Stark Fear (1962)

Director:

Ned Hockman
(more)

Writer:

Dwight V. Swain (original screenplay)

Release Date:

December 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

A NEW Kind of Suspense

Plot:

A sadistic husband mentally tortures his wife, while eventually planning to murder her. Although no one believes her, she gets help from an unexpected source.

Plot Keywords:

Rage | Abuse | Friend | Humiliation | Car Driving

Cast

Beverly Garland	...	Ellen Winslow
Skip Homeier	...	Gerald Winslow
Kenneth Tobey	...	Cliff Kane
Hannah Stone	...	Ruth
George Clow
Paul Scovil
Edna Neuman
John Arville
Bruce Palmer
Carey Mount
Cortez Ewing
Robert Stone		(as Bob Stone)
Barbara Freeman
Darlene Dana Reno
Joseph Benton

Directed by
Ned Hockman
Skip Homeier		(uncredited)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Dwight V. Swain		original screenplay

Produced by
Joe E. Burke	....	producer
Ned Hockman	....	producer
Carl G. Stevenson	....	associate producer
Dwight V. Swain	....	producer

Original Music by
Lawrence V. Fisher

Cinematography by
Robert Bethard

Art Direction by
Marcus Fuller

Set Decoration by
Marcus Fuller

Makeup Department
Roy Long	....	hair stylist
Melvin Parlow	....	makeup artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Laney Duck	....	assistant camera
George Peters	....	camera operator
Les Tannehill	....	gaffer
Cloy Webb	....	key grip

Music Department
Lawrence V. Fisher	....	conductor
Lawrence V. Fisher	....	orchestrator
John Williams	....	composer: party music (as Johnny Williams)

Other crew
Daniel C. Chichester	....	script supervisor (as Daniel Chichester)
Charles Suggs	....	dialogue coach

Production Companies

• B.H.S. Productions
• Ellis Films

Distributors

• Ellis Films (1962) (USA) (theatrical)
• Sinister Cinema (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (199?) (USA) (VHS)
• Hollywood's Best (2005) (USA) (VHS)
• Hollywood's Best (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• RetroFlicks (2008) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Eureka Springs, Arkansas, USA

Company:

B.H.S. Productions

Trivia:

Beverly Garland says this is her least favorite of all the movies she's made. She also said that first-time director Ned Hockman walked off the set after disagreements with the cast and producers, and that co-star Skip Homeier finished directing the picture.

Some good creepy bits, but marriage fidelity is a head scratcher

Ellen Winslow (Beverly Garland) has had enough of her controlling husband Gerald (Skip Homeier) after he gets all cranky on his birthday because she took a job with a Cliff Kane (Kenneth Tobey), a former business rival of his. He says he wants a divorce and splits, but she goes off to find him when his boss says he might be fired. She starts to delve into his past and realizes everything he has told her is lies. Meanwhile, with hubby nowhere to be found, she starts falling for Cliff. This Oklahoma-lensed flick has a few good scenes and some nice B&W photography. Oklahoma folks will no doubt get a kick out of the locations. The creepiest bit has Ellen trapped inside an organ repair shop while being stalked and the machines turn on. But the plot is too foreign to me in terms of its drama. I mean, the lead lady's big conflict is whether or not she should see someone while -- GASP! -- she is still legally married but separated. How the times have changed!