Scream and Scream Again (1970)

Director:

Gordon Hessler

Writers:

Peter Saxon (novel)
Christopher Wicking (writer)

Release Date:

13 February 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

TRIPLE DISTILLED HORROR... as powerful as a vat of boiling ACID!

Plot:

A serial killer, who drains his victims for blood is on the loose in London, the Police follow him to a house owned by an eccentric scientist.

Plot Keywords:

Acid | Dismemberment | Scientist | Severed Hand | Based On Novel

Cast

Vincent Price	...	Dr. Browning
Christopher Lee	...	Fremont
Peter Cushing	...	Benedek
Alfred Marks	...	Supt.Bellaver
Christopher Matthews	...	David Sorel
Judy Huxtable	...	Sylvia
Yutte Stensgaard	...	Erika
Anthony Newlands	...	Ludwig
Julian Holloway	...	Griffin
Kenneth Benda	...	Prof. Kingsmill
Judy Bloom	...	Helen Bradford
Marshall Jones	...	Konratz
Peter Sallis	...	Schweitz
Uta Levka	...	Jane
Clifford Earl	...	Det. Sgt. Jimmy Joyce
Nigel Lambert	...	Ken Sparten
Michael Gothard	...	Keith
David Lodge	...	Det. Insp. Strickland (credit only)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kay Adrian	...	Nurse
Edgar D. Davies	...	Rogers
Rosalind Elliot	...	Valerie
Leslie Ewin	...	Tramp
Andy Fairweather-Low	...	Singer (as Amen Corner)
Lee Hudson	...	Matron
Stephen Preston	...	Fryer
Blue Weaver	...	Organist (as Amen Corner)
Lincoln Webb	...	Wrestler (uncredited)

Directed by
Gordon Hessler

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Peter Saxon		novel
Christopher Wicking		writer

Produced by
Louis M. Heyward	....	executive producer
Max Rosenberg	....	producer
Milton Subotsky	....	producer

Original Music by
David Whitaker

Cinematography by
John Coquillon

Film Editing by
Peter Elliott

Production Design by
Bill Constable

Art Direction by
Don Mingaye

Makeup Department
Jimmy Evans	....	makeup artist
Betty Sherriff	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Teresa Bolland	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ariel Levy	....	assistant director

Art Department
Scott Slimon	....	set dresser
Bill Waldron	....	construction manager

Sound Department
Michael P. Redbourn	....	dubbing editor
Bert Ross	....	sound
Hugh Strain	....	dubbing mixer

Stunts
Joe Wadham	....	stunt driver

Camera and Electrical Department
Les Young	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Evelyn Gibbs	....	wardrobe supervisor

Music Department
Shel Talmy	....	musical director
David Whitaker	....	conductor

Other crew
Eileen Head	....	continuity

Production Companies

• American International Pictures (AIP)
• Tigon

Distributors

• American International Pictures (AIP) (1970) (USA) (theatrical)
• Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors (1970) (UK) (theatrical)
• CBS Television (1974) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Kabel 1 (????) (Germany) (TV)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Video Ltd. (1986) (UK) (VHS)
• TM 3 (????) (Germany) (TV)
• Vestron Video (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Matburn Surgical, Farlington  special operating theatre equipment

Also Known As:

Screamer
Carrera de la muerte, La (Spain) [es]
Doctor Diabolic (France) (video title) [fr]
Huuto yössä (Finland) [fi]
Lâchez les monstres (France) [fr]
Lebenden Leichen des Dr. Mabuse, Die (West Germany) [de]
Skriiik... och skriiik... igen! (Sweden) [sv]
Terrore e terrore (Italy) [it]

Runtime:

USA:95 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:18 (video rating) | UK:X (original rating) | Australia:M | Finland:(Banned) (1972) | Norway:16 (1970) | Sweden:15 | USA:M (original rating) | USA:PG (certificate #22245) (re-rating) (1969)

Company:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Trivia:

David Lodge is listed in the end credits as playing a character called Det. Insp. Strickland. In fact, he does not appear in any version that survives today, and the character of Det. Insp. Strickland is not mentioned and does not appear.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The security camera footage is obviously not filmed by an actual security camera, as the image pans, zooms and cuts.

Quotes:

Superintendent Bellaver: Smells like cheese, looks like ham...
[takes a bite of sandwich]
Superintendent Bellaver: Oh, no problem: it's chicken.

Movie Connections:

Spin off Dr. M (1990)

Soundtrack:

SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN

Weird, uneven, bizarre, but never boring

Gordon Hessler was not all that great a director. He wasn't particularly good at setting up interesting shots or getting good performances out of his actors, but occasionally he managed by default to create a movie that was so completely off-the-wall and bizarre that those shortcomings could be forgotten.

SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN is a good example of that. It is by no means a good movie; in fact, it's really pretty bad. But you literally have no idea where it's headed, and by the time you get there, even though it's a tad underwhelming, it's still just oddball enough to keep you hooked.

Basically, it's the story of a serial killer who preys on bar-hopping women, and who, incidentally, seems to have superpowers of some sort. Or, maybe it's the story of a military conspiracy of some sort? Or is it the story of some kind of body parts black market? Believe it or not, all these seemingly unrelated plotlines eventually come together, and it's a wacky ride all the way.

The biggest disappointment for me, is the scarce screen time of headliners Vincent Price, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. They literally have less than twenty minutes of screen time combined, and only Lee and Price even appear together, in one very brief scene. The main characters seem to be a disgruntled Scotland Yard detective, and a younger, less cynical police officer.

I recommend this movie to any fan of AIP or any of the three horror stars, but most people will not have the patience to sit through it. Fans will enjoy it, if only for it's sheer weirdness.