And Now the Screaming Starts

Note: This is the second of the Amicus movies that I’ll be reviewing.

Synopsis: The year is 1795 and a newlywed couple returns to the groom’s ancestral home to start their lives together. Almost from the moment that they arrive the bride starts to have visions and dreams about a mysterious man and a severed hand that moves around the house. On the advice of his local doctor the groom calls on Dr. Pope, portrayed by Peter Cushing, who specializes in mental disorders. As Dr. Pope begins his investigation people begin to die and he soon comes to the conclusion that something more than a mere mental disorder is going on.

The Good: The cast is really great in this film. From Peter Cushing, who delivers an excellent performance as usual, to Stephanie Becham portraying the tortured bride the cast is top notch. Herbert Lom is also quite good as the groom’s sinister grandfather in the flashbacks that are used to setup the plot. In addition to a great cast the film looks and sounds great. The lighting and musical score are excellent, as I’ve come to expect from an Amicus production, which really add to the atmosphere that they are trying to create.

The Bad: The movie has several very slow spots during its 90-minute runtime. It appears to me that the filmmakers were very proud of the house and grounds they were using for the movie. We get many very nice shots of the house, interior and exterior, as well as a fairly nice look at the grounds but this only serves to slow the film down. In addition to that the script fails to generate any real sense of dread. The conclusion is fairly obvious and somewhat of a disappointment.

The Score: 1.5 out of 4

A very talented cast does the best that they can with a very weak script, but I still can’t recommend this movie at all.

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