AND NOW THE SCREAMING STARTS

THE DEAD HAND THAT CRAWLS, KILLS AND LIVES!!

CAST

Doctor Pope...........................................................................PETER CUSHING

Henry Fengriffen......................................................................HERBERT LOM

Doctor Whittle.........................................................................PATRICK MAGEE

Charles Fengriffen....................................................................IAN OGILVY

Catherine Fengriffen.................................................................STEPHANIE BEACHAM

Maitland..................................................................................GUY ROLFE

Silas........................................................................................GEOFFREY WHITEHEAD

Mrs. Luke...............................................................................ROSALIE CRUTCHLEY

Bridget....................................................................................JANET KEY

Aunt Edith...............................................................................GILLIAN LIND

Sarah......................................................................................SALLY HARRISON

Sir John Westcliffe...................................................................LLOYD LAMBLE

Constable................................................................................NORMAN MITCHELL

Servant...................................................................................FRANK FORSYTH

CREDITS

Producers..........................................................MILTON SUBOTSKY & MAX J. ROSENBERG

Screenplay.............................................................................ROGER MARSHALL

Director.................................................................................ROY WARD BAKER

STORY

Catherine (STEPHANIE BEACHAM) becomes the bride of Charles Fengriffen (IAN OGILVY). Taking up residence at the Fengriffen ancestral home she is confronted by a series of unaccountable happenings - which could be fantasies, but to Catherine are hauntingly real.

Most terrifying of all is the appearance of a Woodsman (GEOFFREY WHITEHEAD) whom she sometimes sees as normal, except for a large birthmark on his face, and sometimes with no eyes and an arm which ends in a stump tied with a bloodstained rag. But always he seems to be following her, watching and waiting.

Charles will not explain the significance of the Woodsman or provide an answer for any of the other strange and frightening occurrences at Fengriffen.

When Catherine tries to enlist the assistance of the housekeeper, Mrs. Luke (ROSALIE CRUTCHLEY), or the family doctor Dr. Whittle (PATRICK MAGEE), they are mysteriously murdered. Lawyer Maitland (GUY ROLFE) is killed on his way to Fenfriffen House on the night he has promised to help Catherine. Catherine's chaperone, Aunt Edith (GILLIAN LIND), meets a horrifying end when she attempts to take Catherine away from the evil house.

Catherine begins to doubt her own sanity. In desperation, Dr. Pope (PETER CUSHING), man of science and realist, is sent for. He discovers that some fifty years earlier, Henry Fengriffen (HERBERT LOM), Charles' grandfather ravaged the wife of Silas the Woodsman on her wedding night. When Silas tried to strike him, Henry chopped off Silas' hand. Silas had cursed Henry Fengriffen and his heirs: "The Evill you did this day will be avenged. The next virgin bride to come to Fengriffen will be violated. But then shall come the true vengeance on the House of Fengriffen. And death shall befall anyone who tries to prevent it".

Charles reveals that his father had married a widow and Catherine is therefore the first virgin bride to come to Fengriffen.

A son is born to Catherine and Charles. The maid, Bridget (JANET KEY), who is present when the baby is born, is shocked at the sight of the infant. When Charles sees it, he kills the Woodsman, shooting out his eyes, and wildly desecrates Henry Fengriffen's tomb. Catherine takes a first look at her child....and is driven out of her mind. In a final close-up, we learn why.

REVIEW

by Christopher Gullo

'And Now The Screaming Starts' is not one of my favorite Amicus films but it is definitely underrated. With its excellent production values and superb direction by Roy Ward Baker this film has the look of a Hammer film with a splash of Dark Shadows thrown in for good measure. The house itself has an eerie quality to it, with its large winding staircase and paintings adorning its walls.

The make up is pretty well done by Paul Rabiger. The dead woodsman who haunts Catherine is a creepy figure with his eyes and hand missing. Unfortunately the missing hand effect is not as convincing and the woodsman sometimes shows it for longer than necessary. The disembodied hand that also terrorizes Catherine, however, is an excellent prop which was used previously by Amicus in 'Dr. Terror's House of Horrors'. It that film, Christopher Lee is terrorized by the hand which had belonged to his rival Michael Gough in one of the segments. In 'And Now The Screaming Starts' the prop has graduated to a full film and is even featured in the poster artwork.

One of my regrets for this film was that Peter Cushing was not featured in more of the film. I could probably say this about most films that he appeared in but I am saying this here since the character of Dr. Pope in the book actually was also the narrator - therefore the entire story was told as a flashback through his eyes as his most unusual case. Peter's character in the film is calm, cool and collected - his added narration throughout the film would have been an added benefit to the film. I have a strong feeling that Amicus, always anxious to cut costs, reduced Peter's role so they could afford some of the other actors. The wig worn by Peter is very similar to the one he adorns in 'Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell' - I did not really care for this look and felt he would have looked better without it. It seems throughout his career Peter was often playing men with high intellects - scientists, doctors and professors. I think in this case life imitates art and that much of Cushing's intellect shows through in his roles.

Stephanie Beacham's role of Catherine reminded me of Veronica Carlson's character in 'Dracula Has Risen From The Grave'. Both seemed to exude innocence and for her performance, Beacham does elicit sympathy as she is drawn into the family curse. "I live in the horror that this....is the child of a ghost."

Other notable performances included Patrick Magee - an actor who I also feel was underrated, as Dr. Whittle, the family's physician. In this film his role does not stand out as much as in other films such as 'Tales From The Crypt' were he was excellent as a blind man. 

Herbert Lom stole every scene he was in for his ruthless and evil portrayal of Henry Fengriffen. He created a character which the viewer will instantly despise and can believe would cause a curse on the family name Fengriffen. Lom would of course gain fame for his role as the chief constable in the Pink Panther films but was also in a number of other horror films including one of my favorite Amicus films, 'Asylum'.

When watching this film do not forget to watch for the inevitable death of the Maitland character. Almost every film that Milton Subotsky worked on has a character Maitland who dies in some way. A perfect example is in 'The Skull' where the main character - Christopher Maitland (played by Cushing) meets a horrible end from the Marquis de Sade.

My only other regret about this film other than Peter Cushing's reduced role for his character was that this story was not made as a mini-series instead. I think the story would have fared much better in installments where the individual personalities of the characters could have been examined in detail and the action of the film could have provided for an old television serial feel. Instead, in the film the first half moves rather slowly and then picks up momentum in the second half. But overall the film is well made and its very capable stars carry the story to keep the viewer interested.

THE END