Scream, Pretty Peggy (1973) starring Ted Bessell, Bette Davis and Sian Barbara Allen is a made for TV thriller originally aired as part of ABC's Movie of the Week. A college student, Peggy (Allen), answers an ad for a job at an old mansion for light housekeeping. A mother (Davis) and son (Bessell) live in the mansion and she is hired to help take care of the place. She is warned not to go into the room above the garage.
After the mother has a fall and hurts her leg, Peggy convinces the son to let her move in and help take care of the mother. The mother warns her she must leave now. The mansion's architecture is heavy with iron gates and grills over the windows and doors which adds to a feeling of confinement in the large house. There are several scenes on windy nights where someone or other is wandering around the estate investigating noises or spooky figures in the shadows. All which adds to the creepy atmosphere of this film.
Bette Davis does an understated job acting as the mother - usually seen sipping her "coffee" from an ever present coffee cup in her hands. Sian Allen plays Peggy as rather needy, looking for the approval of her role model, the son, who is a rather famous artist.
This is one of those made for TV movies that I grew up watching. I remember watching these types of movies after the original airings usually on Saturday afternoons. It always made for an enjoyable couple hours and so did this movie.
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