A traveller by the name of Crossley forces himself upon a musician and his wife in a lonely part of Devon, and uses the aboriginal magic he has learned to displace his host.
Title: The Shout (1978)
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| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Alan Bates | ... | Charles | |
| Susannah York | ... | Rachel / wife | |
| John Hurt | ... | Anthony / husband | |
| Robert Stephens | ... | Chief Medical Officer | |
| Tim Curry | ... | Robert Graves | |
| Nick Stringer | ... | Cobbler | |
| Carol Drinkwater | ... | Cobbler's Wife | |
 |
John Rees | ... | Inspector |
| Jim Broadbent | ... | Fielder in cowpat | |
| Susan Wooldridge | ... | Harriet | |
|
|
Julian Hough | ... | Vicar |
| Peter Benson | ... | Harry the Shepherd | |
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Colin Higgins | ||
Bored while officiating a cricket match at a psychiatric hospital, Crossley tells Graves (a visitor) the tale of a mysterious stranger (also named Crossley) who invades the lives and house of a local musician and his wife. The stranger claims knowledge of real magic, which he uses to displace his host and dominate his wife. The musician must find a way to combat Crossley and his seemingly implacable powers. Graves doubts Crossley's claim that the story is true, and begins to believe that Crossley is actually one of the patients.
'The Shout' is one of the most underrated thrillers of the 70s, and should be spoken of in the same breath as the much more celebrated 'Don't Look Now' and 'The Wicker Man'. All three put complex and original adult approaches to the supernatural thriller genre. Alan Bates ('Whistle Down The Wind') really shines in this movie as the mysterious and charismatic stranger cum shaman Crossley, who turns a comfortably bohemian middle class marriage upside down. The couple are played by John Hurt ('The Elephant Man') and Susannah York ('Superman'), and they are both first rate, as is Tim Curry ('Rocky Horror') in a smaller but important supporting role. But as good as they all are this is Bates' movie all the way in an unforgettable performance. A haunting, dreamlike puzzle of a movie that improves with multiple viewings. Highly recommended!