Rent Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly (1970)
3.5 of 5 from 70 ratings
1h 42min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Mumsy (Ursula Howells) and Nanny (Pat Heywood), along with overgrown "children" Sonny (Howard Trevor) and Girly (Vanessa Howard) are a happy family living together in a sprawling, decaying mansion. Sonny and Girly bring friends home to play but if they don't obey the rules, they are tried and "sent to the angels." The arrival of "new friend" (Michael Bryant) - a man on the run after his girlfriend is accidentally killed whilst playing with Sonny and Girly - upsets the household with his very own brand of adult games, seducing the w women of the house. Trouble is, Girly doesn't like to share her friends, not even with Mumsy and Nanny....
- Actors:
- Michael Bryant, Ursula Howells, Pat Heywood, Howard Trevor, Vanessa Howard, Robert Swann, Imogen Hassall, Michael Ripper, Hugh Armstrong
- Directors:
- Freddie Francis
- Producers:
- Ronald J. Kahn
- Writers:
- Brian Comport, Maisie Mosco
- Studio:
- Odeon
- Genres:
- Classics, Horror
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Reviews (2) of Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly
Mild Spoilers ... - Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly review by NP
This is a difficult-to-define horror fantasy involving the titular four characters living in a world within a world, where the sexually active (or provocative) children are treated, and behave like, they are about 5 years old. To enjoy it, you have to buy into this eccentric way of life, but don't get too close - because the games played here are deadly.
Award-winning director Freddie Francis, the man behind this, names it as his favourite project. During filming, it became apparent that Vanessa Howard was stealing every scene from her talented co-stars, and so her part was brought more to the fore. In America, where the film performed quite well, the title was shortened simply, to 'Girly.'
In the UK, it suffered the fate of many of the swathe of horror films released around this time - it got lost. The lack of plaudits it received influenced Howard's decision to quit acting not long after, which is a real shame.
Some may not enjoy the fairytale cross between 'Red Riding Hood' and 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' presented here. Others - myself included - thoroughly enjoy the experience. Everyone is dying to meet them ...
3 out of 3 members found this review helpful.
Comedy Horror. - Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly review by Steve
Low budget black comedy which bombed in the UK but was a cult hit in USA. It's an unusual film, but imagine a seventies British horror rewritten by Joe Orton. The four title characters are a family of posh psycho-killers who bring strangers back to their derelict mansion to role play nursery games, and then murder them.
So, not for all tastes. This could be video nasty material except there is no onscreen gore. But for those with relish for the genre, this is my pick for the best horror-comedy ever made. The situations are genuinely strange and, after a slow start, it is grotesquely hilarious.
Girly (Vanessa Howard) is a mature woman but acts like a pouty nymphette to attract unattached men to their stately home, which is decked out in Edwardian nursery clutter. And where Mumsy (Ursula Howells) is in charge. But when they capture a tough, chippy prole (Michael Bryant) he fights back by introducing a few new rules of his own.
The cheerful cruelty of the four murderers makes this a guilty pleasure that will offend some. There is interesting subtext about rules and role playing (which anticipates the Stanford Prison experiment), and how that relates to social class. And some satire of the aristocracy. But it chiefly succeeds as a bad-taste comedy and a surprisingly clever psychodrama.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.