How sad is this?

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Pete Walker was one of the most interesting British horror directors of the 1970's, with impressive efforts like The Flesh and Blood Show (1972), House of Whipcord (1974) and Frightmare (1974) to his name. This earlier film is sometimes described as his first foray into horror but really it is nothing of the sort. Despite a title that suggests that it could be, this one turns out to be a psychological thriller with really no horror aspects at all. A young woman's life is threatened when her crooked father tries to prevent her reaching her 21st birthday and in doing so inherit a fortune plus some documents which will incriminate him.Aside from being an early example of a Walker film, this one is notable for featuring Susan George in a starring role a year before she appeared in Sam Peckinpah's controversial Straw Dogs (1971). In truth, the opening credit sequence which has her gyrating in a bikini in front of a deep red background is very striking indeed, although it is probably in fairness the best bit in the entire film. The main issue with this one is its pretty poor script which meanders about somewhat with a definite lack of focus. The first half of the film which is set in England is the better part with some intrigue and character set-ups but once the action relocates to Portugal things grind to a bit of a halt and it does get a bit boring. It's kind of unfortunate, as the bare bones of the story has got at least some potential but there is something very half-hearted in how things are ultimately played out. Seemingly Walker had some issues with the young cast members during the Portuguese section and this may account for the results on screen being less than impressive. Whatever the case, this is still worth seeing if you have an interest in Walker's movies as it does at least showcase some of his recurring themes such as elderly villains interfering with the lives of the younger generation. But, despite its director and cute leading lady, it has to be admitted that this is not essential stuff by any means. With its cool title and nice cover art it will look good in your film library though and that's not such a terrible thing I guess.

Strange behavior is on the menu for this frustratingly slow-moving "thriller" about a Swiss bank account everyone needs the numbers to so that what's inside can be retrieved. Marianne(Susan George, dressed evocatively in skimpy outfits the entire film)is only one of two people who know it..the other, her mother, is dead. Marianne's father, The Judge(Leo Genn)needs notes that are scathing enough to possibly send him to jail. The film offers a distinct possibility of The Judge being the very one who murdered Marianne's mother. Hildegarde(Judy Huxtable)is slowly going mad and wants the cash within that bank account. It's her inner hatred for Marianne(she's papa's little girl)that drives her to find some way of getting those numbers to open it. Sebastian(Christopher Sandford)gets in the mix as he started a relationship(that didn't last because he bored Marianne)with Marianne..but we come to find out he had already been involved with Hildegarde once before. He will make a deal with the devil, Hildegarde, to bring Marianne, who had ran away from home out of fear for her life, back to The Judge so that brute force might extract those numbers from her mouth. The unfortunate victim in all this isn't Marianne as much as her lover, Eli(Barry Evans)who comes with her only to face possible danger not just from Hildegarde, but even from his own friend Sebastian. The obsession for the money is at the heart of the film which takes way too long to get going. What made me restless was the way the characters just didn't get on with it. We spend so much time watching them skirting the issue of THE important confrontation to get those numbers from Marianne's brain. I think Pete Walker wants to try and evade as much suspense as possible which hurts this film because I, for one, just didn't care for any of them enough. I think it comes down to George in the lead. She spends most of this film simply blank without a hint of expression. I wanted to beat out her thoughts into words myself so she can just say what she damn well feels. Hildegarde wants the money so bad enough it takes her damn well a long time to do anything. She tries manipulation using Sebastian as a means to snuff out the numbers, but shouldn't she know after such a length of Marianne's absence that wouldn't work? The film limply moves along at a turtle's pace and by the time any real action occurs I was so uninvolved to care.

If there was ever a genre of horror dedicated to inflicting obscene and brutal quantities of boredom onto the audience, then Die Screaming, Marianne would be its keynote work. I heard so much about how brutal Pete Walker movies were and everyone was right. This movie is brutal. I didn't even realize Susan George was the lead until other posts pointed it out in this forum. Basically if you like watching Susan driving around, walking around, renting a house, driving around some more, talking aimlessly, then driving around, and then... Well you get the picture. A completely boring and flat film. It should have been called Die SLEEPING Marianne! It makes Andy Warhol's Eat feel like a cross between Fukasawa's Battle Royal and De Bont's Speed. Unbelievably dull.

Pic is routine in all respects and a real timewaster! Marketed as a horror film, it's nothing more than a boring tale of a dysfunctional family trying to lay their mitts on a numbered Swiss Bank account containing incriminating documents, along with a sizeable amount of cash. Poor Marianne is about to inherit this stash on her 21st birthday, but her father and sister want to grab it from her. Nothing horrific (nor even interesting) here.The cast is decidedly drab and unattractive (even toplined Susan George is unflatteringly photographed)and performances are strictly of the stock variety. Potentially interesting Portuguese scenery is also wasted by the pedestrian set-ups employed by helmer Pete Walker.Director Walker made a few mildly interesting films ("House of Whipcord", "Frightmare") along with a goodly amount of dreck. Thankfully he retired in '82, saving viewers from further boredom.