The House That Screamed

Horror film set at an all girl's school has such long English dialog devoid of slang that it could have been in the PBS Anne of Green Gables novel for TV on the other channel. The girls shower with cover shirts on and one seduction scene with a janitor on a haystack is replaced with closeups in a sewing class while the noises are heard off camera. This version might be for clipped for TV but I doubt it. We're given clues all along that the sweetest looking character is the real murderer so not much of a surprise is at the end.

I got this film in a collection of horror movies...this one is the first I viewed because the booklet which came with the collection stated this film had satanic stuff in it and lots of sleazy stuff at an all girls school...I mean, just try to stop me from watching this one. However, the film I watched was rather tame, it also appeared to be missing huge tracks of time as at one point a boy is trapped in the walls of a boiler room asking for help, the next minute the girl who I never see help him has been hanging out with the boy for apparently a good portion of time. Turns out I may have watched a heavily edited version. Not sure if there was more sleaze in the uncut version, but I am sure it would have made more sense as things seemed to jump forward all to often. The story has an all girl school run by a woman who is strict. A new girl comes to join this school, which is apparently for wayward girls. We watch as all the normal functions occur, and we also see that the girls like to have a bit of fun. Though they never really showed much in the version I watched. I just had to guess at some of it. Well, some of the girls are being killed, though we only see two killings, there may have been more in the uncut version. Is it the head mistress? Is it the creepy caretaker? Or perhaps, one of the girls? The story has a couple of surprises as I was certainly shocked at what happened to one of the girls. The ending I guessed just before it was revealed. So the story had its moments and the girls were all cute, but I was expecting more nudity and death. Of course, once the film started, I kind of figured it was not going to be as naughty as I was hoping because the film was set likely in the early 1900's or so rather than a more current time. Still, the movie had a shower scene where all the girls remained clothed...really? Did they actually do that? Had potential and the plot sans the murders would have made an excellent adult film, but what we do get is a rather tepid horror film that really did not show much. Then again, the version I watched was 91 minutes and IMDb lists the runtime at 99 minutes and a VHS version at 105 so I may have just got a super cut edition.

source: The House That Screamed

I saw this film in the seventies on TV, so I, too probably saw the chopped version. I was so impressed by this film, that I've never forgotten it...at least, not the contents. I couldn't remember the title at all, and have spent years trying to find that out. Thanks to IMDb and the message boards, I have at last found the title! Yay! Thank you, thank you, thank you! One of the things that most impressed me was its visual moodiness. Even the relatively bright sewing room was oppressive—the light cold, and the room cramped. The various hallway scenes made me jumpy—I expected the killer to leap out of the shadows with every advancing step a character would take. There are incidents of false expectation, a characteristic that any good suspense film should have. One respondant noted how the film was not gory, how the murder action was low key and much off-camera. This film didn't need graphic displays of violence and gore, and I think it's far more effective for having avoided those too-often-used shock stimulants. Much is left to the imagination, and the hidden threat is, to me, much more frightening than those seen in broad daylight. Lilli Palmer's performance made quite an impression on me. Her large deep-set eyes gave her a penetrating gaze that seemed to cut like a knife, and yet, at the same time they seemed filled with regret, as if she was sorry for the way had to treat the girls. I actually got the impression that, despite her cold disciplinarian-ism and disdain for these girls, some part of her cared for them. This film may not be to everyone's taste, but I think it's the one of the best of its type. I have always thought that Europeans had a flair for the horror and suspense thriller genres. Sadly, it seems that their touch is not much appreciated in the US. Perhaps this is because, as a relatively secure and comfortable culture with a brief history, we have not suffered the strife and horror which the Europeans have had to endure at their doorstep for centuries. Perhaps if we had 2000 years of war, plague, starvation and oppression, we'd could, as culture, better appreciate the darkness and heaviness of Euro-horror. I don't know if the version I saw in the 70s was chopped up or not. I would like to see the full original release, so I certainly look forward to the day when a good DVD becomes available here in the US.

Director Narciso Ibáñez Serrador is most famous for his under-seen cult gem, 'Who Can Kill a Child?', but this Gothic horror treat is definitely well worth tracking down! Perhaps not as original or thought provoking as Serrador's later film, The House That Screamed presents it's situation and characters well, and the atmosphere that the director bathes every scene in is a major highlight. The film works like a cross between a film about imprisoned women (along the same lines as Pete Walker's masterpiece 'House of Whipcord') and an Italian Giallo; although it's clear that Serrador wanted to keep the focus on the girls' and their plight, as the murder theme exists almost like an afterthought. The film focuses on a French boarding school for wayward girls. The owner and mistress of this establishment is the unforgiving Mme Fourneau, who sees fit to enforce a strict discipline upon her pupils, which has lead to widespread deviance among the girls. The mistress is never more strict with anyone than her own son, however, who has fallen in love with one of the girls, leading his mother to tell him that he should find a girl "just like her"... It's amazing that this film was made in 1969, as the production values are amazing owing to the director's care and attention to detail, and it's also clear that this film was a major inspiration for a barrage of later Gothic horror films, including Dario Argento's most famous film 'Suspiria'. Its own influence comes from Gothic horror the likes of which the great Mario Bava is famous for producing, and the dark and gloomy look of the school bodes excellently with the themes of the plot. Lilli Palmer is the pick of the cast, and delivers an excellent strong lead performance in the lead role. She receives decent feedback from the likes of Cristina Galbó and John Moulder-Brown who, along with the rest of the support players, help to ensure that this is above a lot of Euro-sleaze being released around the same time. The murders aren't the main point of the film, and while they're not overly gory or brutal; they work well in the context of the movie, and succeed in being extremely stylish. The film ends on a definite high, as although the identity of the murderer isn't a shock; the reason for the killings completely caught me out and the dark and shocking finale is a treat. Overall, this masterpiece comes HIGHLY recommended to fans of cult horror!

