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Taste of Fear (1961)

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20 out of 23 people found the following comment useful :-
Excellent B&W Hammer, 4 February 2005

Author: bensonmum2 from Tennessee

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Scream of Fear aka Taste of Fear (1961) is a marvelous, unknown (at least to me) Hammer film. The story concerns a girl in a wheelchair going to live with her Dad whom she hasn't seen in years. Upon arrival, she meets her stepmother for the first time and is informed that her Dad is away on business. That night, she investigates a strange light in the summer house and discovers here dead father. In her horrified state, she falls into the pool. After she's revived, an investigation of the summer house reveals nothing. As the strange events continue to occur, the local doctor begins to doubt her sanity. But, with the help of the chauffeur, she's determined to get to the bottom of the mystery before she is either killed or driven insane. Anymore of the story would ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen the movie.

I've seen some call Scream of Fear "predictable". While I agree to a certain extent, there are enough twists and turns in the plot to keep most anyone guessing. While I may have seen some of the events coming, I could have never guessed the ending. To me, it was an "edge of the seat" movie from start to finish.

The acting is first rate. All four of the major characters are brilliantly played. Susan Strasberg is convincingly fragile as the wheelchair-bound Penny Appleby. Ronald Lewis and Ann Todd are perfect as the chauffeur and stepmother, respectively. And, although all he does is come to dinner and talk psycho mumbo jumbo, Christoper Lee is mysterious and convincing as Dr. Gerrard.

Everything else about this film, from the beautiful black & white photography to the creepy score, is perfect. I've really got nothing bad to say.

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18 out of 21 people found the following comment useful :-
Recommended to Suspense/Horror Fans, 5 March 2003

Author: Space_Mafune from Newfoundland, Canada

Any fan of Hitchcock(ian) suspense and/or horror should track down this film...you won't be disappointed. This is one film where the actors really seemed to love being in their perspective roles...this is full of unexpected thrills! unpredictable twists and turns...this one will keep you guessing and watching. Don't miss it!

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17 out of 21 people found the following comment useful :-
Well made little gem, 17 December 2003

Author: rosscinema (rosscinema@juno.com) from Oceanside,Ca.

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

While Hammer Studios usually made horror/sci-fi films occasionally they would make thrillers that were reminiscent of Hitchcock. This story starts out with a female body being dragged out of a Scandinavian lake but later a woman in a wheelchair arrives in France where a hired driver is waiting to pick her up. Susan Strasberg plays Penny Appleby and she had sustained an injury while horse riding so she is now paralyzed. Her parents were divorced when she was young and she has been living with her mother but she died and now she has come to see her father. She hasn't seen him in ten years and he has remarried to a woman named Jane (Ann Todd). Penny is picked up at the airport by Bob (Ronald Lewis) who is very friendly and during the drive he mentions that her father is sick but doesn't know how badly. She arrives and meets Jane who informs her that her father has gone out of town on business.

*****SPOILER ALERT*****

Once Penny starts to stay on her father's estate she starts to see lights going on in a cabin and when she enters to see what it is she is horrified to see the corpse of her father. No one believes her and Doctor Gerrard (Christopher Lee) suggests that she has an overly active imagination. But Penny keeps seeing her father and Bob tells her that he is probably dead and his body is kept hidden away. Penny and Bob figure out that Jane is out to get the inheritance if she can get Penny out of the way.

This film was made by Hammer Studio veterans and it was directed by Seth Holt who does a very good job of creating an eerie atmosphere right up until the very end. One of the things that I enjoyed were the scenes where there was no music or sound at all. In a very creepy scene Bob goes underwater to check the bottom of a pool that is dark and cluttered with debris and he finds the body of Penny's father. This scene has no music or sound as Bob sifts through the darkness with only rays of light shining down and the suspense that builds during all this could be cut with a knife. Its an incredibly effective scene that may be the best in the whole film. Small parts of the script are a little predictable but there is a pretty neat twist at the end that I didn't see coming. Strasberg is good as the frail Penny and she was a very talented actress that never received enough quality roles. This film is a hidden gem and a lot of fun to watch and it would be perfect to view on a rainy night.

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15 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
Stunning!, 5 December 2003
Author: melchior from germany

I saw this movie with my brother when we were kids. It is absolutely stunning! I remember we have been so afraid about some scenes that it was hard to close the light in our room for sleeping. Some facts are revealed at the end of the movie which makes it fascinating too! A "must see" movie! Shame on the industries, cannot get it on DVD!

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14 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
Good, atmospheric chiller, 4 October 2001

Author: vivalarsx from Portland, Oregon

I had this movie so idealized in my mind from childhood, that I was afraid when I finally found it on video (after 4 solid years of searching!), that it wouldn't be as good as I remembered, but it holds up surprisingly well, thanks to director Holt's atmospheric direction and the crisp performances. What I recalled as the movie's biggest fright (the swimming pool) isn't all that scary, but the twist-ending surprise (no spoilers here!) still caught me off guard, and the last couple of minutes of the movie are genuinely suspenseful and more than cap the film's slow, steady buildup. All in all, a wonderful little chiller. Now, if I could only find my other, hard-to-find treasure, "Twisted Nerve"--anyone know if it holds up well? Anyone know where to find it on video or DVD?

