From a Whisper to a Scream (1987) User Reviews (64)

Four Morbid Tales, Presented by the Ultimate Master of the Macabre

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 7/10 · 13 April 2010]

The magnificent Vincent Price can be seen in several great Horror omnibuses from the 60s ("Tales of Terror", "Twice Told Tales"), and while the Horror-deity's screen-time is sadly limited in "The Offspring", this 80s feature is yet another highly recommendable omnibus starring Price. The popularity of Horror omnibuses/anthologies (more or less) began with the British 1945 classic "Dead of Night" and had its heyday in the 60s with films such as the aforementioned Vincent Price classics or the great Mario Bava's masterpiece "I Tre Volti Della Paura" ("Black Sabbath"/"The Three Faces of Fear", 1963, my choice for the greatest Horror omnibus out there), and 70s. The British Company Amicus even specialized in only doing Horror omnibuses, which resulted in such wonderful flicks as "The House That Dripped Blood" (1970) or "Torture Garden" (1967). A thing most of these anthologies have in common is that the separate tales they tell usually differ in quality, with one or two (depending on how many tales per film are told) usually standing out from the others. This cannot really be said about "From a Whisper to a Scream" as each of the tales is quite creepy and atmospheric and about equally memorable, and the question which is the best lies in the personal taste of the viewer.

The film, which is entirely set in the small town of Oldfield, Tennessee, starts with the execution of a female serial killer (cult siren Martine Beswick). When reporter Beth Chandler (Susan Tyrell), who witnessed the execution, pays a visit to the convict's sinister uncle Julian White (Vincent Price), he tells her that the town of Oldfield has always been evil, which he exemplifies by telling her four macabre stories.

All four stories are macabre, morbid and delightfully creepy. The first one (starring Clu Gulager) is a weird, quite explicit and very creepy tale deals with delicate psycho-sexual topics. The second chapter, a haunting tale about a lowlife crook who stumbles upon the secret of eternal life, is more elaborate and maybe even creepier than the first one. The third tale is about a traveling circus and voodoo, and as everyone who knows anything about Horror knows, circus folks are amongst the creepiest creatures one will ever stumble upon. Rosalind Cash is fantastic as a diabolical voodoo witch. Another creepiest species present in Horror cinema have always been... creepy children, and the fourth and final tale is another proof that kids can be more terrifying than anything. Set in the final days of the Civil War, the fourth story tells the tale of a bunch of brutal and ruthless soldiers, who happen to find an equal in a town full of orphans....

My main complaint about "From a Whisper to a Scream" is the fact that icon Vincent Price, who happens to be my favorite actor of all time, has too little screen-time. He merely serves as a narrator and sadly doesn't appear in any of the stories. Otherwise, the film actually surpassed my expectations. While it isn't the best Horror anthology ever made, the tension and creepiness doesn't stop and each tale macabre and highly entertaining. The film is gory, and its sense of humor is very morbid. Apart from Price, notable cast members include former Bond-girl, cave-babe and 'Sister Hyde' Martine Beswick, as well as Lawrence Tierney.

This was only the second film by director Jeff Burr ("Texas Chainsaw Massacre III"), and for that one must say he did an amazing job. "The Offspring" is a surprisingly good and highly entertaining 80s Horror omnibus, the only disappointment being that Vincent Price has too little screen time. Highly recommended.

Omnibus film with four creepy and scary tales presented by the great Vincent Price

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 29 November 2020]

Horror movie set in a small Tennesse town calle Oldfield dealing with four stories of past evils and the teller Vincent Price reveals his hometown can force folks to murder. Welcome to Oldfield, Tennesse, population : deadly!. Stop in for a night of pure terror!

An antology movie in Hammer, Amicus and Tigon style that during the 60s and 70s made a lot of these horrifying kinds of stories . This morbid film with strong yunk factor is formed by four creepy tales with acceptable cast, such as Susan Tyrell, Martine Beswick, Clu Gulager, Rosalind Cash, Terry Kiser, Angelo Rossito, Rosalind Cash, Lawrence Tierney, Cameron Mitchell, among others . And Vincent Price is pretty well, as always. Vincent Price gives a nice but short acting in his usual style, he's considered to be one of the best horror myths including classic terror films as The Fly, The Tingler, Tales of terror, Pit and the pendulum, The Haunted Palace, The Raven, The masque of the Red Death, The tomb of Ligeia, Witchfinder General, The abominable Dr Phibes, Theatre of Blood, Madhouse, The Monster Club, among others . However isn't the usual Price material due to contain cannibalism, dismemberment, excessive gore, and necrophilia. The first tale concerns an elderly man : Clu Gulager falls for a job colleague, but the romance ends in killing, necrophilia and a terrifying revenge. The second one concerns an injured debtor : Terry Kiser mercilessly chased by creditors, on the run he meets a hermit : Harry Caesar who heals him, however Kiser attempts to steal him the secret of eternal life, then a grisly vengeance takes place. The third chapter dealing with a circus attraction, there a glass-eating carny showman pays a definitive price for seeking love outside the claws of a voodoo woman : Rosalind Cash. Final episode regards The Corn Children with a group of soldiers led by Seargent Cameron Mitchell from American Civil War, they are held captive, mistreated, tortured by a household of waifs wth fateful intentions.