Generally speaking, the reviews on this film are in it's favor. After watching the movie I have to agree that this is a worthwhile older horror-thriller - it's good. It's fairly easy to know whodunit and why but it's still interesting to watch how the film plays out. Knowing whodunit and why does not spoil the film. Sexual repression, incest, murder, a sadistic boarding school owner/teacher, lesbianism, torture and mystery - this movie has all of that. It is reminiscent of the 60s/70s Hammer Horror films. If you like all that then you might enjoy this film. It's sorta a hidden gem. 8/10

I saw this on a double-bill with Murders in the Rue Morgue back in the early 70s. According to IMDb, it was released in America in 1971, but I think I saw it later. Anyway, that year saw the release (in the US, at any rate) of two of the absolutely BEST horror movies of the decade: Daughters of Darkness and The House That Screamed. The comments are right about House being about sexual repression: whew! If you've only seen this on TV, YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT!!!! Not that there's anything especially graphic in the film, but you just won't be able to "get" it. I keep hoping it'll come out on DVD: it is, in Spain, but I don't understand Spanish, and it doesn't have subtitles! VSOM sells it on tape, but it's p&s and just too dark. Why don't we start a write-in campaign to Blue Underground??? I just wanted to add my two cents: RUNDBAUCHDODO's comments are right-on. I will say this about the greenhouse murder: it's pretty creepy when the girl enters, but it's a real shocker when the murderer STANDS UP RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA!!!! Maybe it was done before, and it's probably been done since, but it's the first time I saw it and I've never forgotten it. In fact, it surprises me how much of this whole movie I remember -- and remember correctly!

I first saw this film many years ago on late night. So it was the chopped up cut version. However, even back then it left an impression on me. I remember that the mystery of who the killer was, was so good, that I didn't even know until close to the end of the film. The movie has alot of adult themes and was so ahead of its time, it's amazing. The basic plot is that the school is really a sort of reform school set in the late 19th century. So the girls of that time are considered bad girls. The heroine ends up there, I believe, for running away from home. Soon after she arrives, girls start to disappear and she finds a certain amount of lesbianism going on at the school, too. And she meets the son of the headmistress. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but this movie is really a must see for Argento fans. Try for the uncut version. You'll remember this movie for a long time to come.

Reading my review of THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED, many may assume that I'm some 14 year old who thinks SCREAM is considered "classic" horror. This is not the case, as I'm 30 years old and have been watching horror films for most of my life. But admittedly, I'm a child of the 80's that grew up on slasher/zombie/ghost/cannibal, etc...types of horror films - so I do typically prefer horror films that are more graphic and faster-paced. Just like someone who can appreciate different music, painting, or in this case, film - but not necessarily like them - I can appreciate why some people may enjoy this sort of film...I just don't... THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED is an exceedingly dull and tedious film about a school for wayward girls. The heavy-handed mistress of the school rules with an iron hand (or whip in some cases...) to keep the girls in line. She has a young son who creeps around and peeps on the girls while they shower (in their nightgowns no less (?!?)...), and meanwhile, girls are disappearing from the school as they are the victim of a murderer who's lurking about the campus... I can see why THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED is often compared to SUSPIRIA (which is a masterpiece of a film in my opinion...), in terms of the atmosphere of the school itself and the interaction between the girls and their guardians - but this film is so dull and uneventful that I could barely stay awake. I'm all for "tension" and "suspense" in horror films - but this film held neither for me. Luckily, I wasn't expecting a whole lot going into this one, so I can't say I was really disappointed - THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED just reinforced the fact that I personally don't typically enjoy most horror films much older than from the 70's. This isn't a hard and fast rule, but those that I HAVE enjoyed definitely seem to be more of the exception. Probably a "must-see" for horror fans who enjoy more understated and suggestive horror films - but as I don't really know too many fans of that sort of material, I can't really recommend this one...4/10

If this could be rated a 0, it would be. From the atrocious wooden acting to the dull, plodding pace, the puerile exploitation angle and the sophomoric pseudolesbian titillation added purely for the sake of the sad viewers, this is a disaster of a film. The plot is predictable, as from the beginning one is absolutely certain of what will happen to all of the characters and how the plot will commence. From a boring, unexceptional beginning to a pathetic and bleak ending, every single presence in this film is wasted, and every meagre scrap of talent dug up for this turkey is squandered. If you want to watch something as relentlessly bleak with plenty of the same childish titillation, watch one of the Ilsa films. At least they're unapologetic and up-front about what they're trying to do. How something this horrendously bad ever managed to be rated above a 5 is a miracle of how people with no taste or discerning standards can sometimes come together for the most dubious of purposes. It's not scary, it's not interesting, and above all it's not arousing in any sense of the word. It is, in my opinion, a crime; it is a crime that such a horribly offensive and incompetent piece of trash was ever conceived of and given the resources to come into existence, and even more a tragedy that it is still defended by some woefully misguided viewers. Not even Elvira's cheerful personality and joking ways could soften the blow that this horrifying travesty of film is. Avoid it at all costs.