Silent Scream (1980 film)
Encyclopedia
Silent Scream is a 1980
horror film
written by Jim and Ken Wheat
, and Wallace E. Bennett, directed by Denny Harris and starring Rebecca Balding, Cameron Mitchell, Barbara Steele and Yvonne De Carlo. The film's tagline is "Terror so sudden there is no time to scream".
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 film
s to appear after the genre was popularised by Halloween
and Friday the 13th
.
in 1980. It grossed an estimated $15,800,000 at the box office.
The film was released on VHS
by Media Home Entertainment
and Video Treasures.
The film was released as a special edition
DVD
by Scorpion Releasing Corporation.
1980 in film
- Events :* May 21 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is released and is the biggest grosser of the year ....
horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
written by Jim and Ken Wheat
Ken Wheat
Ken Wheat is an American screenwriter, producer and director. He is the writer of Pitch Black and the brother of screenwriter Jim Wheat, with whom he has collaborated on a number of projects.- Filmography :...
, and Wallace E. Bennett, directed by Denny Harris and starring Rebecca Balding, Cameron Mitchell, Barbara Steele and Yvonne De Carlo. The film's tagline is "Terror so sudden there is no time to scream".
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.Cast
- Rebecca BaldingRebecca BaldingRebecca Balding is an American actress who was born in Little Rock, Arkansas.- Life and career :Balding may be best known for her 23 appearances, from 2002 through 2006, in the television series Charmed as Elise Rothman, newspaper editor-in-chief and Phoebe's boss Rebecca Balding (born on...
– Scotty Parker - Cameron MitchellCameron Mitchell (actor)Cameron Mitchell was an American film, television and Broadway actor with close ties to one of Canada's most successful families, and considered, by Lee Strasberg, to be one of the founding members of The Actor's Studio in New York City.-Early life and career:Born Cameron MacDowell Mitzel in...
– Lt. Sandy McGiver - Avery SchreiberAvery SchreiberAvery Lawrence Schreiber was an American comedian and actor. He was a veteran of stage, TV, and film.-Biography:...
– Sgt. Manny Ruggin - Barbara SteeleBarbara SteeleBarbara Steele is an English film actress. She is best known for starring in Italian gothic horror films of the 1960s. Her breakthrough role came in Italian director Mario Bava's Black Sunday , now hailed as a classic.Steele starred in a string of horror films, including The Horrible Dr...
– Victoria Engels - Steve Doubet – Jack Towne
- Brad Rearden – Mason Engels
- John Widelock – Peter Ransom
- Juli Andelman – Doris Prichart
- Yvonne De CarloYvonne De CarloYvonne De Carlo was a Canadian-born American actress of film and television. During her six-decade career, her most frequent appearances in film came in the 1940s and 1950s and included her best-known film roles, such as of Anna Marie in Salome Where She Danced ; Anna in Criss Cross ; Sephora the...
– Mrs. Engels - Jack Stryker – Police ChiefChief of policeA Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable...
- Thelma Pelish – Housing Lady
- Tina Tyler – Victoria at 16
- Jason Zahler – Mason at 3
- Annabella Price – TV Rape Victim
- Joe Pronto – TV Rapist
- Joan Lemmo – Rooming HouseBoarding houseA boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
Lady - Ernie Potvin – Boarding House Husband
- Virginia Rose – Boarding House Wife
- Ina Gould – Landlady
- Rachel Bard – Nurse in Psycho Ward
Production
The film had a tumultuous post-production process where a large portion of the film was re-shot.Some exteriors of the film were shot at the Smith Estate in Highland Park
Highland Park, Los Angeles, California
Highland Park is a neighborhood in Northeast Los Angeles.-Geography:Highland Park is located along the Arroyo Seco. It is situated within what was once Rancho San Rafael of the Spanish / Mexican era...
, Los Angeles, CA.
The film marks scream queen
Scream queen
A scream queen is an actress who has become associated with horror films, either through an appearance in a notable entry in the genre as a frequent victim or through constant appearances as the female protagonist...
Barbara Steele
Barbara Steele
Barbara Steele is an English film actress. She is best known for starring in Italian gothic horror films of the 1960s. Her breakthrough role came in Italian director Mario Bava's Black Sunday , now hailed as a classic.Steele starred in a string of horror films, including The Horrible Dr...
's only 1980s film appearance, and was among the early cycle of slasher film
Slasher film
A slasher film is a type of horror film typically involving a psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner, often with a cutting tool such as a knife or axe...
s to appear after the genre was popularised by Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
and Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th occurs when the thirteenth day of a month falls on a Friday, which superstition holds to be a day of bad luck. In the Gregorian calendar, this day occurs at least once, but at most three times a year...
.
Release
The film was released theatrically by American Cinema ReleasingAmerican Cinema Releasing
American Cinema Releasing is independent studio and distributor responsible for such films as The Great Smokey Roadblock, Good Guys Wear Black, A Force of One....
in 1980. It grossed an estimated $15,800,000 at the box office.
The film was released on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
by Media Home Entertainment
Media Home Entertainment
Media Home Entertainment Inc. was a home video company headquartered in Culver City, California, originally established in 1978 by filmmaker Charles Band....
and Video Treasures.
The film was released as a special edition
Special edition
The terms special edition, limited edition and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition and others, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints or recorded music and films, but now including...
DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
by Scorpion Releasing Corporation.