With the alluring Vanessa Howard dressed as a school girl and directed by cinematography great Freddie Francis this looks like a must see. Unfortunately it's a big disappointment.The film starts off strong with a great cast of adults talking, playing and acting like little children in a secluded English mansion which makes the Biltmore look like a shack.The sexy Girly and her pretend brother Sonny spend all day playing childish games.As their playmates they pick up vagrants willing to play along with their fantasy world just to get 3 hots and a cot but when the inevitably try and leave the family "sends them to the angels." Unfortunately there is NO sex or violence in this film at all. Only one of the killings is briefly shown and there's not interesting method of murder.When a character is decapitated and the head stuffed in a boiling dinner pot it's never actually shown. Neither the killing or the head.There is also absolutely no explanation as to the origin of this madness. Who these characters are, where they come from, or why they do what they do. Or who pays for and maintains this opulent house. The "kids" have no chores and the one maid isn't enough. It would require a staff of dozens to maintain this place.So all and all, NOTHING really happens! Once you've seen the first ten minutes and been entertained by this psycho family the rest of the film is just an endless repeat of the opening scene. If you're hoping for sex and violence or even just romance, lust, passion, or any emotion for that matter this movie is completely devoid of it.It's an interesting premise that just doesn't realize itself.

Girly (Vanessa Howard), a fetching but evil-minded schoolgirl, shares a dark hobby with her oddball household: she lures unsuspecting men to their mansion on the outskirts of London, then engages them in "games" that inevitably end in their deaths. The horrific family project runs smoothly until Girly brings home a new friend (Michael Bryant) who's operating under his own set of rules. Soon, he turns the entire household upside-down.Allegedly, "the film is a dark and playful allegory of the breakdown of the nuclear family of the 1950s as a result of the free love movement of the 1960s." How exactly this critique came about is unknown to me. I guess I didn't see any such thing in the story, but I did not personally ask the writer what his motivation was.The film was admirably handled, lead by director Freddie Francis, known for his work with Amicus and Hammer. If you're going to make a memorable British horror film, these are the studios you want and the man you want to do it.What I found interesting was the unusual use of sexual seduction: is the woman an adult or a child? Clearly, she is in her early twenties. But her mindset is that of a child. Are her seductions of a woman or a child? This ambiguity makes what could be simple a risqué sexual liaison into a potential taboo.Absolutely under-appreciated and unknown film that deserves a Renaissance. Please, please, please do yourself a favor and rent this from Netflix.

Oh the British have an odd sense of humour and "Girly" aka "Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly" is an excellently audacious combination of distorted black humour and macabre horror capped off in a very mannered approach. It's twisted! Deliciously warped and strangely unique, as the compelling story pulls you in and never let you get truly comfortable because of its beaming cruel streak and teasingly sexual seduction. It's like some happy-shinny family drama, but under that make-up its lunacy gone mad in what is a deeply disturbed, but very united family.Two sibling children Girly and Sonny go out looking for new friends to play games with and they would bring them back home to meet their caretaker the Nanny and their Mumsy. However there's something dangerously eccentric about this family and their new friend learns he might just have to follow their rules and play their games while scheming some sort of plan if he has any chance of getting out of this nightmare alive.Prolific British horror director Freddie Francis lets it slowly unwind in a large remote Victorian mansion estate, but this only makes the atmosphere even more jarring and disquieting with its playful jolts and character manipulations. The cheeky script is a treat on words, astute and sharp with plenty of innuendo. There's an outstanding array of character performances led largely by the ever-sultry Vanessa Howard as the miniskirt wearing Girly. A solid Michael Bryant brings the right temperament to balance out the insanity, as the new friend or better put a playmate for the children but also the for ladies of the house. He learns the only way to really dig himself out is to be playing the games and following the rules, but in a cunning manner. So the toy begins to toy around. This whole nature makes it quite unpredictable. Ursula Howells is superb, with a slightly unsettling air to her proudly calm Mumsy figure. Howard Trevor brings edginess to his troublesome Sonny character and Pat Heywood is good as Nanny. Also showing up in a minor role is Hammer regular Michael Ripper.A crudely sinister, but highly amusing and imaginative black horror comedy curiosity.

Fans of British horror and black comedy should definitely track down this Freddie Francis film, which was not imaginatively marketed at the time of its release and was never able to connect with its proper audience. I saw this at the base theatre during my Air Force days. Most films on base only ran for one day (three shows) and this was one of a handful that drew capacity crowds to the second and third shows due to "word of mouth" praise by those who attended the first screening. If you liked Jack Hill's "Spider Baby" (1968) you will love this film as it appears to have served as Francis' inspiration. Originally titled "Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly", the title was shortened to just "Girly", appropriate since Girly is the main character. It is definitely a product of its times. Imagine mixing "The Beguiled" with the television shows "The Avengers" and "The Prisoner". Francis was primarily a television director.Like those shows, much of the humor comes from presenting extreme characters and situations as if there they are nothing exceptional. In this case a nutty family of four (insert original title here) which includes a brother and sister far to old for their school uniforms.Vanessa Howard plays the title character with a lot of sizzle and will remind viewers of Tisha Sterling, especially Sterling's portrayal of Ma Parker's daughter Legs on the Batman television show. She has a lot of fun with this role alternating instantly between playful child, coquettish flirt, and violent psychopath. Howard is a genuinely fine actress, although in "Girly" her short skirts and provocative scripting make it hard to concentrate on her acting skills.This happy family lives on a large estate just outside London and amuse themselves by luring men there to serve as the children's playmates in various games supervised by Mumsy (Ursula Howells) and Nanny (Pat Heywood). When these new friends outlive their usefulness they are dispatched in novel ways and "sent to the angels". The last new friend believes himself a murderer and in time actually wants to become part the family, or anything else involving Girly. This sets things up for a cute twist at the end as Francis examines the fragility of sanity.The best scene is a slick little seduction sequence around the pool table. As the new friend looks on Howard places a doll in each pocket and calmly circles the table, driving a ball into each doll's face. At the same time she keeps up a monologue about the punishment her playmate will receive if he should try to leave. Very cool.Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.