Horror omnibuses have been around in one way or another pretty much since the great Mario Bava rejuvenated them in 1963 with the awesome Black Sabbath. They often vary in quality, and many are brought down by weak links; this one, however, doesn't suffer from any weak stories. Obviously, some are better than others; but all in all, I don't hesitate to call this one of the best horror omnibuses that I've seen. From a Whisper to a Scream is most notable for the fact that it is Vincent Price's last ever 'pure' horror movie. It's a shame to see the great master during his swansong to the genre that made him; but on the other hand, this role really shows Price's talent as, despite being only a small part, he really makes the best of it. The plot concerns a small town called Oldfield. After the electrocution of his niece, librarian Julian White (Price) tells a reporter about the horrible incidents that have occurred in the town. The first tale is the weakest of the bunch - but it still has it's moments. Clu Gulager is creepy throughout, and the themes that it handles are quite frightening. Speaking of frightening - check out that tale's climax! Anyway, tale one is just a warm up, really...
Tale two is the highlight for yours truly. I love it when an omnibus flick produces a tale worth remembering - and this tale certainly is! It works from more than just visual horror, and when you think about the potency of the ending - this one really hits home. Nice message, too. Not far behind in terms of quality is tale three. This is the typical eighties story of the bunch, and a lot of the reason it works is courtesy of the gruesome special effects. This one also generates intrigue from it's story, however, and cant be seen as merely an excuse to show some blood and guts. The last tale of the quartet is the most psychological of the bunch, and it follows the fortunes of three civil war soldiers that are 'kidnapped' by a bunch of children! This one went on a little bit too long for my liking, but the ideas behind it are good and the way that we see the soldiers being dominated by the evil children is quite surreal. It's obvious that writer-director respects the fact that he's managed to get one of the all-time greatest horror actors in the film by the way that the wraparound story is handled. Usually, this part of the film lets it down because it hasn't been very well thought out - but the one in this film is completely the opposite and actually makes the movie! On the whole, this isn't a must see horror movie, but it's very good and I highly recommend it!
Tale two is the highlight for yours truly. I love it when an omnibus flick produces a tale worth remembering - and this tale certainly is! It works from more than just visual horror, and when you think about the potency of the ending - this one really hits home. Nice message, too. Not far behind in terms of quality is tale three. This is the typical eighties story of the bunch, and a lot of the reason it works is courtesy of the gruesome special effects. This one also generates intrigue from it's story, however, and cant be seen as merely an excuse to show some blood and guts. The last tale of the quartet is the most psychological of the bunch, and it follows the fortunes of three civil war soldiers that are 'kidnapped' by a bunch of children! This one went on a little bit too long for my liking, but the ideas behind it are good and the way that we see the soldiers being dominated by the evil children is quite surreal. It's obvious that writer-director respects the fact that he's managed to get one of the all-time greatest horror actors in the film by the way that the wraparound story is handled. Usually, this part of the film lets it down because it hasn't been very well thought out - but the one in this film is completely the opposite and actually makes the movie! On the whole, this isn't a must see horror movie, but it's very good and I highly recommend it!