Sound of Horror (1967)

Thanks for the memories!

Pretty Good

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

From the opening credits introducing the cast members scampering across the wilderness, pursued by an unknown assailant, you know you're going to get something a little different and that promise lives up to expectation in this Spanish thriller. A trio of treasure hunters converge on a haunted cave searching for an elusive cache of rare antiquities that has evaded them since their first brush when they were soldiers in WWII. But after discovering what may have been the long lost chest, they inadvertently release a terrible, shrieking creature that also happens to be invisible.More than meets the eye to this cast, with Amercian James Philbrook cast as the stoic, unofficial leader of the trio (the other two Casas and Bodalo), his girlfriend Polish bombshell Ingrid Pitt in her film debut, while the ill-fated Soledad Miranda is the leading lady, a rising star who died prematurely in a car accident only a few years following this film. All the cast discharge themselves with professionalism and tact, no hysterics or over-zealous rants, very measured, solid performances. I thought Lola Gaos as the superstitious Greek housekeeper - whose frequent warnings go ignored until too late, - was a highlight, the scene in which she fetches the water, suspenseful and exceptionally well photographed.There's plenty of atmosphere in the black and white cinematography, decent sets and calculated suspense, the film's multi-pronged climax is engaging and leads to an unexpected conclusion that won't disappoint. Perhaps the only faux pas is the fictitious Greek setting and characters, all of which looks and sounds very Spanish. Better than expected, worth a look.

The Sound of Horror is a mid-60s Spanish horror film set in Greece. Some men are looking for buried treasure after obtaining both halves of a secret treasure map which leads them to an old cave. After blowing up portions of the cave, they discover a mummy, a skeleton, and some semi-petrified dinosaur eggs. One of the eggs hatches to produce a transparent dinosaur-like monster which terrorizes the men and the ladies. Not content to stay in its cave, the monster roams around and attacks the cabin where the people are staying.The suspense factor is actually not bad, I'll give the suspense factor a six. The special effects are awful though. There are a couple of brief flashes of the monster (it looks like a plastic Godzilla model picked up at a discount toy store) and stop-motion effects to show the footprints of the monster walking through the flour. Finally, the monster shrieks sound like a person going "AAAAAHEEEAAAAAHH" and nothing more. Anyway the monster gets one star.The stunningly beautiful Soledad Miranda, however, gets a solid eight just for the Greek dancing and standing around looking so pretty. Overall, not bad, I give it a four.

If you are a fan of vintage, cult horror movies like I am then you will absolutely love this movie. I cannot believe that it has no cult following! I can't even find a movie poster for it. Although it is a low budget, dubbed, Spanish movie it has a great story with very good acting and the effects are as cool as can be. Overall it is made in the typical fashion of horror movies of this period but has some real surprises along the way. The acting and dubbing is far superior than most. The sets are good. The camera work is average or a little above. But the story is very good and interesting with many scenes that I do not want to give away. The black and white make it moody and pretty scary. There are some rather gory effects especially for the time. The monster is invisible for the most part yet you can really imagine it from some cool footprints and the blood curdling noise that it makes. You really worry for the people in this movie. It also has one of the most surprise endings that I have ever seen in a movie of this era. Another reason that I can't understand why this movie is not out there is that it is Ingrid Pitt's first movie role. She is lovely as ever but looks a lot different than her 1970's roles.This movie is a must for vintage horror fans.

How do you save money when you want to make a scary movie? Easy, just make the monster invisible! It worked (sort of) with INVISIBLE INVADERS (1958) where not only the aliens but also their spaceships were invisible. That is just what happens in this movie only it isn't space aliens this time it's . . . well hold on, I'll get to that.This b/w Spanish movie offers a bunch of old war buddies who are searching the mountains of Greece for art treasures hidden during WW2. To do this the start blowing holes in a mountain which the locals say is cursed. One blast does uncover a mummy but no his name isn't Popoca and he doesn't come back to life; that's another movie you are thinking of. They also discover a fossilised egg which they decide to take back to base camp. Unknown to them there was a second egg which cracked open. The contents, a blob-like substance, oozes out and . . . vanishes! Not long after that the men are planning what to do with the wealth they are soon to have when they dig up all those treasures (no one worries that the governments of the countries the artworks were stolen from might want them back but just keep repeating "It's only a movie, only a movie, only a movie . . ."). One man wanders outside to enjoy the night air when suddenly he hears footsteps but no one is close then. Then an ear piercing shriek rips through the night air. When the others find the friend he has been ripped to pieces. But who . . . or WHAT . . . did it?Okay here is what you have been waiting for. The young dinosaur popped out of the egg that hatched but he (it?) just happens to be . . . wait for it . . . invisible! Now this dino is just about mansized but his teeth and claws, plus the fact that you cannot see him until it is way too late, give him the advantage. The treasure hunters cannot even run to their truck and drive away because it might be waiting for them! Hmmmmmm, I'd say we have a problem here.Effects are surprisingly gory for a movie from 1964 and the suspense is really well constructed. The effects are fair, jump cuts are used the dino's footprints appearing in the sand and when an axe is thrown at the beast it is a blue-screen shot that only semi works. So is this a good film? YOU BET! It is the sort of thing that will make you feel like a kid at the movies on Saturday afternoon again. Of special interest is the inclusion of 27 year old Ingrid Pitt and 22 year old Soledad Miranda in the cast. Both would go on to achieve stardom, Ms. Pitt in Hammer Films and Ms. Miranda in movies for Jess Franco. The movie stops dead in its tracks so both women can dance.So do we ever get to see the dinosaur? Should I tell you or let you find out for yourselves? Ah, the movie is available from several DVD sources so . . . er . . . "see" for yourselves. you will not be disappointed.