The motion picture was shot in medium budget and professionally made by Jeff Burr, though it has some flaws and failures. He is an expert on terror movies and sequels, such as Night of the Scarecrow, Pupkinhead 2 wing blood , Puppet master 5 the final chapter , Puppet master 4, Stefather 2 make room for daddy , Leatherface 3 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre , and this Offspring, among others. Rating : 6/10. The film will appeal to horror fans and Vincent Price completists

Oldfield: Town of Evil

[Vomitron_G · 7/10 · 26 March 2006]

When I say that I somehow overlooked THE OFFSPRING (aka FROM A WHISPER TO A SCREAM) when it came out during the late 80's, I'm basically summing up this movie's history. It's unrighteously overlooked and forgotten. It's a very satisfying horror-anthology that is slightly more dark and gory than its counterparts released during that period (CAT'S EYE, CREEPSHOW 2,...). The wraparound story has reporter Bess Chandler travelling to the town of Oldfield. She's there to interview the uncle of executed serial killer Katherine White. The uncle, played by horror-icon Vincent Price, lives in this house full of books which contain the history of Oldfield. Through four stories Julian White reveals to Bess the evil that dwells in Oldfield.

The first story had me fearing the worst, because the acting was rather poor. Just when I was about to think this was gonna be a lame story about a guy going nuts and killing some women, there was the act of necrophilia (not shown, though) and the completely unexpected twist in the end. Since this was the least successful story of the four, I was in for a treat. Because every story got better and better. Just for the fun of it I made up a title for every episode (because they actually don't have any in the movie).

"Brother Dearest": Clu Gulager (best known to horror-fans for his role in THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD) plays Stanley Burnside, a timid man who lives with his ill sister. He falls in love with his boss, but it turns out she's not interested. It seems that Stanley doesn't handle rejection well, as the walls of his sanity begin crumbling down.

"Swamp Renewal": This part seemed to be made by a total different director, but it was not. The tone and camera-work was different. It revolves around Jesse Hardwicke, first rate trailer trash, who gets chased into the swamps by two gangsters. Mortally wounded he loses consciousness. An old man takes him under his care. This is more a voodoo-like tale with an anti-greed message. The music was memorable and so was the shock-ending.

"Of Glass And Pins": A very creepy carnival story with the goriest death-scene of them all. Steven Arden is known as the Glass Eater, an act of the carnival's freakshow. Amaryllis, one of the spectators, is desperately in love with him. But all the freaks of this carnival are under the spell of Snake Woman, and she will not tolerate any of her freaks leaving the circus, not even for love's sake.

"Children Of The Civil War": This is basically the gory freaked out version of CHILDREN OF THE CORN, disguised as a period piece. I really liked the way the story unfolded. The creepy kids gave decent performances and the atmosphere was terrific.

The wraparound story itself wasn't anything special, though. But still this is a decent anthology horror movie (despite its rather small budget) with good, solid short stories, all including a nice twist in the end. There's enough blood and (mild) gore to keep every horror-fan amused. When we look at writer/director Jeff Burr's resume, THE OFFSPRING might easily be one of his best genre efforts. It's worth seeking this one out.

exhilarating exploitation...

[SCUM-Auxiliary · 30 May 2003]

Of the many horror films I used to alleviate childhood boredom, this one was indelibly etched into my brain and probably will be forever. A cinematic achievement of unparalleled depravity, this Vincent Price vehicle (filmed in the Autumn of his life) contains incest, rape, child molestation, necrophilia, voodoo, glass-eating, slavery, mutilations, dismemberment, vengeance and allusions to cannibalism. By genre standards, the scripting, filming and performances were, for the most part, excellent and the work contains enough scatology to hold the interest of even the most reluctant horror/exploitation filmgoer. View this work if you would like to see an exaggerated depiction of humanity at it most malignant neatly condensed into four vignettes.

Like an Amicus anthology, but more more gruesome

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 20 July 2016]

The horror anthology is one of my favourite sub-genres, as you can always guarantee that there will be at least one good story even if all the others are rubbish. This is true of FROM A WHISPER TO A SCREAM, an American production which plays like one of those old Amicus anthologies but with extra gore and gristle. The film makes a good attempt of building up some atmosphere at moments and has a wonderful cast, although some of the tales are a little half-hearted.

