IMDb RATING
5.8/10
1.4K
YOUR RATING
A teenaged girl discovers that her stepfather is trying to murder her and her mother, but when she tells people, no one will believe her.A teenaged girl discovers that her stepfather is trying to murder her and her mother, but when she tells people, no one will believe her.A teenaged girl discovers that her stepfather is trying to murder her and her mother, but when she tells people, no one will believe her.
David Allen Brooks
- Paul Fox
- (as David Brooks)
Lolita Lesheim
- Brenda Bohle
- (as Lolita Lorre)
Antonio Cantafora
- Man at Motel
- (as Michael Corby)
Marlene Marques
- Librarian
- (as Marlene Marcus)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
i thought this was a pretty good movie for its time. Its about a girl who knows her step father is trying to kill her and her mother for their money but no one will believe her and finally the step father holds them hostage in their house. Its a pretty good movie the ending makes up for the slow beginning.
From the hit & run on Janie and on you you this is 100% pure cheese. I loved it though. This was a different step in the slasher filled horror movies of the 80s. "Scream" for help. Hmmp. Overall the acting is terrible by everyone. Story is alright. Rachel Kelly is a hottie. She is scream for help. Sort of a 80s version of Neve Campbell. Rentable.(6/10)
Let's see, we got veteran UK filmmaker, Michael Winner, at the helm. A soundtrack by Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones featuring Jimmy Page and Jon Anderson from Yes, and a script from noted Hollywood fear-meister Tom Holland. What could go wrong? Pretty much everything and gloriously so! I love watching this film because I can never tell if it was made to be a melodramatic satire or just a melodramatic failure. I'm leaning toward failed art. The bad acting is spread across the board but led by the entirely incapable Rachael Kelly, sporting around the screen in a variety of unflattering '80s era outfits. Ms. Kelly never once allows the viewer to lose themselves in the proceedings with her near constant histrionics. No wonder her step-father is trying to kill her! The absurd soundtrack is so over-the-top and out of place that I'm convinced that the producers threw out Jones' original score and substituted cheesy stock tracks instead. There is nothing but camp and unintentional guffawing to be had here...and that's ok. Sometimes you need a movie to riff on with your buddies like MST3K, and Scream for Help (which never received a proper release in the US) is there to help. Nice to see a new blu-ray edition on the market.
Why does everyone bash this movie so much? What's wrong with the acting? What's wrong with the music? I thought it was nicely done, and became one of my favorite thrillers over the years. A teen girl suspects that her step dad is trying to off her mom so he can inherit her millions. The girl turns into a Nancy Drew type and starts tailing him over a period of days to see if she can get some dirt on him. She discovers he's having an affair and becomes the girl who knew too much as the step dad begins to go after her. It all leads to an awesome climax set in the family home, as the step dad and his lowlife cohorts hold the mother and daughter hostage. But the young schemer devises a way to thwart her captors and really turns the final half hour into an exciting finish. Beware though, the film is very graphic, both sexually and violently, but it's kept at a reasonable level (like two shots of Lorre topless, only one shot of Clark's gigantor boobs). As far as all the cast bashing goes, I really don't understand it. To begin with, Kelly is a beautiful, gifted actress whose career really should've taken off with this. Ok, so I had a crush on her, but still she carries the film perfectly. Brooks is sauve enough to pull off the step dad role and when he turns sinister in the end, he's great. Sisto nails his grungy, dirtbag character nicely, and Lorre is a gorgeous manipulator/femme fatale. Your only problem will be obtaining the film, which is very obscure and difficult to track down at video stores. But if you should find it, it should have no problem holding your attention, even if you (for whatever reason) laugh at it like these others have. Though I wont blame you for rolling your eyes at the sappy end credits song.
Between Death Wish II and Death Wish 3, Winner made this quickly forgotten thriller with a no name cast. It has the same over the top approach as his much more famous works, with so many memorable scenes and dialogue written by Tom Holland, best known for Fright Night and Child's Play. It's easily one of the most watchable bad movies of the 80's, so it's a huge shame that this is not on DVD. I would buy it immediately and play it for everyone i know. If you like R rated politically incorrect Nancy Drew mysteries that were made by your perverted uncle.... If you like Lifetime Original Movies on crack... If you want to see an even more outrageous version of The Stepfather, then this movie is for you.
Did you know
- TriviaThis movie was to have been the third collaboration between writer Tom Holland and director Richard Franklin (following Psychose II (1983) and Jouer c'est tuer (1984)). With his career on the rise, Franklin ultimately decided it would be unwise to helm such a low-budget film.
- GoofsThe Chrysler is traveling over 60 mph with the accelerator stuck and non-operable brakes when it goes through the Church's Chicken parking lot appears to be going much slower then speeds up when it gets back into the road.
- Quotes
Christie Cromwell: [to Karen] Fine, don't believe me, just wait until he kills you.
- ConnectionsFeatured in 31 Horror Movies in 31 Days: Scream for Help (1984) (2012)
- How long is Scream for Help?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $3,000,000 (estimated)
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