SILENT SCREAM (1980) Directed by Denny Harris
Media Home Entertainment VHS
THE FILM
Silent Scream kicks off by revealing its climax in extended slow motion. Yes, slow motion.
How prophetic.
What's wrong with Cameron Mitchell? In Silent Scream, he looks like hell (Terror On Tape), yet doesn't act like it (The Demon). And how about Barbara Steele (The Ghost)? Her voice is missing here, but her frequent hairstyle transitions are not. Furthermore, that string section was great in Psycho, but it somehow loses lustre in the face of a dangling boom mic. I'm silent. There will be no screaming tonight.
Silent Scream has big, luscious plans. Classy locations. Abrupt scares. Perplexity. However, no amount of strategy can break the bonds of ironclad mediocrity. An unkempt mystery-slasher from one-time director Denny Harris, Scream globs together pieces of Crazed (the ominous boarding house), Bad Ronald (the walls within that house), Tourist Trap (the parodic music), and Funeral Home (Zzzz), for 87 minutes of coulda-been, shoulda-been meandering. The plot centers around a couple of beachfront boarding house killings, four college students rooming there, a sinister family who runs the place (including Yvonne DeCarlo aka Lily Munster and Ms. Steele), and a couple of investigative cops (Cam Mitchell and a fat guy with a great mustache). There's also a striking bowl haircut and a "twist" that's as critical to the storyline as your next pair of shoes. Still silent.
Style, edits, and saxophones. Silent Scream needs a little more of the first two and a lot less of the third one. You can see right through it. The film's nature obviously reaches for something more than scenes of people walking around, cops talking, and the expected violence and sex. Occasionally, it succeeds. But more often than not, technical pitfalls, uninteresting characters, and a blah script place the whole thing at a perpetual crawl. Misguided, but able. Blame it on the saxes.
Contrary to popular belief, starting at the beginning (or the beginning of the end) isn't always the best policy. Silent Scream doesn't understand. That's life in the slow motion lane.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
About as good as an old ex-rental tape can get. Aside from the general darkness of the print, Silent Scream looks and sounds terrific. There's very little damage, full stereo sound, and a surprising crispness to the picture. VHS: The little format that could.
EXTRAS
I never grow tired of the Media logo montage. Superman: The Movie was so cool.
FINAL THOUGHTS
One fulfilled prophesy -- comin' right up. Spending a night with the slowburning Silent Scream won't hurt you, but the film is far from crucial. In addition, Cameron Mitchell does not stare directly into the camera. Not once. The choice is yours.
— Joseph A. Ziemba, 04.26.07 | 
Bowled but good
Fuzz & Co.
Buzzed
Shoulda chosen the pink
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