Pete Walker was one of the most interesting British horror directors of the 1970's, with impressive efforts like The Flesh and Blood Show (1972), House of Whipcord (1974) and Frightmare (1974) to his name. This earlier film is sometimes described as his first foray into horror but really it is nothing of the sort. Despite a title that suggests that it could be, this one turns out to be a psychological thriller with really no horror aspects at all. A young woman's life is threatened when her crooked father tries to prevent her reaching her 21st birthday and in doing so inherit a fortune plus some documents which will incriminate him.Aside from being an early example of a Walker film, this one is notable for featuring Susan George in a starring role a year before she appeared in Sam Peckinpah's controversial Straw Dogs (1971). In truth, the opening credit sequence which has her gyrating in a bikini in front of a deep red background is very striking indeed, although it is probably in fairness the best bit in the entire film. The main issue with this one is its pretty poor script which meanders about somewhat with a definite lack of focus. The first half of the film which is set in England is the better part with some intrigue and character set-ups but once the action relocates to Portugal things grind to a bit of a halt and it does get a bit boring. It's kind of unfortunate, as the bare bones of the story has got at least some potential but there is something very half-hearted in how things are ultimately played out. Seemingly Walker had some issues with the young cast members during the Portuguese section and this may account for the results on screen being less than impressive. Whatever the case, this is still worth seeing if you have an interest in Walker's movies as it does at least showcase some of his recurring themes such as elderly villains interfering with the lives of the younger generation. But, despite its director and cute leading lady, it has to be admitted that this is not essential stuff by any means. With its cool title and nice cover art it will look good in your film library though and that's not such a terrible thing I guess.

The title suggests a decent horror movie with tons of gore. With a title like 'Die Screaming, Marianne', I would have thought that as well, but that's not the case. Instead, this is more of a incestuous thriller than straight horror. The lady playing Marianne is Susan George, who starred in the original 'Straw Dogs'. Marianne is an exotic dancer who is wanted by some criminals. She escapes their capture, and takes refuge with a guy named Sebastian (Christopher Sanford) who is a little too nice for my comfort.Marianne figures out that Sebastian is not the guy he says he is after he suddenly proposed marriage to her, as he has partnered up with Mariannes father (Leo Genn), a corrupt authority figure who is after Marianne's fortune, a large wealth of money left to her by her mother, which she will inherit on her 21st birthday. And Marianne's father is not the only one after her fortune, as Marianne tries to avoid capture and being killed by family.This is one of those films that has a good plot, but was poorly executed. The script isn't that good, and each climactic moment utterly fails to bring any kind of resolution. It keeps a decent pace, but with its terrible dialogue and anticlimactic moments, it runs longer than it should. Susan George looks great in this film though, especially when she is almost nude.

It is hard to believe that 'Die Screaming, Marianne', a boring and uninspired 'shocker', was directed by British horror master Pete Walker, who would go on to make the wonderful 'Frightmare'. Admittedly this was his first film and he needed time to refine his art, but 'Marianne' has little if anything to recommend it. It is very like the Italian 'giallo' films which were popular back in the early seventies, and hardly deserves to be called a horror film.Susan George stars as Marianne McDonald/Evans and, to her credit, plays a strong and resourceful character. Her evil father, a corrupt judge played by Leo Genn, and her power-hungry and avaricious stepsister, are out to get their hands on Marianne's fortune - a hefty amount left to her by her rich mother - which she is to inherit on her twenty-first birthday.'Die Screaming, Marianne' belongs to the family of horror films whose titles promise much and then do not deliver the titular carnage. Such films as 'Driller Killer' and 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'. 'Driller Killer' is an interesting psychological horror film which owes much to 'Repulsion' and it certainly has its merits, but its reputation as a notorious video nasty is just silly considering the very tame gore in the film. And 'Texas' is a horror masterpiece but it definitely does not offer up a constant stream of blood and severed limbs as its title suggests.Susan George completists will want to see 'Die Screaming, Marianne' but anyone else will find the proceedings tedious and instantly forgettable. There is a good title song which has a nice melancholy feel to it, and there is a cool opening credits sequence which sees George go-go dancing in a black bikini. But the rest of the film - apart from the rather attractive scenery in the scenes shot in Portugal - is almost excruciatingly dull and pointless. Do yourself a favour, and catch Susan in the horror film 'Fright' instead. So much better.

Pic is routine in all respects and a real timewaster! Marketed as a horror film, it's nothing more than a boring tale of a dysfunctional family trying to lay their mitts on a numbered Swiss Bank account containing incriminating documents, along with a sizeable amount of cash. Poor Marianne is about to inherit this stash on her 21st birthday, but her father and sister want to grab it from her. Nothing horrific (nor even interesting) here.The cast is decidedly drab and unattractive (even toplined Susan George is unflatteringly photographed)and performances are strictly of the stock variety. Potentially interesting Portuguese scenery is also wasted by the pedestrian set-ups employed by helmer Pete Walker.Director Walker made a few mildly interesting films ("House of Whipcord", "Frightmare") along with a goodly amount of dreck. Thankfully he retired in '82, saving viewers from further boredom.