Gritos de terror

Catherine (Stephanie Beacham) the new blushing bride of Charles Fengriffen (Ian Ogilvy) comes to live at his old family estate. On their first night together a family curse rears it's ugly head when a ghost rapes and impregnates her. Dr. Pope (Peter Cushing) is brought into the mix to figure the mess and solve the riddle of the curse.

'…And Now The Screaming Starts' is a solid tale from the Amicus Studios. The acting is on par with this type of film, slightly over the top and hammy but that's to be expected for this fare. While the production value is close to the grand productions of Hammer Studios (Amicus' chief competitor) the film lacks the lovely atmosphere of the Gothic Hammer films.

Oh My God! I'm putting Stephanie Beacham up for Queen of The Scream. This woman can sure sustain. This film must have one of the longest and shrillest screams in movie history. It was so piercing and unyielding I had to turn down the volume on my soundbase. WOW!

I can vaguely remember not thinking too highly of this film when I watched it in my youth. However, now some years have passed and my tastes have matured - along with my age - I find I appreciate the hell out of this movie.

For one thing, the "future ghosts" that Catherine Fengriffen sees aren't as confusing for my old nogging as they once were. Truthfully, the entire story is superb. I love tales about ghosts and curses, and this is probably the best of its kind.

Roger Marshall wrote the screenplay, which was based on a novel by David Case - which I'm keeping a sharp eye peeled for; the film's so good I want to read the book. It's a wonderfully constructed tale of the supernatural and revenge. I won't go into too much detail as I don't want to spoil the picture for you, especially as Marshall does a beautiful job of peeling back the layers.

Marshall's screenplay is interesting and entertaining and will keep the audience's attention locked to the screen. Thankfully, Roy Baker's direction strengthens the story and adds to its drawing potential. He has a creative eye for composition and atmosphere and is happy to combine both to achieve some outstanding results. Two of which stood out for me.

One is when Catherine is cautiously examining the portrait of Henry Fengriffen. Baker uses a slow closeup zoom to draw you into the painting. He cuts to Catherine: She's looking worried and more than a tad apprehensive. Back to the slow zoom. Back to Catherine. Back to the painting... and... POW! You must watch the film (no spoilers here) to find out how the scene concludes. Bakers composition of the sequence and his use of the slow zoom and cuts builds the tension of the scene. You know something is coming though you won't expect what does... I didn't.

The second being the vision of the ghost through the leaded light window. This works on so many levels. We can see the fear on Catherine's face and know she's seen something unpleasant. Baker flips the camera lens onto the stained glass window. The darkened hues of purples and greens in the window's leaded design are visible... but behind that, there's a blurred image. The colours and shades are so similar that you can't discern what you're looking at. Until Baker uses the slow zoom again. This time it draws you towards the window. However, your attention's fixed on what stands beyond. As we draw nearer the blurred vision sharpens until we can see the empty eye sockets and the missing right hand. This is a beautiful and disturbing shot. I loved it.

Luckily for us, the audience, the entire movie's filled with the same excellent camerawork. "Screaming" is one hell of a lush, plush, and classy film. A stunning piece of eye candy.

However, if neither the acting nor the special effects had possessed the same attention to detail, the entire film would be a lot worse. Thankfully, they did. In all truth, this flick has the best eyeless make-up and severed hand I've seen. The FX people were artists.

Stephanie Beacham is superb in the role of Catherine Fengriffen. Catherine's a determined youthful woman who is wholly interested in her husband, his ancestry, and his estate. Beacham uses her full acting range to reflect Catherine's emotions. She does this, not only through her dialogue but by using facial features and body language, especially to show Catherine's fear and worry. Baker uses this talent to inject most of the eeriness into the film. This combination of Baker's direction and Beacham's acting hooks and holds the audiences' attention. Based on this performance, Beacham deserved the top billing in this film.

However, it's the heavy hitters and crowd-pleasers who take pole position.

As always, Peter Cushing is impeccable in his role as Dr Pope. Though it's easy to understand since there are elements of Baron Von-Frankenstein and Dr Van-Helsing in this character. Therefore, Dr Pope is a snug fit for Cushing and he wears him as he would his favourite smoking jacket.

Herbert Lom, though, extends his repertoire with the nasty piece of work that is Henry Fengriffen. Lom comes across as weighty, strong and indignant to the thoughts of others. He is the lord of the manor and that puts him second only to God. I wouldn't want to cross Henry.