Things start off well with Martine Beswick getting a lethal injection. Fans of Hammer's DR JEKYLL AND SISTER HYDE will no doubt recognise an older Beswick as being the 'Sister Hyde' of the film. Anyway, a reporter viewing the event travels to Beswick's home town - Oldfield - and discovers a history of bloody murder. Visiting the local library, she meets up with old timer Julian White, played by (yes!) Vincent Price, who then proceeds to rely four tales of terror to her. Price is excellent as the sinister librarian in what was one of his final horror films, as he mutters about books "written in blood on pages of human skin".

The first story is by far the most unpleasant. Starring Clu Gulager (RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD), it tells of an old man by the name of Stanley Burnside who has an unhealthy obsession with a girl at work. Taking her out one night, he attempts to kiss her and ends up strangling her. Yet his obsession continues...suffice to say, this is a story that contains necrophilia and is thus pretty unpleasant. This is still a quite nasty and unpleasant tale to watch, only worthwhile for Gulager's portrayal of a creepy, perverted old guy.

The second tale is by far the best. It concerns a bank robber, played by Friday the 13th Part VII's Terry Kiser, who, while fleeing from some hoods, ends up in the wilderness where he meets a hermit who has discovered the secret of eternal life. Kiser wants the secret for himself. This is a clever little moral tale, with one hell of a grisly ending - the sight of Kiser's bandaged body on the hospital bed at the end is the stuff of nightmares! The makeup is very realistic and quite disgusting, and Kiser puts in a good show.

The third tale harks back to Tod Browning's FREAKS, except with a twist. A sideshow performer whose talent is to swallow razor blades and eat glass falls in love with a "normal" girl and runs away, but his powers are the result of a voodoo spell performed by the 'Snake Woman' who runs the carnival. Although the story is quite simplistic, the tale is lifted by some good special effects and the appearance of old-time dwarf actor Angelo Rossitto as a sideshow proprietor.

The third tale is a kind of riff on Stephen King's CHILDREN OF THE CORN, but even grislier. Set at the end of the Civil War, we see Cameron Mitchell (this film does have a cast to die for) and his cronies going around murdering and looting all and sundry. They arrive in Oldfield and are captured by a gang of children, whose parents have been killed in the war. Sadly this tale bears evidence of some heavy cutting by the UK censors and thus much of the impact is lost. Still, it's a not-bad tale.

FROM A WHISPER TO A SCREAM may not be exceptionally original or as clever as some of the other anthologies around, but it does have a hard edge which those miss. The special effects are good and the film does get frequently bloody and unpleasant. And it's difficult to dislike a film with such a crucial role for Vincent Price! This is an enjoyable if undistinguished entry in the anthology canon.

Vincent Price provides the framework for this ambitious anthology

[kevinolzak · 7/10 · 24 November 2022]

1986's "From a Whisper to a Scream" (theatrically issued as "The Offspring" before returning to its original moniker) was an ambitious anthology for young filmmakers with more talent than money, director Jeff Burr carving out a niche in horror sequels over the following years. Shooting lasted 24 days in Burr's hometown of Dalton, Georgia, representing the Tennessee town of Oldfield, home of executed murderess Katherine White (Martine Beswick), whose uncle Julian (Vincent Price) receives a visit from reporter Beth Chandler, curious about how his niece could have begun her murder spree while still a child. Julian shows her records about several past incidents to prove that Oldfield itself has been a harbinger of evil since its inception during the Civil War. "Stanley," played by Clu Gulager, is by all appearances a harmless old coot, taking care of a chronically ill sister (played by his real life wife, Miriam Byrd-Nethery) who displays incestuous feelings for her brother and talks of nothing but the old days with their long dead father. Stanley's obsessive longing for a coworker (Megan McFarland) finds him sending her flowers from a 'secret admirer,' and she incredibly agrees to a date just to pacify the nerd. When she rebuffs his advances he strangles her and leaves the corpse to be found in the road, feigning innocence when the murder is revealed the next day. After breaking into the funeral home to molest the corpse, the killer spends the next 9 months enjoying the fruits of an unsolved crime, finally tiring of the ice water baths required to cool down his sister to strangle her as well, only to receive his just desserts from a most unexpected visitor. "On the Run" centers on lowlife Jesse Hardwick (Terry Kiser), badly wounded after an encounter with two hoodlums, stumbling into the swamp where he is found by an old man, Felder Evans (Harry Caesar), who nurses him back to health. Seemingly pleased to have some company in his isolated shack, Felder is unaware of his new tenant's overly inquisitive nature and murderous demeanor, uncovering evidence that his benefactor may be over 100 years old. His nightly voodoo chants help to produce an elixir that may be responsible for his longevity, agreeing to share it with Jesse if he works hard enough, but the ingrate turns on Felder to his everlasting regret. "Lovecraft's Traveling Amusements" is a carnival sideshow owned by the mysterious Snakewoman (Rosalind Cash), all the performers slaves to her will, especially the handsome glass eater, Steven Arden (Ron Brooks), whose forbidden love for local girl Amarillis (Didi Lanier) may prove to be his undoing. "Four Soldiers" headlines Cameron Mitchell as Sgt. Gallen, leader of a quartet of deserting Union soldiers who delight in their continued reign of terror over the Confederates even after learning the Civil War is over. A field covered in landmines quickly puts them out of commission to allow easy capture by a band of crippled and mutilated children, all orphaned during battle, keeping the spirits of their fallen parents alive by torturing any soldiers they find. One is stabbed in the crotch, another has an eye gouged out, while Gallen callously murders a little girl who freed him because he looked like her father; his fate is preordained no matter how he tries to escape. Julian's chronicles do not convince his unmoved visitor, who soon reveals her own past history with Oldfield much to the old man's horror. The four segments had already been completed when Jeff Burr called at the home of Vincent Price, script in hand (and a bottle of wine), to offer him the lead role, and to his unabashed delight, the actor accepted as a final farewell to the genre he loved. Cameron Mitchell stands out as the despicable sergeant, and Bela Lugosi costar Angelo Rossitto enjoys a fine role as a sympathetic sideshow barker. During the decade of "Creepshow" this omnibus rarely received its just due, but in tackling taboo subjects like dismemberment, necrophilia, and incest certainly didn't shirk on its ability to shock.

