4. Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly (1970)
Demented British cult classic, the film follows the escapades of the titular Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly. The four characters are involved in a weird fantasy roleplaying game for reasons that aren't particularly clear but it involves Girly picking up men and luring them back to the manor where they become indoctrinated into 'The Game'. They are dressed as schoolboys and turned into 'New Friends'. If they are not receptive to the game, Sonny sadistically kills them on camera - resulting in snuff movies that the characters sit down to enjoy. Girly and Sonny go to a party in London and target a male prostitute. They take him and his girlfriend to a children's park and kill the girlfriend - convincing the gigolo that he did it whenever he wakes up with a hangover. Away they go with the gigolo to the Manor and he is dressed as a schoolboy and introduced to the game as a new friend. He isn't falling for it and he decides to pretend to be obedient but cause ructions in the family. He sleeps with both Girly and Mumsy and creates sexual jealousy between the pair. Sonny wants to kill the new friend but Girly, panicked at the thought of losing her lover, bludgeons Sonny to death. New friend is forced into burying him. Meanwhile Nanny is jealous that she hasn't had a piece of the new friend's sexual prowess and she attempts to kill Mumsy with acid tipped needles. This assassination attempt is foiled by the new friend interrupting it. Girly sees that Nanny wants in on the sexual action and she kills Nanny and uses her body parts for meat. Mumsy and Girly decide that instead of falling out, they will share new friend - after all they will get bored with him eventually. New friend overhears this and smiles as he has a hold of Nanny's acid tipped needles... The film is an extremely black and surreal comedy under the direction of Freddie Francis. The acting is fantastic and the film does not have to rely on a lot of gore to be creepy. Rather, tension is sustained by the characters' madness and their deranged dialogue. It is a rather bizarre domestic set up, but you will find yourself entertained by the 'family' as a once tight knit unit unravels at the seams and they turn their twisted individual psychologies to murdering each other. Francis does an excellent job in creating tension and purveying a warped sexuality in the four main characters. Vanessa Howard as 'Girly' does a marvellous job, turning from innocent child to sex crazed nymphet to murderous harridan in a blink of an eye. The cult for this film is strong and will surely grow deeper with passing time. Excellent fun.