El sonido de la muerte

as a collector of vintage sci-fi movies from the 20"s through the 60"s i have found many use a cookie cutter mentality with no new imagination,that does not mean they are not good movies, but the story often is not very original,been done before,etc., that said, i like the story of the sound of horror even at the risk of being ridiculed,*** (my co-workers broke into tears of laughter when i told them i liked a movie about an invisible prehistoric dinosaur)***these same individuals looked me straight in the eye and told me how believable it was to them that a family could feed and pet a brontosaurus in Jurassic park!*** give me a break!*** anyway,that being said, i find sound of horror to be very unique in imagination and concept,the film was obviously a low budget production,yet,it has more intense suspense than some million dollar movies of later vintage. the only available copy at this writing is just a "fair" print quality wise,and the movie was Spanish origin with English dubbing,** still, i recommend this movie to serious "vintage" sci-fi collectors, its very different and thats what makes it stand out among the crowd.*** it really is kind of creepy,*** even today,*** turn the lights out when you watch it!***creepy soundtrack highlights it also! ****

With this type of film there always seems to be a sentimental this-scared-me-as-a-kid review. And I supposed this one is no exception. I saw it once on TV as a kid. It scared me. I've never forgotten it. And I never saw it again until recently when I picked it up as a discount DVD.

As others have said this is a very low budget effort from Spain that employs a cheap gimmick to scare it's audience. It's monster is not seen, only heard. And what is heard is a particularly creepy series of sounds.

But the problem for the film's detractors is that this gimmick seems to work.

Like the famous swimming pool scene in the superior Cat People, it tricks the audience into imagining something more horrible than what could be shown.

The movie's greatest asset is that it's director seems to know how to scare his audience. For instance there are long, sustained shots in which very little happens. But this serves to create tension, causing us to wonder, "What is coming next?"

In watching it again, I kept thinking how well this would have worked as a radio play. The way it uses only sound and narrative to frighten the audience, it reminded me of Wyllis Cooper's classic The Thing on the Fourble Board.

For those who need vivid color, big stars and intrusive CGI effects, let them rent Anaconda.

And for those who have trouble suspending disbelief over the film's gimmick: Who's to say there weren't any invisible dinosaurs? How would we know?

I remember first seeing this film on television back in the 1970's. At that time I watched it in the middle of the night. It played right after Brides of Blood. At the time I didn't know what the film was called but years later I read about the title in a film book. Now I have been able to see the film again after nearly 30 years as it has become available on DVD (although a poor print). The film still has it's scary moments and is notable as being Ingrid Pitt's first film as well as featuring Soledad Miranda. I can't give the film a high rating as it is very slow overall but the sounds the creature makes as well as the death scenes are very well done for such a low budget film.

If you are a fan of vintage, cult horror movies like I am then you will absolutely love this movie. I cannot believe that it has no cult following! I can't even find a movie poster for it. Although it is a low budget, dubbed, Spanish movie it has a great story with very good acting and the effects are as cool as can be.

Overall it is made in the typical fashion of horror movies of this period but has some real surprises along the way. The acting and dubbing is far superior than most. The sets are good. The camera work is average or a little above. But the story is very good and interesting with many scenes that I do not want to give away. The black and white make it moody and pretty scary. There are some rather gory effects especially for the time. The monster is invisible for the most part yet you can really imagine it from some cool footprints and the blood curdling noise that it makes. You really worry for the people in this movie. It also has one of the most surprise endings that I have ever seen in a movie of this era.

Another reason that I can't understand why this movie is not out there is that it is Ingrid Pitt's first movie role. She is lovely as ever but looks a lot different than her 1970's roles.

This movie is a must for vintage horror fans.

From the opening credits introducing the cast members scampering across the wilderness, pursued by an unknown assailant, you know you're going to get something a little different and that promise lives up to expectation in this Spanish thriller. A trio of treasure hunters converge on a haunted cave searching for an elusive cache of rare antiquities that has evaded them since their first brush when they were soldiers in WWII. But after discovering what may have been the long lost chest, they inadvertently release a terrible, shrieking creature that also happens to be invisible.

More than meets the eye to this cast, with Amercian James Philbrook cast as the stoic, unofficial leader of the trio (the other two Casas and Bodalo), his girlfriend Polish bombshell Ingrid Pitt in her film debut, while the ill-fated Soledad Miranda is the leading lady, a rising star who died prematurely in a car accident only a few years following this film. All the cast discharge themselves with professionalism and tact, no hysterics or over-zealous rants, very measured, solid performances. I thought Lola Gaos as the superstitious Greek housekeeper - whose frequent warnings go ignored until too late, - was a highlight, the scene in which she fetches the water, suspenseful and exceptionally well photographed.

There's plenty of atmosphere in the black and white cinematography, decent sets and calculated suspense, the film's multi-pronged climax is engaging and leads to an unexpected conclusion that won't disappoint. Perhaps the only faux pas is the fictitious Greek setting and characters, all of which looks and sounds very Spanish. Better than expected, worth a look.