Then we have Patrick Magee. Who's at his dithering, doubtful, and hesitant best as Dr Whittle... and whittle he does.

Ian Ogilvy plays Charles Fengriffen, husband to Catherine. He's the doubter of the pack. He doesn't fully trust in the family curse or that his beloved has visions of ghosts. He fears for her mind and her sanity. Ogilvy gives a splendid performance as the worried and concerned hubby. It would have been nice to have Charles Fengriffen in a few more scenes, especially with his missus - they have just wed, after all. I felt Charlie to be slightly under-used. It would also enhance Catherine's character more.

Geoffrey Whitehead is outstanding as the woodsman Silas. He carries himself with an air of confidence. Silas is a sturdy man. He possesses a keen mind and has a pragmatic sense of right and wrong. This persona gives him a palpable ominousness, which makes it clear why people are wary of, and even fear, him.

All horror fans, all lovers of films and filmmaking, and anybody looking for a great waste of time gather around and lend me your ear. Get off your chairs and find yourself a copy. "Screaming" should be on all your watch lists. If it isn't, then scribble it down... now!

I won't say this is a must-watch film, but it's one you should think twice about before missing it.

Ratings: Story 1.5 : Direction 1.5 : Pace 1.5 : Acting 1.5 : Enjoyment 1.5 Total 7.5 out of 10

Now jump in your horse and trap and take a jaunt over to my Absolute Horror list and see where the bloody hand crawled into my charts.

Take Care and Stay Well.

Amicus and Hammer studios were very much in the same market, even to the point of competing for the same stars and directors. A quick glance at the cast, crew and plot summary of `And Now the Screaming Starts' could mislead one to believe it was a Hammer production: Roy Ward Baker, Peter Cushing, Herbert Lom and Patrick Magee were all known for their contributions to Hammer history, and the Gothic premise of a late 18th century ghost story fits their profile well. Nevertheless, certain elements tag this as distinctive from the Hammer cycle, and make it of note to horror completists, although perhaps of less interest to general audiences.

The film was originally based on an obscure novella entitled `Fengriffin,' after the name of the cursed family line around which the story centers. Of course, a movie called `Fengriffin' would have been a weak seller in any market, particularly the lurid horror market of the early 1970's, (`Texas Chainsaw Massacre' came out only two years after), so it was inevitable that a splashier title would be selected. In choosing `And Now the Screaming Starts', the producers assured their film cult status and greatly embarrassed most of the actors, who had thought they were working on a more `serious' film. The title seems to fit well, however, as lovely Stephanie Beacham demonstrates her lung capacity often, particularly in the first third of the film.

The story follows a standard plot of Gothic decadence: a noble family is cursed for the libertine debauches of an ancestor, and the young generation pays the price. This is typical of a period in literature in which wistful nostalgia for the aristocracy was combined with growing class resentment and a sense that the nobility had `failed' in their responsibilities as leaders. Amicus updates this by including an axe murder, a rotten corpse-ghost with no eyes, a severed hand, and a somewhat overly subtle rape scene by said ghost. The rape is particularly typical of Amicus' approach to the genre, as compared to Hammer's. At the time, Hammer was doling out overt doses of sex alongside their blood, and frontal nudity was not uncommon. Amicus, however, shied away from nudity or sex almost prudishly, and refused to allow its stars to be seen as compromised. Why they would select a story that hinges on a rape they refused to show (or even imply effectively) is perhaps the greatest mystery.

The true star of this movie is the female victim, often the case in well produced Gothic drama. Top-billed Peter Cushing appears 47 minutes into the movie as her doctor, an `ahead-of-his-time' psychiatrist who wants to prove that the supernatural elements are all in her head. The filmmakers have given us a few too many clues at this point for there to be any real doubt, but watching him methodically seek a rational answer (and his excellent downplayed performance) gives the plot a new lease on life after it begins to drag a bit. Patrick Magee as the eccentric country doctor and Herbert Lom as the decadent ancestor are also excellent. A bit less convincing are Ian Ogilvy as the concerned husband and Geoffrey Whitehead as the outraged peasant.

