This short-lived anthology series ends with more of a whimper than a bang with this strictly middling last episode. Teenage girl Ruth (a sweet and appealing performance by the cute Denise Alexander) is possessed by the tormented soul of another deceased young girl named Peggy. The kindly Dr. Gar Madison (well played by ever-reliable veteran character actor Whit Bissell) sends Ruth to live with Peggy's parents in order to resolve the situation. This particular show is treated more like a mawkish domestic drama than a horror story -- and that's exactly the problem: There's zero tension or atmosphere to speak of; instead we get a good deal of dull talk and maudlin sentiment. The bland direction and blah script don't help matters any. Only at the very end does the strangely insipid story manage anything in the way of punch and impact. Fortunately, the solid acting from a capable cast keeps things afloat, with praiseworthy work by Shirley Mitchell as Ruth's concerned mother and Boris Karloff and Olive Blakeney as Peggy's puzzled parents. The crisp black and white cinematography boasts a few neat and elegant dissolves. A merely okay closer for this show.
4 Reviews
"Can you tell me who I am?"
classicsoncall12 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This episode plays put a lot like an earlier one titled "The Return of Madame Vernoy". It's a story of a teenage girl who suddenly assumes the identity of another teen who died ten years prior, no longer even recognizing her own mother (Shirley Mitchell). Dr. Gar Madison (Whit Bissell) suggests that Ruth Cooper (Denise Alexander) spend some time at the home of Ira and Martha Perry (Boris Karloff, Olive Blakeney); for some reason Ruth identifies with the Perry home and remembers things from the past regarding the Perry's own daughter Peggy, like the names of Peggy's teenage friends. However, a soon to be celebrated birthday party is put on hold, as the Perry's recall one of their daughter's friends suffering from diphtheria, and use that as an excuse for not inviting women who have grown into adults over the intervening years. Unlike the Madame Vernoy story, Ruth Cooper is brought back to reality when Ira Perry prevents her from falling down the stairs of their home, an accident that claimed the life of Peggy. It's a conclusion in which all's well that ends well, especially for Ruth and her very concerned mother. Not terribly dramatic, though it does leave a question mark about Ruth's strange encounter with reincarnation.
Too simplistic
Leofwine_draca5 November 2018
Warning: Spoilers
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO PEGGY is the last of the VEIL episodes, and more low key than ever. The main character is a young woman who find herself possessed by the spirit of another, but the story is so simplistic and the horror elements so subtle that this is quite the bore to watch.
different
Kirpianuscus4 October 2022
Not a bad episode . But one maybe not crafted in the most inspired manner. The story of a girl who, visiting for the first time the city of childhood of her mother , lost her identity being acaparated by other , of a late young woman. The doctor has a temerary solution for cure. And it works.
But the story, against the good job of actors, seems too...fragile.
The end is, in same measure, forced.
You hope little more and the episode seems just a veil in wind. The most inspired part is the admirable portrait of mother offered by Shirley Mitchell.
A nice episode , some eccentric in the economy of series, against the similarities with the others about life after death.
But the story, against the good job of actors, seems too...fragile.
The end is, in same measure, forced.
You hope little more and the episode seems just a veil in wind. The most inspired part is the admirable portrait of mother offered by Shirley Mitchell.
A nice episode , some eccentric in the economy of series, against the similarities with the others about life after death.
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