From a Whisper to a Scream (1987)

In a small Tennessee town, an historian relates four horror stories to a reporter.

Director:

Jeff Burr

Writers:

C. Courtney Joyner, Mike Malone (additional story material)

Stars:

Vincent Price, Clu Gulager, Terry Kiser

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vincent Price	...	Julian White
Clu Gulager	...	Stanley Burnside
Terry Kiser	...	Jesse Hardwick
Harry Caesar	...	Felder Evans
Rosalind Cash	...	Snakewoman
Cameron Mitchell	...	Sgt. Gallen
Susan Tyrrell	...	Beth Chandler
Martine Beswick	...	Katherine White
Ron Brooks	...	Steven Arden
Miriam Byrd-Nethery	...	Eileen Burnside
Didi Lanier	...	Amarrillis Caulfield
Thomas Nowell	...	Andrew (as Tommy Nowell)
Ashli Bare	...	Amanda
Terence Knox	...	Burt (as Terry Knox)
Megan McFarland	...	Grace Scott

Storyline

The uncle of an executed murderess relates four stories of his hometown, Oldfield, to a reporter: an elderly man pursues a romance with a younger woman, even to the grave and beyond...a wounded man on the run from creditors is rescued by a backwoods hermit with the secret to eternal life...a glass-eating carny pays the ultimate price for looking for love on the outside...and Civil War soldiers are held captive by a household of orphans with strange intentions for them.

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Plot Keywords:

tennessee | neck breaking | bathtub | cult film | wraparound story | 

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Taglines:

Fear......Times Four

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 September 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

From a Whisper to a Scream

Filming Locations:

Venice, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,100,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$1,400,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Conquest Productions, Manson International, Whisper Scream Limited Partnership

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min 92 min (video)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jeff Burr was a young, new filmmaker when he boldly approached Vincent Price and asked him to star in his film. Price was so impressed with Burr's confidence that he readily agreed to take the role. His scenes for the framing story were the last to be filmed.

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Goofs

When Stanley pours the champagne for himself and Grace at the funeral home, he is seen draining his glass. The next shot of the glass shows it filled again, and he never refilled it.

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Quotes

Julian White: One thing I've learned, my dear, is that one is never too old for nightmares.

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Crazy Credits

Near the end of the credits, we are told "WHEN IN TENNESSEE VISIT OLDFIELD". Oldfield is not a real town.

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Connections

References I Love Lucy (1951)

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Soundtracks

Class Tramp
Written by Jimmie Podrasky (as James Podrasky) and Michael Kaniecki (as M. Kaniecki)
Performed by The Rave-Ups
Courtesy Fun Stuff Records

User Reviews

Anthology film with more hits than misses

Next to the British TALES FROM THE CRYPT and Corman's TALES OF TERROR, THE OFFSPRING is one my favorite horror anthology film. It makes CAT'S EYE and CREEPSHOW 2 look pitiful by comparison.

The thing I liked the best about THE OFFSPRING(aside form Vincent Price being in it, of course) was that each story ran as long as it had to. If I recall correctly, there are four stories, and with the tie-in sequences, that makes for a fast-paced viewing. The film focuses on the gruesome incidents involving a semingly cursed town, and the people who had passed through it. Price is perfectly creepy as the town's "caretaker" as he unravels one story after another of strange occurrences.

The sequence with Clu Gulager is simply disgusting, the cheap effects almost ruining the ending.

The story about voodoo is good, as is the Civil war sequence.

I like THE OFFSPRING a lot, mostly because it has more balls and imagination that most of the films that pretend to be horror films nowadays. And it is the last starring appearance of the late-great Vincent Price, reason enough to check it out.