And Now the Screaming Starts

Release Year : 1973

AKA : Bride of Fengriffen

Directed By : Roy Ward Baker

Written By : Roger Marshall, David Case

Starring : Patrick Magee, Peter Cushing, Herbert Lom, Stephanie Beacham

Related Links : IMDB, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

 

Not being the largest fan of Amicus Studios productions, I may not necessarily be the most well-versed when it comes time for reviewing their films but with that said I recently had the pleasure of sitting down to watch And Now The Screaming Starts so here’s brief synopsis of the plot and what I thought of the film itself.

When a film that boasts a tagline “The dead hand that crawls KILLS and LIVES!!!” it pretty obvious that the content is not to be taken too terribly seriously and if you can adopt that mindset while viewing the film there’s a good chance you’ll walk away from it with some sense of enjoyment. On the other hand, if you’re goal is to watch a seriously sinister and macabre cinematic equivalent to War and Peace or Casablanca then it’s best you pass on this film.

From the outset we’re presented with a fairly hokey setup whereby a young “virgin bride” (played by Stephanie Beacham) is whisked off by her new husband, Lord Charles Fengriffen, to their massive country estate to begin their life together as man and wife (or perhaps more appropriately, Lord and Lady). Also occupying the grounds of the Fengriffen family manor are a host of hired help who are for the most part fairly mundane and unremarkable characters save for the fact that they all seem to be privy to a well-guarded secret surrounding this aristocratic but ultimately mysterious family which it appears endeavors at all costs to prevent the shrouded information from leaking and perhaps being discovered by the wrong individual. Whatever it is that’s being covered up and hidden from the new Fengriffen bride must be both fairly significant and shocking as it’s apparent that all who are aware of the problem are genuinely afraid to open their mouths and breathe a word about it.

Shortly after arriving at the estate and getting acquainted, a series of strange events occur which put the fear of God into our hapless virgin bride and make her question just exactly what the hell it is that she just got herself into by marrying into the Fengriffen clan – wall paintings and chandeliers moving on their own, apparitions of an eyeless corpse (with bloodied hollow eye sockets – nice touch for horror fans) with a severed hand (bloodied wrist stump and all!) making random haunting but inexplicable appearances, and the disembodied hand itself showing up from time to time to either eavesdrop and listen in on conversations(!) or to choke the life out of any hapless sod careless enough to disclose even so much as a word surrounding the taboo mystery of the Fengriffen family. Odd occurrences and lame supporting cast aside, it’s not long before we’re introduced to one other character that also lives on the family estate, a woodsman by the name of Silas. Without revealing too much, Silas comes to play a prominent role in the film as the yarn that comprises the mystery of the Fengriffen’s slowly begins to unravel.

When all is said and done, And Now The Screaming Starts is a film that doesn’t appear to take itself too seriously at times and because of this it’s possible to just sit back and enjoy the sometimes-ludicrous events unfolding onscreen without taking an overly critical approach. At its roots then it’s little more than a tale of haunting which can be traced back through generations in the Fengriffen bloodline to a brutal rape and the unforgiving revenge, which accompanied that atrocity of the past.

Surprisingly there’s just enough happening at all times in the film to keep the pace moving along and viewers interested (hopefully). Furthermore the well-guarded Fengriffen family secret is revealed in just the right quantities throughout the film to keep viewers guessing as to how things will eventually pan out.

And Now The Screaming Starts is an acceptable Gothic horror that has just enough going for it to recommend to genre fans that can appreciate a well-woven tale of terror and treachery. Fine performances by Peter Cushing and Herbert Lom in key supporting roles works in the film’s favor as well.