Silent Scream (1980 film)

Silent Scream
Directed by Denny Harris
Written by Jim Wheat
Ken Wheat
Wallace E. Bennett
Denny Harris
Starring Rebecca Balding
Barbara Steele
Cameron Mitchell
Yvonne De Carlo
Music by Roger Kellaway
Cinematography Michael D. Murphy
David Shore
Edited by Edward Salier
Distributed by American Cinema Releasing
Release dates
  • November 24, 1979
Running time
87 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Box office $7.9 million (rentals)[1]

Silent Scream is a 1980 American horror film directed by Denny Harris, and starring Rebecca Balding, Cameron Mitchell, Barbara Steele and Yvonne De Carlo.[2]

Plot

Four college students, unable to find on-campus housing, take up residence in Mrs Engels's (De Carlo) hilltop mansion, where she lives with her strange son, Mason (Reardon), and her daughter, Victoria (Steele), whom Mrs Engels secretly keeps hidden in the attic, a botched lobotomy having left her mute and homicidal. After one of the students is found dead, a police investigation is launched, which uncovers the history of the mansion and its owners, as the remaining students become endangered.[3]

Cast

Production

The film had a tumultuous post-production process where a large portion of the film was re-shot.[4]

Some exteriors of the film were shot at the Smith Estate in Highland Park, Los Angeles, CA.

The film marks scream queen Barbara Steele's only 1980s film appearance, and was among the early cycle of slasher films to appear after the genre was popularised by Halloween and Friday the 13th.[5]

Release

The film was released theatrically by American Cinema Releasing in late 1979, screening regionally throughout 1980.[6] It grossed an estimated $15,800,000 at the box office.[7]

The film was released on VHS by Media Home Entertainment and Video Treasures.[8]

The film was released as a special edition DVD by Scorpion Releasing Corporation.[9]

References

  1. Richard Nowell, Blood Money: A History of the First Teen Slasher Film Cycle Continuum, 2011 p 257
  2. Brantley, Ben. "Silent Scream (1980)". The New York Times: Movies. Retrieved 2008-01-03.
  3. New DVD Label Arrives with a Silent Scream
  4. "Silent Scream (1980)". dvddrive-in.com. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
  5. Scheib, Richard (1998). "The Silent Scream (1980)". The Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Film Review. Archived from the original on 2007-10-20. Retrieved 2008-01-03.
  6. "Company Credits for The Silent Scream". imdb.com. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
  7. "Silent Scream (1980)". allmovie.com. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
  8. "Silent Scream (1980)". Variety. Retrieved 2008-01-03.
  9. "Silent Scream (DVD)". scorpionreleasing.com. Retrieved 2011-04-13.

External links

Silent Scream at the Internet Movie Database