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Truly Dreadful Film

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Executive producer: Michael Carreras Producer: Jimmy Sangster. Copyright 1 September 1961 by Hammer Film Productions. Released through Columbia Pictures. New York opening simultaneously at the Forum and the Fine Arts: 22 August 1961. U.S. release: 22 August 1961. U.K. release: 4 June 1961. Australian release: 2 March 1962. Sydney opening at the Victory. 7,337 feet. 82 minutes. (Available on a 78-minutes Sony DVD).SYNOPSIS: Paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair, beautiful young Penny Appleby visits her father's French Riviera villa for the first time since his second marriage; she meets her stepmother, Jane, Doctor Gerrard, her father's friend, and Bob, her father's chauffeur. Penny is told her father is away on business, but she is terrorized by the mysterious reappearance, in various places in the villa, of his dead body. Jane and Doctor Gerrard try to persuade Penny she is having hallucinations.NOTES: Although it passed with little critical comment and only predictably moderate audience interest on first release in Britain and Australia, "Scream of Fear" was later to develop a considerable cult following, not only in London but worldwide. COMMENT: I'm glad I saw this one on first release. Thoroughly enjoyed it too. High-voltage, edge-of-the-seat suspense, expertly delivered by an ingeniously tension-filled script, sharp, atmospheric direction, and a group of talented players headed by Susan Strasberg and Ann Todd. True, Christopher Lee's fans will be disappointed. He has a nothing role. But Fred Johnson! Absolutely unforgettable — the role of a death-time! I liked Sangster's script. Very neatly constructed, packed with nightmarish incident, plenty of plot twists and shocks, yet believably realistic, thanks to solid characterization and skillful dialogue.Seth Holt's highly imaginative direction, with its phenomenally sharp editing, not only built up the atmosphere to breaking point, but never muffed a single opportunity to hit the viewer right between the eyes. It came as no surprise to find — when Holt was adopted by the auteurists and the corduroy set — that his background was in editing, Scream/Taste of Fear being only his second film as director. (A promising career curtailed by ill-health. He died halfway through shooting "Blood from the Mummy's Tomb" in 1971.)

Wheelchair-bound Penny Appleby (Susan Strasberg) returns home after being away for ten years. Upon arriving at her father's estate, she meets her stepmother (Ann Todd), who tells Penny that her father is away for a few days on a trip. Soon, Penny begins to see her father's dead body around the estate. But no one but her sees it. She gets help from the chauffeur (Ronald Lewis) and together they investigate and begin to suspect Penny's stepmother may have murdered her father and is now trying to drive Penny insane in order to claim the inheritance.Effective thriller from Hammer, with a great script by Jimmy Sangster and some solid direction from Seth Holt. I believe this film was Hammer's first (but not last) attempt to capitalize off of the post-Psycho trend of twisty mystery thrillers. It's stylishly done, with some genuinely eerie moments and nice twists.

Anyone who loves Hitchcock and is looking for another good story should check out Taste of Fear, a Hammer production released in 1961 about a girl in a wheelchair who keeps seeing the body of her missing father around his house. People, including a doctor played by Christopher Lee, suggest the girl is losing her mind, but the girl and a friend soon become convinced the father was killed and the girl is being deceived so her stepmother inherits everything.With its murder plot mystery, pushing victims to madness and especially the disappearance and reappearance of dead bodies, the film Taste of Fear most closely resembles is Diabolique (1955) and there is some similarity as well to Vertigo (1958). Even if Taste of Fear isn't totally original, it is nevertheless a worthy effort with solid production values and enough differences to be worthwhile. The acting, writing and direction are smooth and the story resolution is satisfying, although there are still questions. The twists may be unlikely, but the quality of the film makes them easier to swallow.

God bless the internet and god bless DVD. The reason I say that is because once hidden gems like this film are now being discovered by a bigger audience. Taste Of Fear (AKA:Scream Of Fear) is produced out of that bastion of British horror, Hammer Films, it's directed by Seth Holt (The Nanny), written by Jimmy Sangster (X:The Unknown/The Curse Of Frankenstein) and stars Susan Strasberg, Ronald Lewis, Ann Todd & that cornerstone of Hammer Horror, Christopher Lee.Shot in moody black & white by Holt and cinematographer Douglas Slocombe, and eerily scored by Clifton Parker, the story sees a young paralysed woman return to her family home in France to visit her father who she hasn't seen for years; and to finally meet her new step-mother. Upon arrival she is informed that her father has had to go away on business, which becomes a problem as she starts to see his dead body, first in the summer house, then in the lounge! The mind can play tricks, especially to the traumatised, but she's convinced that what she is seeing is real. Even the family doctor (Lee in a suitably suspicious role) thinks there are mental issues here. Undaunted she enlists the help of friendly chauffeur Bob and sets about unravelling either her mind, or the mystery that lurks at the Appleby home.The film opens with an attention grabbing sequence as police drag a lake for a body, from there on the film becomes essentially a four character piece. Now it's been said in some quarters that this structure telegraphs where the film is going to end up. There's a tiny bit of truth in that but there are at least three twisty kickers here to steer this far away from charges of predictability. In fact the finale has a double whammy that is most rewarding. The whole film pulses with atmosphere and is cloaked in shadows and low tone conversations. The sound work here is also top quality, the constant jabber of the crickets gnaw away at the ears, while the swish of the nearby sea instills a calm that ultimately sets up a false sense of security. The acting is on the money too, be it Strasberg perfectly conveying a multitude of emotions from her wheelchair, or Todd doing a nice line in the "too good to be true?" wholesome step-mom routine. All parties ensure that the story is built up right and that the pay off provides maximum impact.Christopher Lee once said that this was one of the best Hammer Horror film's he was ever involved with, that's a fine selling point to be sure. A different kind of Hammer Horror, one that drips with dread and thrives on its mystery elements. Taste Of Fear is highly recommended to genre fans who prefer psychological chillers over blood letting and overkilled boo jump movies. 8/10