And Now the Screaming Starts!
| And Now the Screaming Starts! | |
|---|---|
 United States theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Roy Ward Baker |
| Screenplay by | Roger Marshall |
| Based on | Fengriffen (novella) by David Case |
| Produced by | Max Rosenberg Milton Subotsky Gustave Berne |
| Starring | Peter Cushing Herbert Lom Patrick Magee Ian Ogilvy Stephanie Beacham |
| Cinematography | Denys Coop |
| Edited by | Peter Tanner Tony Curtis (addl) |
| Music by | Douglas Gamley |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Fox-Rank (UK), Cinerama Releasing Corporation (US) |
Release date | April 27, 1973 |
Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $500,000[1] |
And Now the Screaming Starts! is a 1973 British gothic horror film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Peter Cushing, Herbert Lom, Patrick Magee, Stephanie Beacham and Ian Ogilvy. It is one of the few feature-length horror stories by Amicus, a company best known for anthology or "portmanteau" films.
The screenplay, written by Roger Marshall, is based on the 1970 novella Fengriffen by David Case.[2] The large gothic house used in the film is Oakley Court, near Bray village, which is now a four star hotel.
Premise
In 1795, newlyweds Catherine (Beacham) and Charles Fengriffen (Ogilvy) move into Charles' stately mansion. Catherine falls victim to a curse placed by a wronged servant on the Fengriffen family and its descendants.
Cast
- Peter Cushing as Dr. Pope
- Herbert Lom as Sir Henry Fengriffin
- Patrick Magee as Dr. Whittle
- Stephanie Beacham as Catherine Fengriffin
- Ian Ogilvy as Charles Fengriffin
- Geoffrey Whitehead as Woodsman / Silas
- Guy Rolfe as Lawyer Maitland
- Rosalie Crutchley as Mrs Luke
- Gillian Lind as Aunt Edith
- Janet Key as Bridget
- Sally Harrison as Sarah
Reception
The film received a lukewarm reception in Britain and America on its release. In the UK, And Now the Screaming Starts! went out on a double bill with the American horror film, Dr Death, Seeker of Souls. Jonathan Rosenbaum of Monthly Film Bulletin praised Denys Coop's camerawork and the acting performances, yet felt the film never quite realised its potential.[3] A. H. Weiler reviewing the work in The New York Times commended Cushing's contribution, deeming it superior to the rest of the cast's, although considered its plot contrived.[4] Mark Burger, reviewing a home video release for the Winston-Salem Journal in 2002, similarly noted the strong cast though found the muddled screenplay led to a merely "watchable" film.[2]
Citations
- ^ Ed. Allan Bryce, Amicus: The Studio That Dripped Blood, Stray Cat Publishing, 2000 p 102-109
- ^ a b Burger, Mark (17 May 2002). "Video View". Winston-Salem Journal: p. 3.
- ^ Rosenbaum, Jonathan (1974). "Feature Films". Monthly Film Bulletin, 41:480/491: p. 243.
- ^ Weiler, A H (28 April 1973). "Screen: A Creepy Legend". The New York Times: p. 21.
Further reading
- Chibnall, Steve; Petley, Julian (ed.) (2005). British Horror Cinema. Oxford: Taylor & Francis, pp. 132–134. ISBN 0-203-99676-3
- Mayer, Geoff (2004). Roy Ward Baker (British Film Makers). Manchester Univ. Press. ISBN 0-7190-6354-X
External links
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- 1973 films
- 1973 horror films
- Fiction set in 1795
- British horror films
- British films
- English-language films
- British supernatural horror films
- Films directed by Roy Ward Baker
- Amicus Productions films
- Films set in the 1790s
- Films based on horror novels
- British ghost films
- British films about revenge
- Rape and revenge films
- 1970s horror film stubs