Absolute junk with a great cast.

[cyntax2000 · 1/10 · 22 November 2011]

Where in the world do I begin with this. This had to be one of the sickest films I have ever seen in my life. And what is worse was the awesome cast they assembled for this piece of trash. 4 of the greatest of all time, VINCENT PRICE, CLU GULAGER, TERRY KISER, CAMERONE MITCHELL. I was thinking' to myself, before I watched it of course, How could this be anything less then awesome. Even directed by Jeff Burr. How wrong I was. I have never been a fan of anthology movies mostly because each story always has to have some kind of bs shocker end that is almost always very unsatisfying and leaves you empty inside. This was no exception, I assure you. And by the way, why was the girl executed in the first place, we never found out. This could have been an effective film, but it was handled very irresponsibly. It seemed to play simply for sick shock value, and had absolutely no point to the stories at all. There could have been some great moral lessons here if it was handled correctly.

story 1 - obviously murder, incest, and necrophilia is wrong. What we are presented on screen could have taught us a very valuable lesson, but it ended up just being a ridiculous sickening shock fest.

story 2 - the only redeemable story we have here. and maybe if the others were handled this way the movie would have worked better.

story 3 - so terrible, depressing, disturbing and distressing, I can't hardly even remember it. I am a big believer in freedom, and no fate only the power of will, when I see some bs that goes against this I have a tendency to freak out and break things. There is always a way to fight back.

story 4 - takes the cake. my god in heaven above. As I said before if this wasn't just played for total sickening shock effect, and trust me the last segment is as sick as it gets, it might have been effective.

One last note. Don't let this be how you remember these three great masters of horror that have since passed away. PRICE, MITCHELL, GULAGER, you guys are so much better then this junk.

You know what you're getting into

[jdollak · 6/10 · 4 May 2003]

The only thing I was not expecting was the low quality of the photography...it looks like an earlier 80s film. But other than that, it's really pretty decent. I rated it a 6, but I was considering a 7. Most of the comments here are accurate. The thing to keep in mind that is that this is a pretty good horror anthology. It's hard to find horror anthologies that are consistantly good. This does have it's weak stories, but the good ones balance it out. The glass-eater carnival story isn't all bad though...it kept my attention, but the payoff wasn't as good as I would have liked. It almost reminds me of the EC comics - not so much the movies they inspired, but these are similar in style as far as the twists go.

If you're reading this review, chances are that this is the sort of movie that you'll enjoy, at least in part.

Immoral garbage.

[McFrogg · 1/10 · 10 May 2017]

From a Whisper to a Scream (or The Offspring) is one of the few movies I've turned off after just 10 minutes or so.

From the opening scene and the beginning of the first story, I immediately knew that there was something wrong about it, paused the movie and checked out some pictures of it in the internet, and read a review. I decided that I didn't want to ruin a good Saturday night by watching sick garbage, so I turned it off and chose a better movie instead. The FAWTAS DVD went into the trash can.

What a waste of money. I thought this was going to be like a classic Vincent Price horror movie. I used to avoid reviews and trailers before watching a movie, but I have learned my lesson with perverted crap like this. It's better to get a few scenes spoiled than the entire night.

I wondered how Vincent Price could be in a movie like FAWTAS, but later read that the filmmakers actually tricked him into appearing in the movie. No wonder I got that bad feeling when I saw the first few minutes. The whole movie is just immoral and evil.

