The little known 1968 British horror movie that shaped Quentin Tarantino: “A good thriller”
Quentin Tarantino borrowed the whistled tune in *Kill Bill* from the 1968 British thriller *Twisted Nerve*. The reference is heard when Elle Driver walks through a hospital, showing how Tarantino’s use of film history can bring an obscure work back to public attention.
Directed by Roy Boulting, *Twisted Nerve* stars Hywel Bennett as a man who feigns a disability to get close to Susan, played by Hayley Mills, then kills people he sees as obstacles. Tarantino called it “a good thriller” in a DVD commentary, despite its now offensive portrayal of disability; Bernard Herrmann’s score introduced the tune, which Bennett’s character later whistles while stalking victims.
- *Kill Bill*’s hospital whistle came from *Twisted Nerve*.
- The 1968 film stars Hayley Mills and Hywel Bennett.
- Its depiction of disability is now considered offensive.
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Twisted Nerve is a British thriller released in 1968, directed by Roy Boulting. It stars Hywel Bennett as a man who pretends to have a disability to approach Susan, played by Hayley Mills, and then turns to violence against people he sees as obstacles.
The film’s music was written by Bernard Herrmann, whose whistled tune later featured in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill. Tarantino’s reference brought renewed attention to a little-known film whose portrayal of disability is now widely regarded as offensive.