SILENT SCREAM

This odd horror film is neither scary nor bloody but, rather, a fairly entertaining thriller that was released in 1979 (which, by the way, was a GREAT year for horror movies). While Silent Scream is undoubtedly a “bargain-basement” cheapie, the story is actually pretty solid.

Four college students rent rooms at an old mansion run by a creepy family with some dark secrets of their own. When the teenagers start showing up dead, two detectives set out to uncover the mystery. Although the ending is a bit of a letdown, the journey getting there is actually pretty entertaining. The film is competently made and its entertainment value has not waned over the years (remarkably, it has aged extremely well). However, it does seem to suffer from an ending that tries to be better than it actually is, which seems oddly out of place with the tone set by the rest of the movie.

The casting is odd as well; Yvonne De Carlo (“Lily” of TV’s The Munsters) and comedian Avery Schreiber are cast alongside a bunch of no-name kids who all fall victim to a perfectly creepy Barbara Steele (in probably the most disturbing role ever with no dialogue) - her facial expressions alone are enough to make your blood run cold. Her performance shows why she was one of Europe’s “scream queens” and it is her performance that helps to slightly elevate Silent Scream above many of its peers. In fact, some of today’s better horror films seem to have taken a page from this film (for example, the idea of unsettling classical music playing is alluded to for several scenes in 2001’s Jeepers Creepers).

While Silent Scream is certainly not fast paced, it isn’t boring either. Characters are enjoyable, the story is interesting and (at least up until the lackluster ending) the story delivers exactly what it should – no more, no less. It’s no classic, but you could do much worse. It’s definitely worth checking out.

My Score: 6 out of 10