Runtime: 82 minutes
Directed by: Seth Holt
Starring: Susan Strasberg, Ann Todd, Ronald Lewis, John Serret, Christopher Lee
From: Hammer
If this is the only Hammer movie I see this month, it was a wise choice to see one that Christopher Lee said was “the best they ever did.”
About time I went to my giant physical media pile to view something. In this case it was via my portable Blu-ray player and the disc was a Mill Creek release of 5 Hammer films on two discs-the quality wasn't 4K by any means but it wasn't awful by any means. The rave reviews I've seen for this was enough for me to select it in particular-not a rookie mistake on my part. The fact that the plot description alone reminded me of two great motion pictures was also rather enticing.
The story sounded simple enough: a young lady named Penny who is wheelchair-bound visits her father for the first time in 10 years at his French Riviera mansion; however, he is not around. Instead it is her stepmother she barely knows and a handsome British butler. She starts seeing dad's dead corpse around, only the corpse vanishes by the time other people come to Penny after hearing her hysterical screams. As no one believes poor Penny, everyone should recognize that it sure sounds like she's being gaslit. However, not everything is as it seems...
Besides Gaslight, another blatant inspiration was Diabolique; those are two quality motion pictures to be reminded of. Truly, there is more than one surprise, and they weren't ones that I predicted-I'll say no more about those except that they managed to work for the tale rather than being those stupid “subverting expectations” plot twists we get too often these days. As the cinematography was from the legendary Douglas Slocombe, of course the black and white picture always was a visual delight-also, the lovely Susan Strasberg (Penny) never looked poor. This has a small cast so it's thankful that all the main players delivered w/ their performances: Strasberg, Ann Todd, Ronald Lewis, John Serret, and the icon Christopher Lee in a small yet critical role-you get to hear him speak in a French accent. Plus, a moody score also is a big asset.
This is a genuine delight, something that should be seen by all Hammer fans even if it is different from their typical horror output. It is a thriller that has some genuine chilling moments and was an easy watch at only 82 minutes. Whether you know it under its original Taste of Fear title or its US release title of Scream of Fear, hopefully you can track it down. Of course, if you love Hitchcockian mysteries, Scream/Taste of Fear is a must-view.
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