What The Peeper Saw (1972)

The sexy young wife (Britt Ekland) of a wealthy writer (Hardy Kruger) meets her 12 year old stepson (Mark Lester, OLIVER!) for the first time when her husband is away on a business trip. When she finds out he was expelled from school and the reasons for it, she begins to suspect that something isn't right. For instance, the truth behind his mother's (Collette Jack) "accidental" death. Directed by James Kelley (BEAST IN THE CELLAR), this is a very twisted thriller that borders on just plain sick. Never mind that Britt Ekland is undressed at every opportunity but the sex scenes between Ekland and the 12 year old boy (Lester was actually 14) are disturbing though it's clear from the way they were shot that a body double for Lester was used. I'm not overly sentimental about children and I love a good "bad seed" thriller with evil children and on that level, this one is a corker. The film's last 20 minutes are a bit muddled and confusing but I loved the perverse ending which I wasn't expecting! I wish they had cast a stronger actress than Britt Ekland. She's lovely and sexy but she doesn't have the acting chops that a melodramatic role like this requires and she has a drunk scene that's dreadful. For fans of sexploitation Eurotrash and "bad seed" thrillers, this is well worth seeking out. With Lilli Palmer and Harry Andrews.