This movie shouldn't exist...throw it in the trash. Don't even recycle the DVD cover, it will probably come back as a cursed plastic bottle and poison someone.

Surprisingly good.

[gridoon · 7/10 · 13 June 2000]

This four-part horror anthology was definitely better than I expected - I gave it a 7/10, when before viewing it I was hoping for a 5 at best. Its main strength is its wonderful unpredictability; at least two of the stories (the second and the third) demonstrate very good scripting. The first episode ,an illogical story of paranoia and necrophilia, is the weakest, but then the (twisted) fun begins! A surprisingly successful effort, if perhaps too gruesome and unpleasant to be recommended without some hesitation.

Poor Vincent

[utgard14 · 4/10 · 16 April 2020]

Gory horror anthology film with pretentious touches and more recognizable veteran actors than it deserves. As usual with the older anthologies they needed a central character to hold things together in wraparound segments. That role goes to the great Vincent Price, slumming for subsequent generations of classic horror fans to shed a tear over. Seeing him here sitting down reminded me a lot of Bela Lugosi in those awful Ed Wood movies he made at the end. Unlike the old Amicus anthologies that had charm and class this is just gross with pathetic attempts at being artsy fartsy. You can always spot a rookie director when you see that stuff. Looking at the rest of this Burr guy's output I can't say I'm surprised he never went on to anything successful.

Fun and highly enjoyable anthology

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 8/10 · 31 October 2017]

Following his niece's execution, a librarian recalls several horror stories of the town's past to a skeptical reporter.

The Good Stor(ies): Story 1-Madly in love with his boss, a grocery store clerk attempts to court her only to find his advances spurned to the point that he kills her. Attempting to hide the crime, he eventually finds that not only has he gotten away with it but his passion burns beyond the grave. This here wasn't all that bad of an effort. As it revels nicely in the utter dementia of his obsession and what he wants to do to her from the beginning, this one sets the revenge to come later on quite nicely as this generates some solid moments throughout here. The final revelation is a bit predictable and there's a few too many plot-points to go through but it has enough fun that there's plenty to like here.

Story 2-When his past catches up to him, a wounded fugitive in the Louisiana bayou comes across a voodoo healer who restores his health. Overcome by greed, he demands to know its secrets which begins to spiral out of his control and gets more than he bargained for. This was undoubtedly the highlight of the series with a lot to like about it. The simple story and the predictable setup give this a truly appropriate anthology feel that gets worked over nicely by the setting here. The bayou atmosphere and use of voodoo provide more to like by giving it a dirty, grimy feel in the sweat-filled shack that they spend the majority of the time at, and along with plenty of fun voodoo-related tortures that give this some wholly chilling moments.

Story 4-Attempting to find refuge, a platoon of soldiers in the Civil War stumble upon a deserted town in the countryside inhabited only by orphaned children. Taken captive by the hostile group, they are forced to partake in a series of grisly games that grow excessively more dangerous. This was a fun if overall slightly flawed effort. While it has plenty of stellar atmosphere in the old- school village with the Civil War time-period and the gory kills in the segment are quite graphic, overall the segment feels too familiar and cliché which does render the surprise rather obvious. The fast pace works here, so it does end this on a high note.

The Bad Stor(ies): Story 3-Working as a freak in a carnival, a glass-eater falls in love with a regular visitor which upsets the tyrannical queen who runs the show. When he defies her to be with his beloved, he finds the powers of her vengeance far more cruel to bear to keep them apart. This was quite a bland and overall uneventful entry. This one doesn't have much at all going on which tends to make this uneventful due to the romance throughout here, and it doesn't feature much of anything until the ending. This is the saving grace as the gruesome and gory happenings are a real showstopper, but overall not much else happens in this one.

Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Full Nudity and violence-against-children.

Underrated horror omnibus

[Coventry · 7/10 · 27 March 2005]

