As my title suggests, “Scream of Fear” (UK title) is barely known and this is hardly surprising since the film is very rarely shown in the UK and last time was put on at half past three in the morning – therefore unlikely to pick up many new admirers. I consider this to be very poor treatment of a movie that serves as a great example of the sort of thriller we used to be able to produce in this country.
A brief summary of the story is that wheel-chair bound Penny Appleby travels to France to re-unite with her father who she has not seen for some nine years and to meet her new step-mother. Her father is not there when she arrives however and she begins to get suspicious that all is not as it seems…
This can arguably be ranked among the best of the Hammer Horror series (though of course there are some other worthy contenders) with more emphasis on the cinematography, the script, the chilling atmosphere and great acting than things like painfully obvious plastic bats on strings that mar other efforts. The story is a little predictable and cliché, but it is well-worked and contains some genuine surprises and real chills. I saw some twists coming, but certainly not all. The similarity to Psycho is clear, but the tone also reminded me a little of another Hitchcock classic, Rebecca. The setting of the creepy French villa adds a great macabre touch to the proceedings, but the brilliant swimming pool scene is the one that sticks in the mind long after viewing. The filming of it in black and white is very effective and the lack of gaudy primary colours that dominate many of the Hammer films (due to the fact they were the first horror films in colour) is welcome. Of course this was filmed in Black Park in Buckinghamshire and not France but the production looks deceptively expensive.
For anybody who hasn’t seen it, do not expect this to be a Christopher Lee film (though it has been billed as such on the BBC) per se as his actual screen time is limited at best, though he makes a solid contribution as always. Instead it is left to Susan Strasberg, Ann Todd and Ronald Lewis to carry the film and they play their parts to perfection.
“Scream of Fear” not available on DVD anywhere as far as I know except Japan, but this is well worth looking up for anybody who enjoys a good thriller or horror.
