Darkling_Zeist 'Scream and Die!' is another woefully obscure Jose Ramon Larraz horror excursion from the early 70's that is entirely undeserving of its current position of lost title. All the requisite Larraz traits are in abundance here; libidinous, scantily clad buxom women, creaky, dimly lit houses and some elusive sexually 'unusual' maniac knocking off a series of shrieking, top-heavy females. The basic giallo-esque plot of some black-gloved killer doesn't stray from convention, but where Larraz succeeds and many other similar filmmakers fail is that he always manages to generate a palpably erotic and decadent tone among all the familiar heavy breathing stalk and slash; besides the abundance of candle-lit cleavage he also infuses the admittedly generic premise with oodles of genuinely unsettling Gothic motifs. After reading a few glib, dismissive reviews of 'Scream...and Die' I really wasn't expecting much, but contrary to low expectations the film proved to be entirely entertaining with a series of demonstratively eerie set pieces that managed to evoke a sweaty-palmed Poe-like, sepulchral chill.

andrabem Valerie and her boyfriend Terry witness a murder in an old abandoned house. They had heard the sound of a car arriving and they hid themselves. A couple had come in. They could only see the girl because He remained always in the shadow. She undressed herself and sat on his lap. Suddenly a switchblade flashes out. She's stabbed to death.Valerie in her panic rushes blindly out of the house. Outside she waits for Terry. He doesn't come. Then she hears footsteps. Again she runs and runs.... Somehow she manages to get home in the morning.In London Valerie goes back to her routine. She tries to contact Terry, be he's disappeared from sight. And worst of all, when Valerie looks out of her window she sees Terry's car parked in front of her house. The killer knows who she is and where she lives! When Valerie speaks with her friends about it, they advise her to not contact the police. After all Terry is a shady dealer, and she could get involved in a very nasty business. But what happened to Terry? Is he still alive? The killer is stalking her, and he will strike again...By the description, you could think that "Scream and Die" is a very suspenseful thriller. But you would be wrong."Scream and Die" (the title is misleading) should be seen by those that like a weird atmosphere: the thick fog that envelops the house when Terry and Valerie arrive there, Valerie's friends and neighbors, the early 70s mood, the subtle and effective soundtrack, and the bizarre! Most viewers will guess from the beginning who the killer is. But that's not really important. I enjoy "Scream and Die" because it's atmospheric and feels natural (characters and environment), but it is at the same time dreamy, and sometimes surreal. The beautiful and delicate Andrea Allan is Valerie. She is a joy to behold! If you like the films of Larraz this is another one to add to your collection

Witchfinder General 666 As a great fan of British Horror cinema I have seen my fair share of films, and I can honestly say that "Scream... And Die!" of 1973 is arguably THE most boring British Horror production I ever laid eyes on. It is not necessarily the absolute worst of all British Horror films I've seen, but it is possibly the most tiresome, which is even more disappointing since the name of director José Ramón Larraz raises high expectations, regarding his mesmerizing and hauntingly beautiful "Vampyres" of 1974. Anyhow, Larraz obviously went a long way in the one year in-between "Scream... And Die!" and "Vampyres", as while the latter is a fascinating film, this one is a complete mess filled with clichés that offend the intelligence of every viewer who has seen more than 10 Horror films. This is not yet my main complaint, however. While the film has a decent (but by no means memorable) start, and catches up a little towards the end, there is a approximately 50-minute period of hardly endurable boredom in-between. Admittedly, the film has its positive aspects, but I still find it hard to believe that half of the reviews on this are actually positive. There are some nicely eerie settings, and several bits of weirdness, but that is no excuse for two thirds of the film being tiresome beyond belief. The only true saving grace is the ravishing leading actress Andrea Allan, a stunning beauty who has the habit of taking her clothes off for no reason occasionally. Except for the charming Miss Allen and the decent settings, however, there is little positive to say about "Scream... And Die". The idea of a mask-making 20-something weirdo, who looks like he's 14 and who likes to go beyond cuddling with his 50-something auntie, may make the film a bit more worthwhile, but even less original (Norman Bates-wannabe #153.278.997 hooray!). Also it is not quite understandable why a ravishing model like Valerie (the character played by Andrea Allen) would, out of all people, fall for a lunatic mask-maker who looks like a little boy and is still living with auntie. Overall, "Scream... And Die!" does have its moments but the middle is insufferably boring. I sat through the whole film, but, in case one does wanna watch this, it is highly recommendable to fast-forward from the 20th to the 70th minute, and reduce the film to the part that is worthwhile (approximately 35 minutes in total). My recommendation, however, is to skip this yawner, and to go for director Larraz' great following film, the astonishing lesbian Vampire flick "Vampyres".

vampyres-2 SCREAM...AND DIE! (or "The house that vanished" (1973))is the unknown piece of horror and sex that the master José Ramón Larraz did in England in the seventees. It's an erotic thriller with psychopatic murderer (Karl Lanchbury) perfomed by a beautiful model called Valerie (terrific Andrea Allan)involved in a haunting mistery and sadistic murders occurred in a isolated manor in the forest at midnights. Scream and die has an excellent and very particular quality in images and atmosferes. The movie is slow, yes, but this thing is normal in Larraz's movies: the story is very slow and predictable, but it's too sexy (the love scenes are really good and erotic) and brutal sometimes, and has the mark from the director of masterpieces as "Vampyres" and "Symptoms", both from 1974. The fog, tne night, the sounds of the killer walking with his black gloves following Valerie, the anguish in her face in her firsts shots, the slowly music give to the film a personal sight. The first murder seen by the hidden Valerie and husband as intimate witnesses and the escape from the manor are a classic composition of horror shots, wonderfully executed by the "voyeurisitic filmmaker" with a rare and genuine talent. It's a really brutal moment of sophisticated murder and "naïve" sex. Scream and die has the very personal "touch" of the catalanian director, all the constants that are in the most part of his baroque, sensual and horrific world (Emma puertas oscuras,La muerte incierta,Vampyres, Symptoms,Estigma,Whirpool, Deviation or Deadly manor) are present in here. The spiral of terror and tension grows very slowly -step by step- describing the world of this sexy model for fashion photographers in a continuated state of danger. Larraz creates a really personal style in a very traditional thriller that must be remembered by the tension,the british locations in Kent in winter,the quiet and dead moments of inusually fascination, the use of the photography, the artistic colors and the incredible dark shots of nights, the typical "english" fog, the horror moments and the clever sex that impressed me a lot in my adolescence. Scream and die has a kind of elegance in the horror genre that others horror thrillers hasn't. All the personal obsessions of José Larraz are here in a fine lesson of cinematography in his best period of his career, the british period. The fans of José Larraz need to know his firsts features, as "Whirpool" (1970) and "Deviation" (1971)-nobody has said anything more specific about these movies? (Please: more information and reviews in IMDB or other places,webs, etc.) and his last contribution tot the terror lately in "Deadly manor"(Savage lust, 1990)produced by his old british friend Brian Smedley-Aston. When the fans of José Ramón Larraz, Brian Smedley-Aston (editor of "Performance" ,etc.), his actresses and his horrific world will have a web or a personal page about the director? Where are the fans of this spanish/british filmmaker?. Goodbye!