After the last Hammer film production bit the dust, the company moved into a different area and began to produce a couple of short-lived television series. The first, under the banner of the Hammer House of Horror, started filming in 1980 and produced many interesting little items. The second series, Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense, followed shortly afterwards and was more of the same, except with more thriller aspects and less reliance on shock-horror. For many, THE SILENT SCREAM is the best-remembered episode of the first series, mainly because it stars horror legend Peter Cushing in his last role for Hammer productions.
The plot is a fairly simple one with nicely horrific undertones, and the twist in the tale isn't too hard to figure out (I mean, it's not likely that Peter Cushing is be the HERO of the piece, is it?). The acting ranges from good to very good, with Cushing on top form as usual and looking very healthy for a man of his advanced years. A very young-looking Brian Cox gives a great portrayal of a man tormented and mentally tortured out of his mind, while the unknown Elaine Donnelly is also surprisingly adept at playing his intelligent wife.
While there isn't any actual gore on offer here (apart from a surprising shot of a dog exploding), the horror is of the psychological variety and quite powerful; the ending of the film is an extremely disturbing one with its "no-win" situation from which there can be no escape. I found the final shot, of Peter Cushing screaming silently (as the title would suggest!), to be quite haunting and an effective freeze-frame moment. Not bad for a made-for-television film. A simple plot with a macabre idea at the centre enlivened by an excellent performance from one of the masters of the genre...what more could you want?
The plot is a fairly simple one with nicely horrific undertones, and the twist in the tale isn't too hard to figure out (I mean, it's not likely that Peter Cushing is be the HERO of the piece, is it?). The acting ranges from good to very good, with Cushing on top form as usual and looking very healthy for a man of his advanced years. A very young-looking Brian Cox gives a great portrayal of a man tormented and mentally tortured out of his mind, while the unknown Elaine Donnelly is also surprisingly adept at playing his intelligent wife.
While there isn't any actual gore on offer here (apart from a surprising shot of a dog exploding), the horror is of the psychological variety and quite powerful; the ending of the film is an extremely disturbing one with its "no-win" situation from which there can be no escape. I found the final shot, of Peter Cushing screaming silently (as the title would suggest!), to be quite haunting and an effective freeze-frame moment. Not bad for a made-for-television film. A simple plot with a macabre idea at the centre enlivened by an excellent performance from one of the masters of the genre...what more could you want?