Taste of Fear
| Program section: | Spoiler Alert! |
|---|---|
| Directed by: | Seth Holt |
| Year: | 1961 |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Length: | 82 min. |
| Cast: | Susan Strasberg, Ann Todd, Ronald Lewis, Christopher Lee, and others |
Screening:
- 29. 8. 2025 | 23:59 - Central Bohemia Hall (CZ sub)
The popularity of Psycho (1960) was not limited to the US, but soon spread across the Atlantic. In Great Britain, Hammer Films, a company known for its extravagant horror films such as The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and Dracula (1958), tried to ride the wave of popularity of psychological thrillers with internally conflicted characters and surprising twists. The main character of Taste of Fear is a wheelchair-bound heiress who sees her father’s corpse in a lavish mansion on the French Riviera. Are these just fantasies, as those around her would have her believe, or is there another explanation? This crowd-pleasing film received mixed reviews at the time, and even its creators couldn’t agree on its merits. Christopher Lee, otherwise known as Count Dracula, considered it Hammer’s best film, while his colleague Ann Todd claimed it was simply “terrible.” (mh)
