Deadly Strangers (1975)

Disappointment for a huge fan!

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Simon Ward and Hayley Mills are both outstanding in this one. This is one of the best movies I have seen in a while... I've seen this one years ago and forgotten about it and forgot what happens - I only remember seeing it once upon a time. I can say I am impressed and will want to watch this one again.An escapee has left the mental institution. Belle has just missed her train, wants to get back home and catches a ride with a crazy trucker but she manages to get away from him and is stranded on the road. Stephen had seen her earlier at the tavern where she left with the man, recognized her and gave her a lift. From that point on, we can see the strange behavior of Stephen. Even Belle had her strange ways that explained her stand-off behavior yet seemed to have an odd trust in Stephen. Belle seems to kinda like Stephen, she even helps him out a time or two. During flashbacks we can see Belle's past and Stephen's past... it helps to explain their behavior. They end up going more places together than where Belle wanted to go in the first place. At one point, Belle ends up with another strange man that picks her up after a mix-up with Stephen but Belle and Stephen end up back together. Belle and Stephen really seemed like a match made in Heaven until the very end.9.5/10

Well, I read two very enthusiastic reviews (not on IMDb, but elsewhere) and got a little enthusiastic myself... I'll admit it's not all bad but still, this is no must-see thriller.First off, the 'kills' are pretty much a joke. Which is not a big problem, if the story is gripping and convincing. Though it has some clever elements and twists, the most important one (SHE is the killer) was pretty obvious to me after a good forty minutes. Furthermore the film balances between a proper production and a b-movie all too often. The biggest fun is to be had with a surprising attendance of the legendary Sterling Hayden, as some sort of rugged, bearded baron with overly grand posture to match... hilarious? Or cringingly painful? I still can not decide - maybe both.Anyhoo, this has killed my time reasonably sufficiently, but that's about it - Hayley Mills is véry pleasant to look at. 5 out of 10.

"Deadly Strangers" is a unique original, but sadly also little known and underrated highlight of British exploitation of the early 70's. Hammer Studios were still active around that era and they absorbed most of the horror fans' attention, but there were nevertheless quite a number of British films that dared to go a little further. More specifically with controversial themes, perverted characters, shocking images and obscene sexual undertones. There's the oeuvre of director Pete Walker ("Frightmare", "House of Whipcord") but also plentiful of other neglected titles like "The Mind of Mr. Soames", "Innocent Bystanders" and this "Deadly Strangers". The film is very low-budgeted but thrives completely on suspense, picturesque West-British landscapes and the sublime performances of the leading Hayley Mills and Simon Ward. "Deadly Strangers" is, in fact, some kind of crossover between road-movie and psycho horror. The film opens with hectic and unclear shots of a psychiatric patient violently breaking out of an asylum by attacking a nurse and a security guard. The next day, a quirky young lady (Mills) is looking for a lift in a roadside dinner full of sleazy truckers. She narrowly escapes an attempted rape before she gets offered a lift in the pouring rain by a young guy named Stephen. We learn pretty fast that Stephen is a bit of a troubled mind, since he drinks and has voyeuristic tendencies. Belle herself isn't completely without issues, neither, as she suffers from flashbacks about a perverted uncle. While the entire police force searches for the escaped lunatic, these two cruise through the region and attempt to dodge as many road blocks and identity checks as possible. The script of "Deadly Strangers" is fairly predictable, especially if you're familiar with this sort of raunchy zero-budgeted exploitation movies, but director Sidney Hayers nevertheless attempts to keep the viewer alert and doubting with a series of effective and less effective red herrings until the very last minute of the film. Speaking of which, Hayers' direction is surefooted and reliable as always. He's the same professional genre wizard who previously made the classics "Circus of Horror", "Night of the Eagle" and the British giallo "Assault!". Simon Ward and particularly Hayley Mills give away stellar performances as the oddly behaving strangers. There's also a fantastic guest role for Sterling Hayden as a flamboyant English gentleman with an antique car and long beard.

Deadly Strangers takes a rather familiar horror film situation as it's base; that being the idea of someone hitching a lift with a stranger. This is a classic horror film situation because of all the danger it presents and has lead to many classic films. With this film, director Sidney Hayers clearly did not have very much to work with; but he gets past this admirably by ensuring that the central situation and the characters are always interesting, and also puts a different spin on the situation - and in doing so proves that with talent, that is all that is needed to make a successful thriller. The plot begins in an asylum where a mental patient has escaped. We then fast forward to a young woman alone on the road after getting out of a car in which the driver requested too high a 'fare'. She ends up hitching a lift with a drunk, yet friendly, driver who agrees to give her a lift to the train station. However, it soon becomes obvious that the driver and the escaped mental patient may well be the same man! Deadly Strangers is a British production; and it's refreshing to see a film like this take place in the unfamiliar setting of the British countryside, which makes a more than worthy place for the action to take place in; despite not being a particularly picturesque location. Simon Ward is the male half of the leading duo and does really well with the role; he plays it so as to make it obvious that his character has a defect, but for the most part it could be passed off as him being merely a bit strange. Hayley Mills is the other half and delivers the real standout performance; she gets to go through a range of emotions in the film and delivers a really effective portrayal of her character. The film runs at a steady pace throughout and draws the audience into the characters very well indeed. The film always gives the impression that it's building into something; and it doesn't disappoint. The final twist is hinted at throughout but still manages to be a surprise once it is finally unveiled and provides a strong ending for the film and ensures that most things make sense. Overall, this is rather difficult to find but its well worth tracking down. Recommended.