Review of The House That Screamed

This stylish and very eerie thriller stars Lili Palmer as Senora Fourneau,the severe headmistress of a French boarding school for wayward young women.The rigid constraints of 19th-century social conditioning have turned the school into a hotbed of uncontrolled sexual urges.Soon it is discovered that one by one, the young girls are vanishing.It is assumed they are sneaking away at night,so the school is securely locked down at night.But the young women continue to go missing,as it appears a mysterious assassin is stalking the dark hallways of the ghostly manor."La Residencia" by Chicho Ibáñez-Serrador combines Gothic atmosphere of Mario Bava's early horror movies with plenty of tension.The film resembles a lot Dario Argento's masterpiece "Suspiria"-the young Cristina Galbó who plays the new arrival at the school-looks like and has the general doe-eyed demeanour of Suzy Banyon.All the main characters are well-developed and intriguing and the acting is fantastic.The murder scenes are stylish and the film deals with several taboos surrounding sexuality.So anyone who is a fan of Hammer,Bava or Argento will probably find something to appreciate in this obscure gem.9 out of 10.