"From a Whisper to a Scream" is a very lively and surprisingly entertaining horror anthology that got neglected in the congested horror offer of the eighties. That's quite a shame because this little sickie film has several things going for it, like for example one of the very last performances of the legendary Vincent Price and a versatile range of demented and gruesome tales. This film uses a creative starting point, namely a little Tennessee town that seems to inject pure evil into the lifeblood of its inhabitants. The story begins with the execution of a female serial killer born and raised in Oldfield, Tennessee. Afterwards, an obstinate journalist goes to see Oldfield's old librarian Julian White (who also happens to be the killer's uncle) and he tells her four stories of past horror to illustrate what wicked influence this demonic little town has. I was expecting to see tame and ethically correct terror tales (like the kind "Creepshow" features) but, to my surprise, every chapter was imaginative and very violent! The first story contains the most shocking theme (necrophilia!) but it was the least convincing one and merely served as a vicious warming-up feature. Clu Gulager looks truly frightening in this chapter and the tone is effectively depressing. After the first, the fun really kicks in with three very exciting and hard-boiled tales of madness! The second one revolves on a small time crook hunting for the secret of eternal life in the swampy wastelands around Oldfield. This chapter features a gruesome climax and haunting anti-greed message. The third story is my absolute favorite, simply because it handles about fierce carny folks! A traveling carnival passes by Oldfield and one of the acts falls in love with the local beauty Amaryllis. But, it turns out that the carnival and its performers hide some terrible secrets and the fiendish leader won't let any of her "slaves" get away. I loved the eccentric characters in this tale, as well as the tense atmosphere. The climax here is exaggeratedly gore and a must-see sequence for fans of cheesy 80's splatter. The last episode is very spooky and enlightens us a little more on the history of this devilish little town. It's set at the end of the Civil War where hillbilly soldiers are captured and molested by .... children who lost their parents. Some really good scenery and atmosphere in this tale, as well as good eerie performances by the child-actors. "From a Whisper to a Scream" is an overall original and amusing horror film with quite some sickness and shocking images. Price is still great although it hurts to see this once-vivid horror veteran ageing. There are interesting cameos from Lawrence Tierney as the warden and Martine Breswick as the convicted serial killer. Recommended!!

Pathetic

[preppy-3 · 1/10 · 29 May 2001]

Librarian Vincent Price tells 4 horror stories of the town he lives in. Unfortunately, the audience has to see them. The stories aren't scary at all, are sick (necrophilia; a nude middle-aged woman being drowned; knives in a man's groin), boring and stupid. It has a good cast (I'm assuming they were all desperate for work) and they do what little they can with the lousy script, but it's no go. Of interest only as one of Price's final films.

Very cool.

[billybrown41 · 11 April 2002]

No, this has absolutely nothing to do with the band, even though they share the same name and even the same exact logo. I found this to be something special. Even though I had never heard of it and I just saw it at the video store and saw that Terry Kiser was in it.

What we get here is little anthology of nasty tales told from a librarian, about the sinister history of a small Tennessee town. Now, I found the first story (with Clu Galagher) to be just a bit too sick, it's still pretty entertaining and his character plays a loser to such perfection that it's actually funny to watch him. I won't say much in the way of that one, but I will say that involves incest, necrophilia, and some really awful singing of some even worse lyrics.

The second one, I believe was my favorite. Terry Kiser plays a white trash moron by the name of Jesse Hardwicke who is on the run from some nasty creditors. When he is shot by one of the previously mentioned creditors, he manages to crawl his way to a boat where he passes out and drifts through the swamps. He's discovered by a hermit-type who brings him back to health and also gives him the gift of eternal life. Jesse, being an ungrateful IDIOT, has ideas to take the old man's voodoo skills and use it as a way to cash in. When the old man refuses to give in, he tries to kill the old man. Big mistake. That's all I'm going to say about that one. But let me say this, this little tale has the most shocking, disturbing, and disgusting ending of any of the rest. In fact, it tops more endings than any other horror flick I can think of for that matter, on that level. Just see it.

The third story, I really wasn't too crazy about. It has to do with a circus guy who eats glass. It didn't do much for me.

The last in the act is pretty chilling. Set back in the civil war, a few yankees stumble upon a house inhabited by young children whose parents were all killed during the war. What happens here is pretty sick and so shocking that I won't say what happens.

As far as anthologies go, this is one of the best I've seen. It edges out "Creepshow", "Creepshow 2", "Cat's Eye", and "Deadtime Stories". I'm really hoping that it gets a dvd release.

Definitely one of the best horror omnibus films

[The_Void · 7/10 · 11 October 2005]

Horror omnibuses have been around in one way or another pretty much since the great Mario Bava rejuvenated them in 1963 with the awesome Black Sabbath. They often vary in quality, and many are brought down by weak links; this one, however, doesn't suffer from any weak stories. Obviously, some are better than others; but all in all, I don't hesitate to call this one of the best horror omnibuses that I've seen. From a Whisper to a Scream is most notable for the fact that it is Vincent Price's last ever 'pure' horror movie. It's a shame to see the great master during his swansong to the genre that made him; but on the other hand, this role really shows Price's talent as, despite being only a small part, he really makes the best of it. The plot concerns a small town called Oldfield. After the electrocution of his niece, librarian Julian White (Price) tells a reporter about the horrible incidents that have occurred in the town. The first tale is the weakest of the bunch - but it still has it's moments. Clu Gulager is creepy throughout, and the themes that it handles are quite frightening. Speaking of frightening - check out that tale's climax! Anyway, tale one is just a warm up, really...

