Twisted Nerve
| Twisted Nerve | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Roy Boulting |
| Produced by | Frank Granat George W. George |
| Screenplay by | Roy Boulting Leo Marks |
| Story by | Roger Marshall |
| Starring |
Hayley Mills Hywel Bennett Billie Whitelaw Phyllis Calvert Frank Finlay |
| Music by | Bernard Herrmann |
| Cinematography | Harry Waxman |
| Edited by | Martin Charles |
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Production
company |
Charter Film Productions
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| Distributed by |
British Lion Film Corporation (UK) National General Pictures (USA) |
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Release date
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Running time
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118 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
Twisted Nerve is a 1968 British psychological thriller film directed by Roy Boulting and starring Hywel Bennett, Hayley Mills, Billie Whitelaw and Frank Finlay. The film follows a disturbed young man, Martin, who pretends, under the name of Georgie, to be intellectually impaired in order to be near Susan—a girl with whom he has become infatuated—and who kills those who get in his way.
The film opens with Martin playing catch with his younger brother Pete, who has learning difficulties and lives in a segregated school in London. Martin is the only remaining figure in Pete's family life; their father died years ago and their mother has a new life with a new husband. Martin expresses concern for his brother's well-being to the school's physician, who is comfortable with Pete's progress.
After the title sequence, Martin is shown in a toy store, gazing at Susan, who purchases a toy. As she leaves, Martin follows after having pocketed a toy duck. Two store detectives ask them to return to the manager's office. The detectives assert that Martin and Susan were working together to allow Martin to steal a toy. Susan assures them she has never met Martin. The manager asks Susan for her address and Martin appears to make a mental note when she offers it. When questioned by the manager, Martin turns soft, presents himself as mentally challenged and calls himself "Georgie". Sympathetic to him, Susan pays for the toy. Certain that this was a misunderstanding, the manager lets them leave.
Martin returns home and finds his parents arguing in the parlor, over his lack of interest in life. There is allusion to some perverse behaviour he has exhibited, though this is not elaborated upon. In his room, now behaving as "Georgie", he rocks in a rocking chair while smiling meekly in the mirror and caressing a stuffed animal. The camera pans down to reveal that the rocking motion of the chair is smashing a photo of his stepfather.
The next day, Martin goes to Susan's house and waits for her to return. She arrives with a young Indian man named Shashee. He drops off Susan, who thanks him and she goes to the library, where she keeps an after-school job. Martin approaches Susan who immediately recognises him as "Georgie". He tells her that he followed her and pays her back for the toy. Before he leaves, Martin, as Georgie, gets Susan to lend him a book about animals.
Martin has a heated conversation with his stepfather, who insists he travel to Australia. Martin refuses and returns to his room. Martin stares in the mirror, bare-chested, and careeses himself. He removes the rest of his clothes as the camera reveals a stack of bodybuilding magazines on his dresser. He then smashes the mirror in apparent frustration or anger.
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Wikipedia