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12 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
Under-rated horror/thriller movie, 4 April 1999

Author: Merv Lowe from Auckland, New Zealand

One of my all time favourites; it really scared the hell out of me as an 11-year-old in 1962, and I have such vivid memories of the appearance of the 'corpse' scenes, that I'm sure, even in the 90s this movie is sure to rattle you. Best watched in the daytime - with the curtains drawn open!

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9 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Predictable but very well done, 10 March 2003

Author: Wayne Malin (wwaayynnee51@hotmail.com) from United States

Crippled Susan Strasberg goes to France to visit her father (who she hasn't seen in 9 years) and her new stepmother (Ann Todd). When she gets there she's told her father is away on business. Suddenly, she starts seeing her father's dead body all over the house--but no one else does. Is she going mad or is her stepmother trying to drive her crazy and swindle her out of her inheritance? Handsome chauffeur Ronald Lewis tries to help her find out.

The plot is old and some of the twists have become predictable since 1961, but this is still a good film. It's well-acted, there are some very scary moments and it's imaginatively directed in eerie black and white by Seth Holt. An early Hammer horror film that's been unfairly neglected. Also, there's an interesting scene with Lewis in a very skimpy bathing suit--surprising for its time and especially for Hammer-- they usually pushed female sexuality, not male.

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6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Almost Forgotten Classic, 22 April 2007

Author: bs3dc from United Kingdom

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

As my title suggests, "Scream of Fear" (UK title) is barely known and this is hardly surprising since the film is very rarely shown in the UK and last time was put on at half past three in the morning - therefore unlikely to pick up many new admirers. I consider this to be very poor treatment of a movie that serves as a great example of the sort of thriller we used to be able to produce in this country.

A brief summary of the story is that wheel-chair bound Penny Appleby travels to France to re-unite with her father who she has not seen for some nine years and to meet her new step-mother. Her father is not there when she arrives however and she begins to get suspicious that all is not as it seems...

This can arguably be ranked among the best of the Hammer Horror series (though of course there are some other worthy contenders) with more emphasis on the cinematography, the script, the chilling atmosphere and great acting than things like painfully obvious plastic bats on strings that mar other efforts. The story is a little predictable and cliché, but it is well-worked and contains some genuine surprises and real chills. I saw some twists coming, but certainly not all. The similarity to Psycho is clear, but the tone also reminded me a little of another Hitchcock classic, Rebecca. The setting of the creepy French villa adds a great macabre touch to the proceedings, but the brilliant swimming pool scene is the one that sticks in the mind long after viewing. The filming of it in black and white is very effective and the lack of gaudy primary colours that dominate many of the Hammer films (due to the fact they were the first horror films in colour) is welcome. Of course this was filmed in Black Park in Buckinghamshire and not France but the production looks deceptively expensive.

For anybody who hasn't seen it, do not expect this to be a Christopher Lee film (though it has been billed as such on the BBC) per se as his actual screen time is limited at best, though he makes a solid contribution as always. Instead it is left to Susan Strasberg, Ann Todd and Ronald Lewis to carry the film and they play their parts to perfection.

"Scream of Fear" not available on DVD anywhere as far as I know except Japan, but this is well worth looking up for anybody who enjoys a good thriller or horror.

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9 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
A great Thriller!, 3 August 1999
Author: Dennis Crane (dcrane@mail.icongrp.com) from USA

A great tribute to the who-dunnit type movies of the 40s and 50s. Another great tip of the hat to Hitchcock by shooting in BW. The swimming pool scene is STILL one of the most frightening pieces of cinema history.

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6 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
A major highlight for Hammer studios!, 18 August 2006

Author: The_Void from Beverley Hills, England

Whenever I think of Hammer Horror, I think of bright colourful camp films; but Hammer also made a handful of black and white mysteries, and many of these stand up as some of their best films. Hysteria, Nightmare and Paranoiac are all very good films; but Seth Holt's Taste of Fear tops the lot! This suspenseful mystery draws the viewer in from the start and doesn't let go until the credits role. The film introduces the wheelchair bound character Penny Appleby; an amiable young girl who strives for independence in spite of her disability. The story picks up upon her return home to the French Riviera for the first time in ten years at the request of her father. Her nightmare starts when she begins seeing the corpse of her father at random places around the house and grounds of the place where she's staying. The friendly chauffeur Bob decides to help the girl get to the bottom of the mystery, but everything is turned upside down when it becomes obvious that nobody in the film is what they appear.

Initially, the film plays out like it's going to be quite predictable; and indeed, my prediction for what is going to happen actually does happen...but director Seth Holt doesn't show his hand too early, and there is a major twist at the end that I certainly didn't see coming. Director Seth Holt does a really good job with this film, as he gets good performances out of all his cast, the twists are well worked; and best of all, the atmosphere is scintillating! Holt continually imposes an oppressive air of foreboding over the film, and the creepy house provides a fantastic location for a film like this to take place. The film features a relatively small role for Hammer regular, Christopher Lee, who gets to don a silly accent while remaining mysterious. Lead actress Susan Strasberg is the pick of the cast, however, as aside from being stunning; she's not a bad actress either. The film works principally because it keeps the focus on the mystery, and this means that it retains its thriller intentions throughout. Overall, this might be a lesser known Hammer film; but it's not lesser in quality, and I wouldn't hesitate to name this as one of the best films the studio ever produced.

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