A horrifying film by Jerzy Skolimowski. Alan Bates is a mental patient who believes he can kill people with a fearsome shout, something he picked up while living amongst Australian aborigines. He insinuates himself into the lives of sound man John Hurt and his wife Susannah York. What follows is a game of soul-taking, wife-taking and out-and-out bedlam. Bates, never the most stable screen presence, is brilliantly frightening and Hurt and York are excellent. The sexual tension between Bates and York is palpable. Skolimowski infuses the film with an unrelenting sense of dread. It's reminiscent of other classy horror films of the time (THE WICKER MAN, DON'T LOOK NOW). A great, unheralded film from one of the great esoteric directors.
Review of The Shout
