blanche-2 "Scream of Fear" from 1961 is a Hammer film, and quite well done, starring Susan Strasberg, Ann Todd, and Christopher Lee.Strasberg is Penny, a young woman who suffered an accident that left her in a wheelchair. She is returning to her father's home after ten years, during which she lived with her now-deceased mother. Her father has invited her to live there. When she gets there, she meets her stepmother (Ann Todd) and is told her father is away. If that's the case, why does she keep seeing visions of his dead body all around the estate? Gradually, she starts to believe that her father's friend, Dr. Gerard (Lee) and her stepmother, are trying to drive her crazy. she turns to the chauffeur (Ronald Lewis) for help, and together they try to figure out what is going on.Derivative but really good. Ann Todd, except for the short hair, looks like she did in the '40s. Strasberg does an effective job, and Lee has the dignified doctor is excellent. A good "chiller."

gizmomogwai Anyone who loves Hitchcock and is looking for another good story should check out Taste of Fear, a Hammer production released in 1961 about a girl in a wheelchair who keeps seeing the body of her missing father around his house. People, including a doctor played by Christopher Lee, suggest the girl is losing her mind, but the girl and a friend soon become convinced the father was killed and the girl is being deceived so her stepmother inherits everything.With its murder plot mystery, pushing victims to madness and especially the disappearance and reappearance of dead bodies, the film Taste of Fear most closely resembles is Diabolique (1955) and there is some similarity as well to Vertigo (1958). Even if Taste of Fear isn't totally original, it is nevertheless a worthy effort with solid production values and enough differences to be worthwhile. The acting, writing and direction are smooth and the story resolution is satisfying, although there are still questions. The twists may be unlikely, but the quality of the film makes them easier to swallow.

BA_Harrison Having firmly made their mark with their lavish Gothic productions, Hammer studios ventured into slightly different territory with Taste of Fear, a black and white psychological horror, written by Jimmy Sangster (Dracula '58), directed by Seth Holt (The Nanny), and starring the lovely Susan Strasberg and creepy Christopher Lee.Given the wealth of talent involved, it doesn't come as a surprise to find that, despite an extremely convoluted script full of improbable twists and turns, Taste of Fear is a highly accomplished effort; tautly constructed, directed with style, and boasting superb performances, it achieves a genuinely eerie atmosphere and delivers several macabre moments that, even today, have the power to send chills up the spine.However, what does come as a bit of a surprise—and a disappointment, if truth be told—is just how derivative the film is of Henri-Georges Clouzot's Les Diaboliques: from the lovers' plot to drive someone insane, to its physically and mentally fragile heroine, to the hiding of a corpse in a murky swimming pool, the similarities are impossible to ignore (Hell, Taste of Fear even takes place in France!), and as a result, the film fails to qualify as a bona fide Hammer classic.

Spikeopath God bless the internet and god bless DVD. The reason I say that is because once hidden gems like this film are now being discovered by a bigger audience. Taste Of Fear (AKA:Scream Of Fear) is produced out of that bastion of British horror, Hammer Films, it's directed by Seth Holt (The Nanny), written by Jimmy Sangster (X:The Unknown/The Curse Of Frankenstein) and stars Susan Strasberg, Ronald Lewis, Ann Todd & that cornerstone of Hammer Horror, Christopher Lee.Shot in moody black & white by Holt and cinematographer Douglas Slocombe, and eerily scored by Clifton Parker, the story sees a young paralysed woman return to her family home in France to visit her father who she hasn't seen for years; and to finally meet her new step-mother. Upon arrival she is informed that her father has had to go away on business, which becomes a problem as she starts to see his dead body, first in the summer house, then in the lounge! The mind can play tricks, especially to the traumatised, but she's convinced that what she is seeing is real. Even the family doctor (Lee in a suitably suspicious role) thinks there are mental issues here. Undaunted she enlists the help of friendly chauffeur Bob and sets about unravelling either her mind, or the mystery that lurks at the Appleby home.The film opens with an attention grabbing sequence as police drag a lake for a body, from there on the film becomes essentially a four character piece. Now it's been said in some quarters that this structure telegraphs where the film is going to end up. There's a tiny bit of truth in that but there are at least three twisty kickers here to steer this far away from charges of predictability. In fact the finale has a double whammy that is most rewarding. The whole film pulses with atmosphere and is cloaked in shadows and low tone conversations. The sound work here is also top quality, the constant jabber of the crickets gnaw away at the ears, while the swish of the nearby sea instills a calm that ultimately sets up a false sense of security. The acting is on the money too, be it Strasberg perfectly conveying a multitude of emotions from her wheelchair, or Todd doing a nice line in the "too good to be true?" wholesome step-mom routine. All parties ensure that the story is built up right and that the pay off provides maximum impact.Christopher Lee once said that this was one of the best Hammer Horror film's he was ever involved with, that's a fine selling point to be sure. A different kind of Hammer Horror, one that drips with dread and thrives on its mystery elements. Taste Of Fear is highly recommended to genre fans who prefer psychological chillers over blood letting and overkilled boo jump movies. 8/10