Taste of Fear (1961)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Brilliant and touching

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Wheelchair-bound Penny Appleby (Susan Strasberg) returns home after being away for ten years. Upon arriving at her father's estate, she meets her stepmother (Ann Todd), who tells Penny that her father is away for a few days on a trip. Soon, Penny begins to see her father's dead body around the estate. But no one but her sees it. She gets help from the chauffeur (Ronald Lewis) and together they investigate and begin to suspect Penny's stepmother may have murdered her father and is now trying to drive Penny insane in order to claim the inheritance.Effective thriller from Hammer, with a great script by Jimmy Sangster and some solid direction from Seth Holt. I believe this film was Hammer's first (but not last) attempt to capitalize off of the post-Psycho trend of twisty mystery thrillers. It's stylishly done, with some genuinely eerie moments and nice twists.

I have watched the movie in French..and in German,where the title is "Ein Toter spielt Klavier",meaning :A Death plays the piano. Ufortunately, or- fortunately my father allowed me to watch this movie in 1983,when I was 11 years old...maybe too young for a movie like that..but this film has rested marked in my mind forever..and maybe is the reason today, why I'm so interested in old black and white movies..today,I own more than 20 copies of the movie.Ever since,I haven't found any other movie so suspenseful..This movie will always stay in my mind, impressing me so much until the day I die!Whoever has written the storyboard of this movie,was more than smart!!Every camera setting is made extremely smart!

Fade in: Two men are seen apparently fishing. But there is more going on than what meets the eye, as they do not reel in a fish. The quiet and picturesque yet eerie opening makes the viewer feel appropriately spooked.Credits, Fade in: Susan Strasberg, a young lady, probably in her 20s, is seen in a wheelchair, having arrived at a airport and being taken to her father's house. They have not known each other for years.She finds it odd that her father was not only not there to greet her at the airport but not at home when she gets there, given the fact he asked there, after years of separation. Only stepmother Ann Todd is at home, with the usual staff of a chauffeur and maids. Then, strange things begin to happen. She starts to see strange things. And, the subject of her paralysis and the accident is brought up by doctor and friend of her father Christopher Lee.I'm sure other reviewers have gone into more detail (but as a rule I don't read them so as to not influence what I write,) but to say any more of the plot would be robbing the first-time viewer from going into the movie fresh. It was great to see this for the first time knowing nothing, and I'm sure it will be better the second time around.Despite the little details I have gone into, I can say it is very chilling and downright unsettling in parts. I recommend this to all who want a scary and very fulfilling think piece and experience.

I caught this gem of a movie on TCM recently. "Scream of Fear" (or "Taste of Fear") released in 1961, a mystery/horror film that centers around a young woman named Penny (Susan Strasberg) confined to a wheelchair after a horse riding accident. She goes to visit her father, whom she has not seen in 9 years (and it is never really fully explained why). Anyway, her father lives on the French Riviera, and when Penny gets there, he is not there. Instead she encounters Jane (Ann Todd) her stepmother, who is so overly gracious and hospitable that the viewer can tell it is something of an act. There is also a handsome and helpful handyman/chaueffer Robert (Ronald Lewis). Penny becomes suspicious of her father's absence, and then begins seeing his corpse show up in various placed on the immense property. Everyone tells her she is imaging things, except Robert, who appears to be on her side (or is he?). The plot takes some twists and turns that are unexpected. I thought this was going to be a B-type movie, so common to this era of film making, but was pleasantly surprised it was so well made and acted. There are some things that don't quite make sense, like Penny suddenly thinking her father's corpse is being kept in a neglected pool (who would think such a thing?). One interesting aspect of the film is the obvious camera work playing up Robert's good looks -- he appears to be the sex object of the film, unusual by 1961 standards, when actresses were used in this way. In once scene, he appears in a skimpy bathing suit that doesn't leave much to the imagination! Strasberg's performance is calm and yet she can be hysterical when needed. Supporting cast members Ann Todd and Ronald Lewis are both good and Christopher Lee is also on hand as a creepy and sinister doctor. The ending of the film is a complete surprise, and totally blew me away. Check this one out -- you won't regret it.