Silent Scream (1980)

Director: Denny Harris


A theme that I have covered in previous reviews is the glut of horror movies finally coming to DVD in 2009. This theme continues with 1980's Silent Scream, which was released on DVD for the first time in November of this year. Much like the other movies, you have to ask yourself "why has it taken so long?" Silent Scream is low on the body count and gore, but more than makes up for that with its atmosphere. This film has some of the same feel as 1974's Black Christmas, the genre staple Psycho, and a little hint of Dario Argento.



Silent Scream revolves around a group of four young college students who move into a boarding house right along the beach. The house is beautiful and the price is right, but there is still something off about the owners of the house. The head of the household is an elderly woman who is often neither seen nor heard and her teenage son who himself is quite odd and socially maladjusted. There is an eerie presence in the house and makes the viewer wonder if there are actually more people in the house than the owners initially let on. Once the first body turns up, the police get involved and attempt to solve the case by looking into the past of the family who owns the house.

Silent Scream is hardly one of the bloodiest entries in the slasher genre, especially during the first wave. This is perhaps why it has become so forgotten. However, it is so effectively shot and creates such an eerie and tense atmosphere, that gore and a high body count is not needed. As per slasher rules, there is some Bautti Factor and an appearance by "That Guy" Cameron Mitchell who plays Lieutenant Sandy McGiver. Mitchell has been in quite a few horror movies such as Mario Bava's "Blood and Black Lace" and 1978's "The Toolbox Murders." Silent Scream is a unique entry into the slasher genre and with its amalgamation of influences and feel (Psycho, etc.) makes it a movie that has to be seen for fans of the slasher genre.

Body Count: 5

Rating: 4/5

Trailer:

Ghost Town (1988)

Director: Richard Governor

1988s Ghost Town is obscure in more ways than one. First and foremost, it is one of the few movies to mix the horror and western genres. Secondly, it is not available on DVD. If you want to see this one you have three options: spend way too much cash on a used VHS copy on eBay, buy a bootleg DVD, or try to find a torrent. It is a shame that this one is so forgotten, because it is a pretty interesting and solid entry into the realm of horror.

The plot is about what you would expect, a woman goes missing on a desert road and the local sheriff is in charge of finding her. What Sheriff Langley (Franc Luz) does not know however, is that a band of undead outlaws have taken her to a ghost town. Upon arriving in the ghost town, Sheriff Langley is approached by the corpse of the town's previous sheriff who tells him that he has chosen Langley to vanquish the evil outlaw Devlin (Jimmie F. Skaggs). Throughout his visit in the ghost town, Langley comes across the regulars of western cinema: a blacksmith, a card dealer, and an attractive bar maiden. Sheriff Langley eventually finds out that Devlin has in fact kidnapped the women he is looking for and he must defeat him, not only to save her, but to also allow the town to rest.



The story of Ghost Town is pretty much that of the standard western, with the twist being that all of the town's inhabitants are ghosts. Devlin is a slight exception to this rule. In addition to being a ghost, he is actually shown as a rotting corpse, almost as if he were a zombie, while the rest of the townspeople appear as normal humans. The first half of the film is more interesting as you follow Sheriff Langley through the ghost town. A lot of scenes are shot in slow motion and creates a sort of dreamlike quality. The second half plays out like one would expect with gun fights and a final showdown between the two main characters. The special effects are nothing to write home about and there is very little gore, but this aside the movie still works.

This one is pretty low-budget and features no recognizable faces, but in the end accomplishes what it set out to. It is not a classic, but certainly not the bottom of the barrel. Ghost Town is worth checking out if you can come across it easily, if not for anything other than its unique crossover plot.

Rating: 3/5

Trailer: