Excellent but underrated film

Don't listen to the negative reviews

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

There is really nothing wrong the atmosphere in this flick. It is really tense and the black-and-white cinematography really helps a lot. And even though it eventually leads to some surprises I thought it was rather strange the chauffeur wanting to help the wheel-bound chair girl. The body of the dead father disappearing so quickly as if it were a ghost while it clearly wasn't was really exaggerated. Also if the girl wasn't handicapped at all than the accident where the falls in the pool with wheelchair is rather dumb. I don't think if you are in such state of panic you are still going to use that wheelchair if you can walk anyway. And I pretty much was sure she wouldn't be dead when she fell from that cliff. The bad guys were not going to get away with that, my gut feeling was right. All in all an enjoyable experience with a clever story but not for a re-watch.

Coming to her father's home after an almost fatal accident, his wheel- chair bound daughter finds him away, but her most gracious step-mother present to welcome here. Obviously, something is amiss, and no sooner has she settled in then she begins to claim to see her father's supposed corpse all over the grounds of the estate. What seems to be a traditional "Get your hands on the inheritance" plot turns into something a lot more deadly, and there's a lot of fun along the way in what is a fun, if obvious thriller. You've seen this plot in films time and time again, from the original "The Cat and the Canary" onto today. Susan Strasberg gives a sincere performance as the endangered heroine. Ann Todd, as the step-mother of wheelchair bound Strasberg, is outstanding as her character is developed and the truth is revealed. A famous horror villain is nothing more than a red herring, given a dark presence to cast instant suspicion as the villain. There are some really creepy moments throughout this thriller, and the conclusion may have you shrieking in both shock and laughter. Columbia had some tiny gems in the horror genre in the 1950's and 60's, and this is one of the best.

Wheelchair-bound Penny Appleby (Susan Strasberg) returns home after being away for ten years. Upon arriving at her father's estate, she meets her stepmother (Ann Todd), who tells Penny that her father is away for a few days on a trip. Soon, Penny begins to see her father's dead body around the estate. But no one but her sees it. She gets help from the chauffeur (Ronald Lewis) and together they investigate and begin to suspect Penny's stepmother may have murdered her father and is now trying to drive Penny insane in order to claim the inheritance.Effective thriller from Hammer, with a great script by Jimmy Sangster and some solid direction from Seth Holt. I believe this film was Hammer's first (but not last) attempt to capitalize off of the post-Psycho trend of twisty mystery thrillers. It's stylishly done, with some genuinely eerie moments and nice twists.

Another movie completely unknown to me until discovering it on TCM. This is an early Hammer release, more a straight suspense tale than horror, a little reminiscent of Diabolique. The plotting is everything, so take care to avoid spoilers. Susan Strasberg plays a young woman in a wheelchair who returns to her family home after a ten year estrangement. Oddly, her father isn't there to greet her, only her seemingly friendly step-mother, and strange things begin happening straight away. Clearly something is askew, but having just arrived, whom can she trust to sort it out? Strasberg is very appealing as a vulnerable yet stubborn and headstrong girl in a strange environment. The movie clocks in at just over 80 minutes, yet also takes its time in establishing her situation and the handful of characters. This unhurried but efficient pacing is a major virtue. When the dramatic twists do arrive, they pull no punches. -Christopher Lee has a supporting role as a possibly dubious physician.-The original title, Taste of Fear, is a better fit (Scream of Fear sounds a bit silly, like calling a film Killed to Death). -The opening scene, a bleak discovery on a lake, is one of the most striking and lets you know you're in good hands. Recommended.