This was my fault for being obsessed. Obsessed for nearly 30 years.
Allow me to explain. When I was a kid, particularly around 5-7 years old, I was rightfully not allowed to watch Rated-R or horror features, though I loved scary movies. The best I could do was either watch what I referred to "Monster Movies" (Godzilla, King Kong, etc.) or the 30-second teaser trailers on any one of the many 5-channels we got on our B&W TV. Those were the best and those scared me the most.
I remember the preview for the film: Visiting Hours – but that was the only one I remembered by name. Two more, I remember to this day, right around 30 years later. One I am still searching for. One I found here, in The Silent Scream.
The teaser I remember was of a woman, with some big hair and in a robe, with slippers and a flashlight. She walked downstairs, through narrow walk-ways filled with cobwebs. She goes down one path, then another "exploring" whatever and finally makes it to – remember, I was six then – what I would classify now as a crawlspace, and she proceeds in. Once in, she veers right and in a well lit area, she comes across a hand simply sticking up from a red velvet square at the end. Stupidly, she grabs the hand and it pulls her away from freedom, I suppose, while she screams. End scene (or preview.) Finally, after 30-some-odd years, I found the movie. I saw a preview on YouTube the other day, that "kind of" looked liked one of the two movies I've been searching my whole life for and put it in my Netflix queue. Low and behold, this was it. But my journey came at a cost. Not a huge one, but a price I would pay, nevertheless.
The Silent Scream had such an appropriate title as the room I watched it in (alone) heard no such scream. I wouldn't even be generous enough to say, "Perhaps, back in the day (1980) this was considered scary" since Halloween in 1978 still frightens me and it was two years prior.
The movie, about a college boarder, Scotty (Balding) who takes up residence in what appears to be a Psycho-Rip-off house which even includes the Norman Bates clone and even his equally strange mother. Other roommates live there, one of which appears to be heterosexual, though in today's timeframe is considered enormously flamboyant.
Well, each die, one-by-one, and the remaining boarders feels either scared or concerned for all-but two minutes and then it's back to somewhat "partying" as usual.
The movie's boring. Really. It contains odd characters as well as stereotypical (of 1980) characters, none of which are interesting. I'm assuming you're supposed to "root" for Scotty as she's introduced in a very lame set up involving her "comical" attempts at finding a place to crash during her college days you never see.
Finally, the movie reveals the "secrets" of the hell house she selected, and finally the scene I waited 30 years to see happens.
I'm more satisfied that the wait is over, than actually seeing that "scene." And I did get it wrong. No velvet, but instead a cutaway whereas one character pulls her through as she screams. Forgive me, I was six.
One down, only one more to go. Once I do find that other movie from the teaser I saw as a kid, and I will eventually find it, I will report it then. As for this movie, The Silent Scream, I seriously can't recommend it. Even if just for laughs over the said scream(s.)
Allow me to explain. When I was a kid, particularly around 5-7 years old, I was rightfully not allowed to watch Rated-R or horror features, though I loved scary movies. The best I could do was either watch what I referred to "Monster Movies" (Godzilla, King Kong, etc.) or the 30-second teaser trailers on any one of the many 5-channels we got on our B&W TV. Those were the best and those scared me the most.
I remember the preview for the film: Visiting Hours – but that was the only one I remembered by name. Two more, I remember to this day, right around 30 years later. One I am still searching for. One I found here, in The Silent Scream.
The teaser I remember was of a woman, with some big hair and in a robe, with slippers and a flashlight. She walked downstairs, through narrow walk-ways filled with cobwebs. She goes down one path, then another "exploring" whatever and finally makes it to – remember, I was six then – what I would classify now as a crawlspace, and she proceeds in. Once in, she veers right and in a well lit area, she comes across a hand simply sticking up from a red velvet square at the end. Stupidly, she grabs the hand and it pulls her away from freedom, I suppose, while she screams. End scene (or preview.) Finally, after 30-some-odd years, I found the movie. I saw a preview on YouTube the other day, that "kind of" looked liked one of the two movies I've been searching my whole life for and put it in my Netflix queue. Low and behold, this was it. But my journey came at a cost. Not a huge one, but a price I would pay, nevertheless.
The Silent Scream had such an appropriate title as the room I watched it in (alone) heard no such scream. I wouldn't even be generous enough to say, "Perhaps, back in the day (1980) this was considered scary" since Halloween in 1978 still frightens me and it was two years prior.
The movie, about a college boarder, Scotty (Balding) who takes up residence in what appears to be a Psycho-Rip-off house which even includes the Norman Bates clone and even his equally strange mother. Other roommates live there, one of which appears to be heterosexual, though in today's timeframe is considered enormously flamboyant.
Well, each die, one-by-one, and the remaining boarders feels either scared or concerned for all-but two minutes and then it's back to somewhat "partying" as usual.
The movie's boring. Really. It contains odd characters as well as stereotypical (of 1980) characters, none of which are interesting. I'm assuming you're supposed to "root" for Scotty as she's introduced in a very lame set up involving her "comical" attempts at finding a place to crash during her college days you never see.
Finally, the movie reveals the "secrets" of the hell house she selected, and finally the scene I waited 30 years to see happens.
I'm more satisfied that the wait is over, than actually seeing that "scene." And I did get it wrong. No velvet, but instead a cutaway whereas one character pulls her through as she screams. Forgive me, I was six.
One down, only one more to go. Once I do find that other movie from the teaser I saw as a kid, and I will eventually find it, I will report it then. As for this movie, The Silent Scream, I seriously can't recommend it. Even if just for laughs over the said scream(s.)