Scream of Fear (1961)
"Taste of Fear" (original title)

A wheelchair-bound young girl returns to her father's estate after ten years, and although she's told he's away, she keeps seeing his dead body on the estate.

Director:

Seth Holt

Writer:

Jimmy Sangster

Stars:

Susan Strasberg, Ronald Lewis, Ann Todd

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Susan Strasberg	...	Penny Appleby
Ronald Lewis	...	Robert
Ann Todd	...	Jane Appleby
Christopher Lee	...	Doctor Pierre Gerrard
John Serret	...	Inspector Legrand
Leonard Sachs	...	Mr. Spratt
Anne Blake	...	Marie the Maid
Fred Johnson	...	Father

Storyline

After narrowly surviving an accident in which she nearly drowned, the wheelchair bound Penny Appleby returns home to live with her widowed step-mother Jane on the French Riviera. She begins to question her sanity after several times seeing her father's corpse around the house and its grounds, and enlists the help of the friendly chauffeur Bob while attending Doctor Gerrard acts in a suitably sinister manner. No one is who they seem in this tale of intrigue and suspense.

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Plot Keywords:

father | dead body | riviera | doctor | corpse | 

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Taglines:

For maximum thrill . . . we earnestly urge you to see this motion picture from the start!

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English French German

Release Date:

22 August 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

Scream of Fear

Filming Locations:

Black Park, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hammer Film Productions, Falcon Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 'The Films of Christopher Lee' the actor is on record as saying. "In my opinion, the best film Hammer ever made." He added that Seth Holt was ... one of the best directors Britain ever had."

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Goofs

When Bob is first driving Penny from the airport, the view out of the back window of the car shows that he is clearly driving into oncoming traffic. The other cars going in his direction are on the other side of the median and the cars in the lanes next to him are going in the opposite direction from him.

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Quotes

Penny Appleby: [to Dr. Gerrard] You say my mind is affecting my legs. You're wrong. It's my legs that are affecting my mind.

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Connections

Referenced in Schlock! The Secret History of American Movies (2001)

User Reviews

Good, atmospheric chiller

I had this movie so idealized in my mind from childhood, that I was afraid when I finally found it on video (after 4 solid years of searching!), that it wouldn't be as good as I remembered, but it holds up surprisingly well, thanks to director Holt's atmospheric direction and the crisp performances. What I recalled as the movie's biggest fright (the swimming pool) isn't all that scary, but the twist-ending surprise (no spoilers here!) still caught me off guard, and the last couple of minutes of the movie are genuinely suspenseful and more than cap the film's slow, steady buildup. All in all, a wonderful little chiller. Now, if I could only find my other, hard-to-find treasure, "Twisted Nerve"--anyone know if it holds up well? Anyone know where to find it on video or DVD?