What a pleasant surprise this film was! All the warning signs pointed to Scream for Help being a bad film; it's practically unknown, directed by Michael Winner (who. let's face it, doesn't have a track record for making the best films), it has a low IMDb rating and the plot is generic and largely unoriginal; but despite all of this, Scream for Help triumphs over adversity and can stand tall as one of the most fun trash flicks ever made! The film certainly has its problems; Winner appears to have no clue when it comes to style, and the film is often very choppy both in terms of plotting and dialogue, but it doesn't take itself seriously and the plot has enough about it to ensure that the film is always entertaining. The plot focuses on Christie Cromwell; a teenage girl with a problem. She believes that her stepfather Paul Fox is trying to murder her and her mother so he can inherit a fortune; but no one will believe her! Luckily for her, however, Paul is a bumbling buffoon when it comes to murder, and you can only fail to kill someone so many times before you get caught out...The way that Winner handles the film is terrible, but somehow great at the same time. There's some horrendous use of music in this film, and the tone of the movie often changes in a heartbeat; but all this works well as Winner keeps the audience on their toes, and the film never tries to be anything other than a trash flick. The plot used in this film was changed slightly and reused for the 1987 hit 'The Stepfather', and while very good; that film mostly kept itself 'clean', but that's not the case here. Winner inserts sex, nudity, blood and nasty death scenes into this film; and while it's extremely over the top and not really in-fitting with the plot, that's Winner's style and he certainly knows how to deliver an entertaining trashy movie. The lead role is taken by unknown actress Rachael Kelly, and she's really rather good. The film plays out from her perspective, and her voice-overs again offset the rest of the film as its sort of like a little girl's diary, with sex, blood and a murder plot. Overall, Scream for Help might not do much for a lot of people - but I had a great time with it, and therefore the film comes highly recommended!

The acting was the WORST.The part that had me shaking my head was after the friend got killed and they were at the hospital. The doctor just comes out and blatantly says - with not a hint of remorse in his words - "Your daughter is dead!" and walks the heck off.Another thing...the girl starts sleeping with her dead best friend's (who's dead, btw because of her and her spying) boyfriend.If you're looking for some cheesy, campy, cheap flick with a cliché for a plot then rent this.You won't be disappointed!

This is fantastic trash from one of the most accomplished trash directors, Michael Winner . It is "The Girl Who Cried Wolf" and that wolf is her stepdaddy (David Brooks). Like most of Winner's work, it is loud, as subtle as a sledgehammer, full of nasty expletives and downright mean-spirited. If that's not a hard enough sell for you, it's also filled with sleazy sex and there's a sexual assault.Say what you want about the man, but Winner does deliver. He attacks his genre work with enthusiasm and a healthy dollop of offensiveness. He's not afraid to alienate more sensitive viewers and he never goes for suggestion when a lurid close-up will do.The idea of showing everything from the perspective of a young girl is a good one and it's novel to watch little Rachael Kelly, as Christie Cromwell, riding around on her bike as she pokes her nose into her stepdaddy's sordid affairs.The film's final half hour is a rocket ride of sleaze, violence and brutality and testament to Winner's blazing talent for garish overstatement.You'll be a better human being if you miss this, but a lesser trash monger.

I like this movie a lot. True, it's not a cinema classic, but as a "B" horror film, it rates a B+. The story, acting, and direction are much better than most films of this sort. My biggest complaint with the film is the music, which is often out of sync with the film, and at other times shrill to the point of being annoying. The actors do a fine job, particularly Sisto, in the sleasy, white trash role. The young actress who stars in this film is quite effective, and I have to wonder why she didn't get a career boost, after this one.I'd like to purchase this film, if it is ever released on DVD.