My World Dies Screaming (1958)

A newlywed is terrified when her husband brings her to live in the old house that figures in her recurring nightmare.

Director:

Harold Daniels

Writer:

Robert C. Dennis (original screenplay)

Stars:

Gerald Mohr, Cathy O'Donnell, William Ching

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gerald Mohr	...	Philip Tierney
Cathy O'Donnell	...	Sheila Wayne (as Kathy O'Donnell)
William Ching	...	Mark Snell (as Bill Ching)
John Qualen	...	Jonah Snell
Barry Bernard	...	Dr. Victor Forel

Storyline

American-born Sheila Wayne has lived in Switzerland since childhood. Now newly married, she has a recurring nightmare about an ominous old house she can't recall having seen in waking life. Returning with husband Philip to Florida, they go to live at a country house...the house in her dream. Mysterious events multiply; who is responsible and why? Who is crazy? The answer is rooted in dark days of the past...

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Plot Keywords:

woman with a gun | nightmare | switzerland | florida | newlywed | 

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Romance

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Terror in the Haunted House

Company Credits

Production Co:

Precon Process & Equipment Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Also known as: Terror in the Haunted House

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Goofs

There is a chair on the landing at the top of the stairs that goes from being covered to uncovered then back to covered again.

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Quotes

Sheila Wayne: All I know is that death in its most hideous form waits for me at the top of those stairs.

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Alternate Versions

The original release had a prologue and epilogue by Gerald Mohr explaining the "Psycho-Rama" subliminal image gimmick. These are lacking in the so-called "uncut" Rhino Video version; also, Rhino has added their own subliminal message, "Rent Rhino Videos every day" (3 times in the 66th minute of their version).

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Connections

Referenced in Popcorn (1991)

User Reviews

Gothic story

Adding the review because no one seems to have noted that this is a pure Gothic romance story: a relative-less, advocate-less female with what may or may not be mental illness, two men, one of whom is good and the other evil, but we can't tell which is which, all at an isolated old house, the hereditary curse, the oddball retainer, blah blah blah. Straight to the Gothic formula, only missing fog.

This is not a very good treatment of the genre, however. We know all along which man is the nice one and which the evil. The female is so stupid and weak, I can't care if she dies or not (this is the most dated part of the movie--you couldn't get away with a female lead like that today). Lots of exposition disguised (but not well) as dialog and the ludicrous cartoon "subliminals." Taken seriously, the plot doesn't work at many levels. In particular, that psychiatrist needs to get disbarred. The casting is odd--the female and male hero played together as children, but the actors look 15 years or more different in ages. The woman screams far too often, and it's just irritating.

Not so bad it's good for a laugh. Just bad. Want a decent Gothic movie? Rebecca or your choice of Wuthering Heights. Or read Barbara Michael's charming metagothic novel, Houses of Stone (a Gothic novel about hunting for an old Gothic novel manuscript). Want a bad 50's horror movie that makes you laugh at how bad it is? Lots to choose from. This is neither fish nor fowl.