Overall, the film is directed well, nicely photographed, and has beautiful sets and good effects, considering the low budget. Nevertheless, it seems to lack `something' that would make it worthy of repeat viewings. The sense of dread one associates with the best of Gothic drama is undermined somewhat by the romantic, upbeat score. Perhaps there are too many scenes shot in daylight, or the castle isn't quite gloomy and decrepit enough to transmit the sense of the curse. Whatever it may be, I recommend this more as a curiosity than a great film.

There was something of a vogue for horror films in Britain during the sixties and early seventies, probably because there was a market for material of this nature but censorship meant that it could not be shown on television. Hammer were the best-known film production company of the British horror boom, but they had a number of rivals, and this film was made by one of these, Amicus Productions. Amicus were best known for "portmanteau" films like "Tales from the Crypt", generally with a contemporary rather than a period setting, which meant lower production costs. "And Now the Screaming Starts!" is one of their few attempts to invade the Hammer territory of a single feature-length story set in the past. It even features one of Hammer's best-known stars, Peter Cushing.

Despite the rather jokey title, complete with exclamation mark, this is not a horror spoof along the lines of "Carry On Screaming". Nor, despite the presence of Cushing in the cast, is it a Transylvanian tale of vampires and werewolves. It is rather a Gothic ghost story reminiscent of the work of M R James, although more sexually explicit than anything James would have been allowed to write. The action takes place in the year 1795. A young married couple, Charles and Catherine Fengriffen, move into the stately home of the Fengriffen family. At first the marriage seems a happy one, but soon Catherine is troubled by strange dreams and visions, all of which seem to be connected with Silas, the mysterious and sinister woodcutter who lives in a cottage on the estate, and a portrait of Charles's grandfather, Sir Henry. She comes to believe that the house is haunted and that there is a curse on the Fengriffen family. Several people who try to help her meet mysterious deaths. Eventually Charles admits to Catherine, who is by now pregnant, that there is a legend of a family curse, connected to a terrible crime committed by Sir Henry.

Despite his being the most established star among the cast, Cushing's part is a relatively small one; he plays a doctor brought in to try and cure Catherine of what her husband believes is a mental illness and fulfils that common role in horror films, the rationalist sceptic whose scepticism is inevitably proved wrong by events. Cushing is, however, very good in his role, and there is also a good performance from Herbert Lom as the cruel and debauched Henry, whose crime is seen in flashback. Stephanie Beacham was previously best known to me as Sable in that "Dynasty" spin-of "The Colbys", but here we get to see just how strikingly beautiful she was as a young woman.

Some of the productions of the British horror cycle could be awful, and Cushing, although a talented actor, often found himself cast in the worst of them. ("The Blood Beast Terror" from 1967 and "The Satanic Rites of Dracula", also from 1973, are two particularly dire examples). "And Now the Screaming Starts!", however, is one of the better ones. Its plot may be far-fetched, but all films in this particular genre require a large amount of suspension of disbelief on the part of the viewer, and director Roy Ward Baker, who in the latter part of his career tended to specialise in horror, is able at times to conjure up a quite genuine sense of terror. Moreover, some of the most powerful scenes are those seen in flashback, and here no suspension of disbelief is needed. Ghosts may or may not exist; men as depraved as Sir Henry undoubtedly do, which from my point of view makes them far more frightening than any ghost. This is a highly watchable film, especially when seen late at night. 7/10

A goof. The Fengriffen mansion is built in the Victorian Gothic style, quite anachronistic for a film set in the late 18th century. The actual house used, Oakley Court in Berkshire, was in fact not built until 1859. The film-makers, however, clearly felt that Gothic architecture was much more in keeping with the mood of a horror film than Georgian classicism would have been.

British film company Amicus were the masters of the horror anthology, but they also produced single plot movies, this being one. Here we have a delightfully Gothic tale about a curse, haunted paintings and a crawling, severed hand. The film is very well shot, has lovely sets and boasts a very fine cast. However it is not the "gory horror" that the newspaper TV guide described back in the 1980's when I first watched it, it is also slow at times. Perhaps this was a short story that has been stretched to 90 minutes, it sometimes feels like it. But is does have some effective horror moments, plus there is a rape scene which I found to be the most shocking part, so not suitable for kids. Many years ago when I was attending college one of the bus drivers was a spitting image of Silas the woodsman, we did chuckle about that! Certainly not one of the best Amicus movies but still an enjoyable late night horror.