Tale two is the highlight for yours truly. I love it when an omnibus flick produces a tale worth remembering - and this tale certainly is! It works from more than just visual horror, and when you think about the potency of the ending - this one really hits home. Nice message, too. Not far behind in terms of quality is tale three. This is the typical eighties story of the bunch, and a lot of the reason it works is courtesy of the gruesome special effects. This one also generates intrigue from it's story, however, and cant be seen as merely an excuse to show some blood and guts. The last tale of the quartet is the most psychological of the bunch, and it follows the fortunes of three civil war soldiers that are 'kidnapped' by a bunch of children! This one went on a little bit too long for my liking, but the ideas behind it are good and the way that we see the soldiers being dominated by the evil children is quite surreal. It's obvious that writer-director respects the fact that he's managed to get one of the all-time greatest horror actors in the film by the way that the wraparound story is handled. Usually, this part of the film lets it down because it hasn't been very well thought out - but the one in this film is completely the opposite and actually makes the movie! On the whole, this isn't a must see horror movie, but it's very good and I highly recommend it!

Pleasantly surprised

[mass-32942 · 7/10 · 12 March 2020]

These movies that I grew up with don't usually stand the test of time with me, but 3 out of the 4 stories in this anthology were quite creepy and ended with a surprise. Definitely worth watching.

Blood, blood, everywhere blood.

[mark.waltz · 3/10 · 28 January 2016]

Simply gory and rarely scary, this collection of four takes of terror has no real shell to hold what is going on in the mind of storyteller Vincent Price. He is visited by an alleged journalist after the death of his daughter Martine Beswicke from lethal injection. Four violent tales of varying tortures follow with Price phoning in his performance which probably took only a few days to shoot.

A married businessman murders the co- worker he is morbidly obsessed with. Then takes the life of his clinging wife. A demon chases him for a grizzly climax. A racist hick is rescued by a black hermit who uses voodoo spells for revenge. The goings on of a freak show leads to a horrific end for someone who wants to get out. Finally, children in the civil war get their own revenge on an army officer.

There are some historical pieces of interest here, but the big one for me was the presence of dwarf actor Angelo Rossito in the third sequence. Having appeared in the original "Freaks" and several films as Bela Lugosi's sidekick, Rossito is unforgettable. Rosalind Cash is also good as the witch behind all of the evil goings on here.

Beware that blood us everywhere here, and the really creepy characters who get away with gruesome killings. It just gets to be a bit too much, and there's really nothing to hold it together. Clu Gallagher plays one of the most vile killers that I had ever seen. Had I not been curious over Price's involvement in this, I would have been done it much earlier. In retrospect, I wish that I had just fast forwarded it.

An Overlooked Anthology... Worth a Peek

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 16 March 2011]

Historian Julian White (Vincent Price), whose niece has just been executed, tells a reporter about four tales of grisly murder in the small town of Oldfield, Tennessee.

This film is not as well known as the "Creepshow" films, and it is not as good, either. But it does have Price, and horror favorite Clu Gulager as the memorable necrophiliac Stanley Burnside. And there is even a pretty decent amount of gore and impressive special effects from a film that is not widely praised.

Director Jeff Burr was young and fresh when he made this one, but he caught the attention of the right people. He would be handed many horror franchises, going on to make "Stepfather 2", "Pumpkinhead 2", "Puppetmaster 4" (and 5), "Texax Chainsaw Massacre 3"... and many others. If you want to see his debut, this is the film to see.

Apparently, Vincent Price disliked the movie. In a letter to German actor and puppeteer Gerd J. Pohl, Price wrote: "You're right about 'From a Whisper to a Scream' -- terrible! My agent misrepresented it and I was trapped in it." I think that is a bit harsh. While not as good as some of Price's work, it is far from his worst.

The Civil War story is a bit of a letdown. The backwoods man is also a letdown, at least until the gore effects. The carnival story is average, but again with great effects. The best story is probably the first, with Gulager. As a whole ,the film is just above average, but has the 80s feel to it that gives it a little bump if you like the 80s horror style.

The film could also be improved with a decent DVD recent. I watched the film streaming on Netflix, and it was full frame and with a VHS quality. I assume the DVD is the same. Get a decent transfer, make it widescreen, add Jeff Burr commentary, and this film could enjoy a resurgence of interest, especially if done now while the Vincent Price fandom is hot.

A collection of sicko characters

[SimonJack · 4/10 · 20 February 2019]

Vincent Price was a master of the macabre in movies. In his later years here, Price is Julian White who plays a librarian who spins tales of horror to a reporter. The only good thing about this ensemble of sicko characters is the film's surprise ending.

"From a Whisper to a Scream" is a collection of one gory story after another, each one trying to outdo the previous one. The stories take place around a fictional town of Oldfield, Tennessee.

None of the stories is very good or intriguing. This is mostly horror for the sake of those who enjoy horror.

