Silent Scream (1979)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Fresh and Exciting

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

The Silent Scream (1979)*** (out of 4) College student Scotty Parker (Rebecca Balding) can't afford to stay on campus so she ends up renting a room at a nearby mansion. Soon other students who live there turn up dead and before long Scotty learns about the dark secret hidden in the walls.Director Denny Harris has created a well-made little thriller that works as a homage to PSYCHO with elements of the slasher film that was so popular during this period. The movie has a strong cult following and it's easy to see why because there's a lot of really good stuff here that makes it stand out among most of the thrillers from this era.The strongest thing going for it was the direction because there are a couple very intense sequences in the picture. The most memorable moment in the film is when Scotty is being held captive and she tries to signal her boyfriend who is in the next room. I'm not going to spoil what happens but it's got some great suspense and is perfectly put together. The same can be said about the ending as well as another sequence on a beach.It also doesn't hurt that you've got so many good performances including Balding who is perfectly believable and likable in the lead role. We've got a terrific supporting batch including Steve Doubet and movie veterans like Cameron Mitchell, Avery Schreiber and especially Barbara Steele who is quite chilling in her role. The screenplay borrows from PSYCHO during several sequences but the film never comes off as a rip but instead a nice homage.THE SILENT SCREAM is certainly one of the better made thrillers from this era and it certainly deserves to be seen.

Unable to find accommodation on campus, pretty college student Scotty (Rebecca Balding) rents a room at an isolated seaside mansion, unaware that the owner Mrs. Engels (Yvonne De Carlo) keeps her lobotomised homicidal daughter Victoria (Barbara Steele) hidden in the house in a secret room. You can't keep a good psycho locked up for long though, and it's not long before Vicky is out and about getting stabby with the tenants...The Silent Scream doesn't score many points for originality, its 'murderous insane relative' and 'old dark house' schtick hardly breaking new ground. But despite the over-familiarity of the material, and a disappointing lack of gore, The Silent Scream still manages to be an reasonably effective little horror/thriller thanks to solid direction from Denny Harris, who makes good use of his creepy location, and decent casting: Balding (The Boogens) makes for a very likable protagonist (of course, it doesn't hurt that she's very easy on the eye); De Carlo (Lily from The Munsters) is suitably creepy as the maniac's mother; Brad Rearden is convincingly freaky as Mrs. Engel's weirdo son Mason; and both Juli Andelman and John Widelock are more than irritating enough to make very deserving victims.It is horror legend Steele, however, who 'steeles' the show; she might not have any lines of dialogue, but she still manages to make her character completely menacing.

College student Scotty Parker waits too long to apply for on campus housing and as a result must rent a room at a spooky seaside mansion owned by the equally spooky Engels family. Soon, one of the other college student renters is brutally murdered and Scotty unknowingly begins to unravel the secrets of the Engels family and the murders.The creepy, atmospheric little gem is a homage to Psycho through and through. Though it is a slow-burner, there is always an uneasiness present as the viewer is made aware through minor clues that something is not right with the Engels family. There is little to no gore; instead the focus on on building tension leading into the frantic and frenzied climax. Barbara Steele steals the film without saying a word and her performance will certainly give you chills. Highly underrated and one of the better entries into the early 80's slasher genre, though today's audience may be turned off by the slow pace.FrightMeter Grade: B

This is coming to code red DVD soon. I saw this on cable back in the early 80's.. Another slasher/college kids theme but never the less, creepiness. Rebecca balding who use to be on a t.v. show called soap and later to star in another cult horror film The Boogens, is our main star here. She can't seem to find housing at a local college so she shacks up in an old house with a horror history. Yes , a creepy house with webs and creeping floorboards. I remember seeing the t.v. spot back in 1980 and it scared me. So, i wont give away too much, but granted, if you haven't seen this 25 plus year old film yet. maybe you might on DVD. Btw. this was filmed sometime in 1979, so it really isn't an 80's horror film,, just the January release date... good luck. some interesting chills though. And overall a campy slasher...