The Screaming Woman (1972) (TV)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Jack Smight

Writers:

Ray Bradbury (short story)
Merwin Gerard (writer)

Release Date:

29 January 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

A wealthy former mental patient goes home to her estate to rest and recuperate. While walking the grounds...

Plot Keywords:

Buried Alive | Based On Novel

Cast

Olivia de Havilland	...	Laura Wynant
Ed Nelson	...	Carl Nesbitt
Laraine Stephens	...	Caroline Wynant
Joseph Cotten	...	George Tresvant
Walter Pidgeon	...	Dr. Amos Larkin
Charles Robinson	...	Howard Wynant (as Charles Knox Robinson)
Alexandra Hay	...	Evie Carson
Lonny Chapman	...	Police Sergeant
Charles Drake	...	Ken Bronson
Russell Wiggins	...	Harry Sands
Gene Andrusco	...	David, the Deputy
Joyce Cunningham	...	Bernice Wilson
Jan Arvan	...	Martin, the Servant
Ray Montgomery	...	Ted Wilson
John Alderman	...	Slater

Runtime:

USA:73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Bliss Estate, Montecito, California, USA

Company:

Universal TV

Movie Connections:

Remade as "The Ray Bradbury Theater: The Screaming Woman (#1.5)" (1986)

A Shocker At The Time!

Yes, this was one of ABC's more graphic 'Movie of the Week' thrillers. What shocked me was seeing a woman buried alive still being able to communicate as dirt is falling down on her face. A few years ago, I had acquired this longing for finding most, if not all, of the ABC movie titles I had grown up watching, and this movie was hard to find! I managed to get a grainy but still watchable copy through Ebay after bidding and losing on it a few times.

This is another one of those flicks which hasn't been rebroadcast in over thirty years. The great thing about this movie was that the son seemed more sympathetic to his mother's story. It's almost as if he never wanted to believe that she was crazy to begin with. The daughter-in-law, on the other hand, comes across as a greedy you-know-what who is anxious to have Laura committed for the sole purpose of getting control of the estate through her more reluctant husband. One gets the feeling that she hates her mother-in-law and only married the son because he comes from money.

The scene where Laura bribes a kid to dig up the area where the voices are coming from is unforgettable. She gives the kid two dollars, I think, to do it, but he is scared off by the shock of such a gruesome discovery. Great movie!

It is too bad that the Hollywood industry doesn't see fit to preserve television movies or give them the same consideration. Back in the 70's, the television movie was still a relatively new art form that left a great deal of room for experimentation. Perhaps that's why many of these features still strike a chord with many folks today.