Scream Bloody Murder

There are a few different movies out there under the title “Scream Bloody Murder.” The one I'm talking about in this review was released in 1973 and is directed by Marc B. Ray. Not that you'll know either of them, but the stars are Fred Holbert as Matthew and Leigh Mitchell as Vera.

This is one of those movies that follows the insanity of the killer. In other words it's told from the villain's perspective rather than the victims'. Matthew starts his killing early in life murdering his father as a boy then his step-father as a teen. It seems he has a hang up about men touching his mother even when they are married to her. When he also accidentally kills his mother he begins hitchhiking across the country leaving bodies in his wake. He meets a prostitute, Vera, and she becomes his obsession. It becomes a struggle between his need to “protect” her through domination and her desire to be free of his insanity.

While it seems a little disjointed for a while this turns out to be a surprisingly interesting movie. The struggles between Matthew and Vera are good, and Matthew's psychosis is portrayed well enough. The biggest downside to the depictions of insanity is that they don't seem to have any root. A history of sexual abuse by Matthew's father might seem cliché to some, but would be more believable an explanation than some random fixation of his.

Tormenting the villain with images of his slain mother is another good element although it is tremendously hurt by poor sound design. The sound effects and reverb in the ghostly voices are not very good and can become quite annoying.

The acting is weak for the most part, but the two stars are just good enough to keep the movie from being a wash in that respect. The ending conflict is portrayed well enough which helps a good deal.

MORALITY:

The movie contains some bloody violence. Some of it is rather hard to believe such as a single cut on the hand completely incapacitating a man, but it's still bloody. There's also the consideration of one person tormenting and holding another person hostage.

There are allusions to sexuality such as getting across the villain's distaste of men touching the women he “cares about” as well as Vera's chosen profession of prostitution. There is no actual sex, though. We get close to seeing Vera naked but the more sensitive parts of her body remain out of view.

There is some strong language throughout as well.

SPIRITUALITY:

Mental illness certainly does not make a person evil any more than having the flu does. If Matthew had gotten help is it possible he might have had a different fate or was he destined to bring pain and terror no matter what his circumstances were? We don't get enough details about his condition to hazard a guess, but he certainly doesn't have a sense that what he is doing is wrong. This lack plays a large part in the evil he brings about.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

While not what I would call a “good” movie this one is watchable. It remains interesting for the most part and has some suspenseful moments.

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