When their deeply religious mother (Annette Carell) dies, the seven Hook children bury her in the garden of their gloomy Victorian house and continue life as normal, never telling anyone because they are all under-age and fear the orphanage.
The children release the housekeeper, Elsa (Margaret Leclere), so that they can live alone without adult supervision. One of the children, Jiminee (Mark Lester), learns how to forge his mother’s signature so they can continue to cash her pension checks.
They stay connected to their deceased mum via seance-like gatherings conducted by Diana (Pamela Franklin) in the garden shed that they call “Mother Time”.
They are managing pretty well but things turn ugly when the long lost father, Charlie (Dirk Bogarde) returns to take over the household.
He manipulates them, steals their mother’s life-savings of £400, and in a gripping finale, reveals to the children the terrible secret Mother has hidden from them – with a truly shocking result.
The movie was filmed in Chichester Road, Croydon, South London.
Charlie Hook
Dirk Bogarde
Jiminee
Mark Lester
Diana
Pamela Franklin
Hubert
Louis Sheldon Williams
Dunstan
John Gugolka
Gerty
Sarah Nicholls
Willy
Gustav Henry
Louis
Parnum Wallace
Elsa
Margaret Leclere
Mrs Quayle
Yootha Joyce
Miss Bailey
Claire Davidson
Mr Halbert
Anthony Nicholls
Mother
Annette Carell
Bank Clerk
Gerald Sim
Doreen
Edina Ronay
Mr Moley
Garfield Morgan
Director
Jack Clayton