A Taste of Evil

"A Taste of Evil" focuses on a woman, Susan, who returns to her family estate after having been institutionalized following a sexual assault that she experienced as a young girl in the woods outside the home. Soon after arriving home, however, visions, flashbacks, and sinister occurrences galore begin to intrude on her life.

I was actually surprised by how darkly and disturbingly this film began—a young girl is sitting inside a playhouse built by her parents, isolated in the woods. As she draws a picture of her Raggedy Ann doll, a man enters the doorway, his features obscured by the sunlight. "Who are you?" she asks. The camera turns, the clatter of the table echoes through the scene, and the dolls are thrown across the room onto the bed as the girl screams bloody murder. Sound rough for a television film? I think so. Especially for being in the early seventies.

Based on Jimmy Sangster's Hammer-produced "Scream of Fear," "A Taste of Evil" was also scripted by Sangster, an produced by Aaron Spelling. Like all of the glorious made-for-television films of the decade, "A Taste of Evil" is wonderfully atmospheric, with its obvious staged interiors, as well as the moody photography of the mansion exteriors (John Llewellyn Moxey, who later directed the phenomenal Christmas horror tele-flick, "Home for the Holidays," directs here with a keen eye on mood). There are some fantastic scenes in the woods post-Susan's return, as well as nightmarish sequences and appearances of her apparent assailant.

The film benefits greatly from having a phenomenal cast; Barbara Stanwyck leads as the matriarch, while Barbara Parkins is adequately emotive as the unstable woman. Neither performances are award-worthy by any means, but both manage to muster an appropriate chemistry. Roddy McDowall is a welcome presence as the psychiatrist, and William Windom is sleazy and sinister as Susan's drunken stepfather.

Overall, this is an enjoyable and at times legitimately suspenseful film. It is also daring enough to tackle such a topic as child rape, and the understated yet unflinchingly brusque opening sequence establishes a no-holds-barred attitude from the outset. The film's plot twists are also surprisingly wicked. An enjoyable watch for a rainy evening; recommended highly to fans of the made-for-television horror and thriller films of the 1970s. 8/10.

A Taste of Evil (1971)

** (out of 4)

Disappointing made-for-TV movie is pretty much a remake of Hammer's SCREAM OF FEAR. In this film, a young girl is raped and years later she (Barbara Parkins) returns home only to fear that someone is trying to drive her crazy. Her mother (Barbara Stanwyck) is trying to figure out if her daughter is crazy or perhaps there's someone really after her (and especially since the rapist was never caught). A TASTE OF EVIL comes from writer Jimmy Sangster who also wrote the previously mentioned Hammer movie so it's clear that he knew what he was doing. The biggest difference in the two films is that the original was actually quite eerie and that's certainly far from the case here because this entire film is just downright boring and doesn't feature a single character that you really care for. Director John Llewellyn Moxey had previously made THE CITY OF THE DEAD but he doesn't bring any of the same style or beauty to this thing. The entire movie has a very slow pace as if the director wasn't sure what he wanted to do with the material or perhaps he just knew the material wasn't all that good. Parkins is pretty good in the role of the daughter but the screenplay doesn't give her much to do outside of screaming and running around. Stanwyck is always watchable but this here certainly wasn't among her best work. Roddy McDowall was fun to see in his supporting role as was William Windom. Another problem with the film is that there's simply nothing going on that ever really keeps the viewer interested. The story is decent but nothing much is done with it and this is especially true if you've seen the original version, which was one of the best thrillers from the studio.

I just found a copy of this classic 1970's chiller on ebay. To my surprise, it is just as effective watching today as I remember seeing it as a child. There are many genuine thrills and chills as Barbara Parkins plays a young woman returning to the creepy mansion where she was traumatized as a child. Barbara Stanwyck plays her mother. Both actresses, fresh off their respective 1960's TV series' "Peyton Place" and "The Big Valley," give excellent performances. Parkins was an underrated actress and is truly memorable in her role of the terrorized girl. She is also very beautiful. Stanwyck is dignified and elegant and this film is a reminder of the great talent that was hers. This movie is a forgotten gem. It would be great to see it released on DVD someday.

Not a bad little late night chiller-mystery to keep me interesting throughout the entire film. Atmospheric, thrilling and with a couple of plot twists.

It's always nice to see Barbara Stanwyck grace the screen and she's good as usual. Roddy McDowell is a delight! I love these old made for TV films.

6.5/10

A Taste of Evil is a very interesting movie that tackles a pretty big issue for it's time. It involves the sexual assault of a young girl, and for 1971 I'm sure the topic was not as talked about as it is today. Anyways, the film starts with the young girl who is alone in her playhouse when a man (who we don't see) enters and attacks her off-screen. Fast forwards years later to when she is an adult. After spending years in a psychiatric institution, Susan travels home with her mother Miriam to tackle her demons. We meet some potential suspects of the rape; the mother's boyfriend Harold and a long time groundskeeper John. While at the family home, strange things start to happen. Susan sees someone lurking in the shadows, she feels someone following her in the woods, and a very dead looking Harold keeps popping up around the house.

The imagery of this movie is amazing. The usage of dark shadows in the house adds a very spooky feeling to it all. About halfway through the film we discover what/who is causing these strange occurrences, and I must say I was surprised by what it was and who assaulted Susan years ago. We then get another twist that leads us to a satisfying ending. It's a typical 1970's made for television thriller which I love, but this one adds a lot more such as the shocking storyline of the rape.

The acting was alright, Barbara Stanwyck was the best part about it. Overall a very satisfying TV movie that is impossible to purchase on DVD or VHS. Best thing to do is search it out online or hope for it to pop up on TV one day.

8/10