'Cleaver.
Cleaver. Chop. Chop. First the mom and then the pop. Then we'll get the pretty
girl. We'll get her right between the curl...'
"Ladies and
gentlemen, because of the controversy already aroused, the producers of this
film wish to re-emphasise what is already stated in the film, that there is no
established scientific connection between Mongolism and psychotic or criminal
behaviour."
This hastily
added voice-over heralded the start of what would become one of the most talked
about cult films of the 1960’s. Twisted Nerve produced a flurry of protest amidst
disability rights groups, even while the film was in its post production
stages. Hywel Bennett gives a spellbinding, disturbing performance as Georgie/Martin, a disturbed young man from a dysfunctional family. His brother is institutionalized with a mental handicap, his stepfather (Frank Finlay) loathes him and his doting mother (Phyllis Calvert) treats him like a toddler. Martin is a schizophrenic who adopts the charming personality of a six year old when he wants to win favor with those around him. However, he also has a dangerous alter-ego who cannot deal with his unrequited love for Susan Harper (played with considerable charm by Hayley Mills), a young woman whose attempts to assist Martin are misconstrued as a love interest. When he fails to win her over, he enacts a scheme that has devastating consequences. He begins to stalk Susan, then shows up at her mother's home and convinces her to take him in as a lodger. The mother, wonderfully played by Billie Whitelaw, has no idea of the horror her compassion is about to unleash.