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Screamtime
Compilation of three short horror films: "That's The Way To Do It", "Dreamhouse" and "Do You Believe In Fairies?" plus some new linking material.
Release : | 1983 |
Rating : | 4.9 |
Studio : | Salon Productions, Manson International, |
Crew : | Art Direction, Art Direction, |
Cast : | Robin Bailey Jonathon Morris Bosco Hogan Ann Lynn Dora Bryan |
Genre : | Horror |
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Reviews
Very best movie i ever watch
I'll tell you why so serious
what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
Screamtime, you'll have one hell of a time, let me tell ya. This is one of those better British horrors, very suspenseful and unnerving with it's three stories, each carrying a creepy aura, or attribute, plus some real shocks. The first one involves a two bid, failing puppeteer, played by fine actor, Bailey, (the performer who shines out, among the others in this flick) who loves his puppets more than anything else, it's almost sickening. The next one, the best, involves a woman, who's seeing some pretty gruesome images, some involving child murder, plus a boy who's constantly circle cyling in the front yard. The husband, a Barry Evans, looking, even talking type, becomes concerned. Is she going mad? The third one, that doesn't carry as much weight as the others, though is genuinely creepy, (knome's have never been scarier) with quite a strange offering at the end, involves two brothers, robbing a rich woman's house, where like the two guys who steal these movies, pay dearly. This fine, fashioned horror has some quite gruesome moments, but it's a very polished effort, plus good acting too. Vincent Russo must be related to James Russo. Can anyone clear that up for me.
Somewhat of a forgotten 80s (even though it felt like it was something out of the 70s than say the 80s) anthology feature, this low-budget British horror flick might not be anything remotely memorable but the three stories along with the wraparound tale are just so oddball, sedate, raw and fairly unpleasant that it's an magnetic viewing with a wicked sense of humour. From each story it moves on to, it gets better. Ed and Bruce are two young adults who decide to steal three video tapes from a New York video store (oh seeing a video store like this one brought back memories). The two then head to Ed's ex-girlfriend's apartment to watch these horror movies. So put in the first tape. The first tale follows that of an elderly puppeteer you must choose between his new family and that of his life's work presenting Punch & Judy shows for kids. What starts off as basic family dramas (a delinquent step-son and selfishly clueless wife) with some brooding psychological tension and dreary atmospherics, transcends in to complete daftness and predictability as the deaths pile up (which are maliciously portrayed) and the revelation goes over-the-top. It can get laughable, especially the attack scenes involving a puppet and a wooden plank with frenetic camera-work, but those moments are also mean-spirited and it moves by fairly quickly. The performances are quite amateurish, but Robin Bailey is fitting enough in the lead role. Hit eject. Time for another movie. The second entry about a young newlywed couple moving in to an old house seems like its going to be your typical cut-and-dry haunted house arch and while that is so with the constant noises at night, baffling visions plaguing one character's mind and no one believing the poor lady caught in the middle of it all. Is it haunted, a second sight or is she losing her mind? However some of the jolts can be jarring with its unsparing imagery and the final twist is so effective in its ironic twist of fate that it changes what you might have originally thought. I know it did on me. Sometimes the steady pacing might lull about with its monotonous actions and it's pretty straight-laced compared to the other stories, but the performances are considerably solid (especially Yvonne Nicholson with her neurotic turn) and the score is unnervingly bombastic in its cues. Strangely this one felt like the odd one. Now we are down to our final tape. The third and most creative, if interesting story. Is a whimsically wicked little horror tale with a fairytale like quality. A young motocross rider is in need of some cash so he can continue to compete in his beloved sport, takes up an offer as gardener in the house of two elderly ladies who like to talk about stories involving gnomes and fairies. There he also notices that they are considerably well-off. So one night he returns with his brother and friend to rob the place, but it turns out those stories are maybe more than just stories. Rather playful, after a slow beginning. But when it kicks into gear there are some entertaining sequences involving a midget dressed up a gnome, a treasure chest of gold, zombies popping out of the ground and a beautiful, but deadly fairy (Kim Thomson). So finally it coming to the credits, time for the wraparound to close things up and it's humorously macabre in doing so too. This is much better than those pirating ads you see before the main feature begins. For while it lasted, "Screamtime" was an amusingly twisted anthology that finishes on a screamer."Do you believe in fairies?"
Two guys steal some tapes from a rental store and stop by a female acquaintance's place to watch them. The first one, involving a loser puppeteer, is pretty stupid. The second one has a couple moving into a new home. The wife begins seeing things that lead her to believe the place is haunted. This segment is a good one. There's one effective shock about midway through it, as well as a terrific ending that took me by surprise. The third and final tale finds a biker working for two rich old women who say their house is watched over by fairies. Naturally, he figures they're just senile and decides to rob the place. This story was quite fun, though it felt like the shortest of the three. Of course, the weak opener seemed to be the longest. Most anthologies do have at least one stinker, but it's worth seeing for the second and third bits, especially the second. The wrap-around is amusing as well.
Whilst far from perfect, this is a very good anthology of horror stories.There is very little gore, but the stories build up a good atmosphere, and the acting is always of at least an acceptable level, and in the cases of Robin Bailey,Jean Anderson and Dora Bryan, it is actually quite excellent.In the middle story involving people moving into a house, I actually felt quite creeped out, something that hasn't happened for years to me.I would love to know the story as to how three short English tales ended up juxtaposed with the wrap around story of thieves stealing the tapes from a store, but whatever, it doesn't detract from the stories themselves.The copy I have seen has washed out colours which somehow added to the bleakness, and this is shot on film it would appear, doesn't look cheap and nasty at all.If you are a fan of brit horror, you must see this it's definitely a bit of a lost gem as far as I'm concerned.