrope walking regarding the taboo subject is handled as well as it probably could be.

Thankfully, as distracting as all of these scenes are it is not a bad movie. As said above, the performances really stand out. Mark Lester is great as the sadist child. At first, I thought there was no way I could dislike that cherub face but by the end I was looking forward to him getting some form of comeuppance.

It’s a well put together movie and it is more of a psychological thriller then a horror. It moves at a slow pace but it rarely stops being entertaining.

What the Peeper Saw

1971, Mystery & thriller, 1h 40m

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Letterboxd — Your life in film

Where to watch

What the Peeper Saw

Synopsis

What he saw is what he did.

A wealthy author’s second wife begins to suspect that her 12-year old stepson may have murdered his mother, who mysteriously died in a bathtub accident.

Directors

Producers

Writers

Editor

Cinematography

Composer

Sound

Studios

Countries

Languages

Alternative Titles

Night Hair Child, Night Child, Diabolisch, Diabólica malicia

Genres

89 mins More at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

“Poor little devil.”

Boasts one of the most twist-filled, head-spinning final 10 minutes that I’ve seen in a long, long time. Young Marcus, a precocious 12 year old with an interest in phenology and Socratic philosophy returns home from school early to find Elise, his father’s new, young wife. What initially starts as a bit of awkwardness between stepmother and son turns into jealousy when Paul returns home. As Marcus points out, the age difference between himself and Elise is closer than that of Elise and Paul (who quickly remarried after his previous wife’s mysterious death by heart attack and drowning in the bathtub).

Andrea Bianchi is the king of discomfort, and provides plenty of thorny scenes between Elise (Britt…

Creepy Marcus shops for a pretty new Mommy after his old, less flexible, decidedly less sexy one dies mysteriously in the bath. or possibly, things are the other way around and it’s Britt Ekland acting inappropriately in this twisty, pervy, giallo-y take on Turn of the Screw.

Is this movie. is this movie even legal? What the hell did I just watch? The first half was about a snot-nosed irritating little 12-year-old brat (Mark Lester) who acts like a complete shit to everyone, his middle-aged father who ignores all of it, and his put-upon new wife, Britt Ekland, in her twenties and the target of the child’s ire. It’s a murder mystery of his first wife, and it unfolds like a TV movie of the week. and then we get to the second half of the movie. Animals are killed, psychiatrists are consulted, psychiatric wards are visited, oh, and Ekland strips naked in front of Lester, gets into bed with him, and I’m not sure what else. People, keep…

I had often heard good things about ‘What the Peeper Saw’ aka ‘Night Hair Child’ over the years, but somehow always expected it to fall into kind of a supernatural chiller category. Had I been aware that this is actually a movie about a 12 year old boy getting obsessed with his new step mom (the beautiful Britt Ekland) in some pretty creepy ways I had probably gotten to it a lot sooner.

This turned into something much more kinky and horney than I expected that I kinda loved how fucked up and wrong some of it got by the end. It’s definitely the type of movie that would possibly be even more outrageous today than in the 70s with…

At a quiet villa in Spain a 12 year old boy (Mark Lester) goes to live with his father (Hardy Kruger) and stepmother (Britt Ekland). He quickly begins to cause friction between them as his stepmother seems to become infatuated with him when it appears he may have drowned his true mother.

One of those decidedly offbeat British* horror / thrillers that appeared around this time (See also Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny, and Girly, Baby Love and Goodbye Gemini for further examples) that fuse pervy teens and ‘bad seed’ thrillers into morally ambiguous psychodramas.

Lester comes across as a seedy little nightmare of a brat, his innocent smile hiding his nefarious motives as the film psychological ambiguities play out into a…

Son of Gaslight

«What The Peeper Saw will TURN YOU ON. TO TERROR»

If you can’t stand annoying little British kids, I’m sorry, you will probably totally hate this movie (it’s the kid from Oliver! which I’ve never seen but that’s just a fact everyone likes to mention when they talk about this one) He’s very annoying, very evil, and pretty British. That’s just how it is here. I assure you, however, that if you push through this, WTPS is a nasty little movie that could only ever be made…

“Yes, young Oliver certainly does want some more…”

-My imagined tagline for What the Peeper Saw.

In a frankly flabbergasting career move, Mark Lester who played the titular brat in the 1968 adaptation of Oliver! plays creepy child Marcus in this perverse sinister kiddie thriller from 1972.
Young newlywed Elise (Britt Ekland) arrives at the Spanish home of her new older husband Paul (Hardy Kruger) to find his son from a previous marriage (Marcus) unexpectedly in residence. Marcus’s mother died in curious circumstances and as the boy’s strange behaviour increasingly disturbs Elise she begins to unearth a number of unsavoury details about her new stepson…
Twelve year old Marcus is extremely creepy and it isn’t even his animal killing, peeping,…

i’m a very creepy, sleazy person. filthy.

but even i felt embarrassed for britt eckland when she strips in front of a 12 yr old in this movie.

i’ve said it before, & i’ll say it again: the 70s were quite a decade.

the first half of this movie is pretty dull, but the 2nd half is decently trashy & a fairly good time. It’s got some pretty wild stuff in it.

& eckland is pretty much at her hottest here.

What did the peeper see?! Watched this because I had to find out!

First of all, let us agree that neither WHAT THE PEEPER SAW nor NIGHT HAIR CHILD are good titles. for any movie.

With that out of the way, what a movie. A one-way trip down the rabbit hole with no return whatsoever, no forgiveness, no likeable characters, significant ambiguities, and no happy ending.

Add to this a disconcerting mix of film styles that would normally ruin a film: shot in Spain, spoken in English, Italian soundtrack, and two directors (American James Kelley and Italian Andrea Bianchi).

The print I viewed is the «restored» one on Blu-ray, released by VCI. But «restored» isn’t quite the right word—because it is not restored (see DVD Beaver for a discussion). Rather it is the first…