Vincent Price is very good

[christopher-underwood · 6/10 · 3 June 2023]

I don't really like anthology films although I found this because it was in the splendid book, Evil Seeds-The Ultimate Movie Guide to Villainous Children by Vanessa Morgan. I have to say that the book does come up with different ones like this one. Unfortunately this is not very good but it is unusual and really nasty and a bit strange for these compendium, but rather boring. The old stars Martine Beswick and Lawrence Tierney are wasted while others like Clu Gulager are unhappy although many of the other actors are very poor. Vincent Price, of course is really good although he seems a bit unwell at the time but still better than any one else. In the last story we do have the children that appear and are really good and very creepy. I didn't notice that the four stories came up with titles but they were, Stanley, On the Run, Lovecraft's Travelling Amusements and Four Soldiers, so good luck.

Sort of entertaining, but there are much better anthologies out there.

[TOMNEL · 5/10 · 1 January 2007]

When people say that this anthology of stories has twist endings, it's not really true. These stories have more bloody, stupid endings than anything else. Here's my story by story review.

Segment 1: Starring Clu Galagher. I always felt that this was an odd way to start a film like this, but thinking back on it, this is actually a pretty good story. It's about Stanley, a weird bespectacled man, that gives his sister a bath every day, and who has a fixation for a co-worker of his. Stanley kills her, and makes out with her dead body. I'm not going to give away the ending, but it's a bit silly in my opinion. I also found the fact that Stanley's sister wants Stanley is quite disturbing, but it just adds to the strangeness of this solid segment. My rating: *** out of ****.

Segment 2: Starring Terry Kiser. Jesse has just escaped death, and is now living with a 200 year old voodoo master that can help him live forever. Unfortunately living forever, means through thick and thin. This was a really slow story, despite a great opening that really sets up what could be an excellent story. The ending, instead of a funny twist, just seemed depressing. My rating: ** 1/2 out of ****.

Segment 3: A glass eating Carny has fallen in love but can't leave the carnival because of the mean snake woman that owns him and the other freaks. This was a step down from the last segment. The acting was really terrible and the dialogue was really corny. The ending was confusing, and really stupid, and I just found this to be a lifeless story with a good premise. My rating: * 1/2 out of ****.

Segment 4: 3 soldiers in WW1 get attacked and trapped by wounded children. It's pretty much just a bad rip-off of Children of the Corn set 60 years earlier. Again, the ending was lame and added nothing to the story. My rating: * 1/2 out of ****.

Wraparound story: Starring Vincent Price and Susan Tyrell. Cameo by Lawerence Tierney. The wraparound story starts promising with a ghostly flashback opening and a woman being given the lethal injection, but it gets worse. Vincent Price is telling tales of the town, and the dialogue just seems forced and it doesn't make sense that he would be telling these stories, which have literally nothing to do with what he's talking about. I love Price's performance, but unfortunately he had no say so over what he's saying. As for the ending, it was really bad. Even the stories had better twists than the really stupid wraparound. My rating: * out of ****.

My final rating: ** out of ****. 95 mins. Rated R for Strong Gory Violence, Nudity and Strong Sexual Innuendos.

Dark and Grim Anthology

[deborahrighetti · 8/10 · 30 October 2020]

Unlike most anthology films which follow the tongue in cheek EC Comics approach, From A Whisper To A Scream dares to go dark and bleak with the material and it's an unforgettable experience for it. Yes, there are several "just desserts" twists at the end of some of these stories that feel right out of the pages of Tales From the Crypt, but its tone feels different and more serious as if it's EC Comics as filtered through Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It has a hell of a great cast, too.

Morbid Tales

[Tweetienator · 7/10 · 26 June 2020]

A fine horror anthology with the maestro Vincent Price in a small but crucial role as the storyteller. All stories provided are still worth a watch, on top we get some morbid ideas and spicy gore here and there. Beats most horror anthologies of our days easy.

So-So Horror

[Rainey-Dawn · 5/10 · 7 January 2016]

This is a horror anthology containing 4 segments. In between the segments a librarian/historian named Julian White (Price) tells a reporter stories surrounding the town of Oldfield, Tennessee. The reporter is interested in finding more about White's niece who was sentenced to death for several murders.

The first story is of a (crazy) man that is taking care of his mentally ill sister and he falls in love with his boss, a younger woman. Things turn deadly and become more bizarre. This one has a weird ending which I was not crazy about but I enjoyed the story until then.

The second story is about a man who is running from gangsters - he is shot - and a strange mysterious man heals him of his wound. I liked this story and the ending.

The third story is of a witch who owns a carnival. She has powers over all that work for her. One carny, a glass eater, is in love with a woman out side of the carnival. The witch does not like it and will show both of the lovers the extent of her powers. I was not trilled with this story nor it's ending.

The final story is of civil war soldiers that did not realize the war had ended... they found out it was over and ended up in Oldfield where a strange group of orphans were living. The orphans have no intentions of letting the soldiers go. This one was fairly good segment.

Over all it's not too bad of a movie - but certainly not Vincent Price's best movies although his performance is good as always.

5/10