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

Director:

Seth Holt

Writer:

Jimmy Sangster (written by)

Release Date:

22 August 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Father | Dead Body | Riviera | Doctor | Corpse

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Heinz Bernard	...	Plainclothes Officer (uncredited)
Bernard Browne	...	Gendarme (uncredited)
Rodney Burke	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Brian Jackson	...	Plainclothes Officer (uncredited)
Richard Klee	...	Plainclothes Sergeant (uncredited)
Madame Lobegue	...	Swiss Air Hostess (uncredited)
Frederick Rawlings	...	Plainclothes Sergeant (uncredited)
Frederick Schrecker	...	Plainclothes Officer (uncredited)
Gordon Sterne	...	Policeman (uncredited)

Directed by
Seth Holt

Writing credits
Jimmy Sangster		(written by)

Produced by
Michael Carreras	....	executive producer
Jimmy Sangster	....	producer

Original Music by
Clifton Parker

Cinematography by
Douglas Slocombe		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Eric Boyd-Perkins

Production Design by
Bernard Robinson

Art Direction by
Thomas Goswell		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Eileen Bates	....	hair stylist
Basil Newall	....	make-up artist

Production Management
William Hill	....	production manager (as Bill Hill)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
David Tomblin	....	assistant director
Terry Lens	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Bill Constable	....	assistant art director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jim Groom	....	sound editor (as James Groom)
Leslie Hammond	....	sound recordist
Teddy Mason	....	sound recordist (as E. Mason)
Len Shilton	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Les Bowie	....	special effects (uncredited)
Ian Scoones	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Desmond Davis	....	camera operator
Len Harris	....	camera: second unit (uncredited)
George Higgins	....	still photographer (uncredited)
John Jordan	....	underwater camera operator (uncredited)
Harry Oakes	....	camera: second unit (uncredited)
Egil S. Woxholt	....	underwater camera operator (uncredited)

Casting Department
Stuart Lyons	....	casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Dora Lloyd	....	wardrobe mistress

Editorial Department
James Needs	....	supervising editor
John Crome	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
John Hollingsworth	....	musical supervisor

Other crew
Pamela Mann	....	continuity
Colin Reid	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Dennison Thornton	....	publicity director (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Hammer Film Productions (as A Hammer Film Production)
• Falcon Films (uncredited)

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures Corporation (1961) (UK) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (1961) (USA) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD) (Included in "Icons of Horror Collection: Hammer Films")
• Columbia Films (1961) (Finland) (theatrical)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (198?) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

"Taste of Fear" - UK (original title)

Runtime:

USA:81 min | UK:78 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | French | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:X (original rating) | USA:Approved (certificate #19820) | UK:12 (video rating: as Scream of Fear) (2010) | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Black Park, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

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."

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: 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.

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.

Movie Connections:

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

Superb chilly chiller mystery from the house of Hammer.

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