A Masterpiece!

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Strange, arty horror movie filmed in Devon, England about a mysterious traveller who turns up at the coastal home of John Hurt and Susannah York (who gets her clothes off several times) and claims to have magic Aboriginally powers. Indeed he possess a deadly shout, hence the title. Nicely filmed and compelling, with a great cast but if you can understand the ending then you are more clever than me! Just enjoy for the strangeness and visual pleasure.

The backdrop to this startling tale is that bastion of English civility: the cricket match. Going to the wicket here are the staff and inmates at a mental asylum. Keeping score is a young intern and Crossley (Alan Bates) a man whose needs are special and very possibly insane. During the course of the game he describes to his fellow scorer how his life have come to such a pass. He claims to have been living amongst Aborigines for eighteen years, and to have learned to kill by shouting. In flashback we are taken to Devon where he takes up with a young rural couple (John Hurt and Susannah York) who are sceptical of this and most of his other scary stories. Unsurprisingly considering that, as narrators go, they don't come much more unreliable than mental patients.Thematically this is similar to The Wicker Man with its challenge to Christian beliefs, though it's much more layered and with less of a narrative thrust. Bates gives a performance of great power, rather then the quietly smouldering persona we are used to. Hurt and York are both excellent, particularly the latter as she succumbs to the madman's charms. Director Jerzy Skilomoski's takes Robert Graves' story at face value and introduces an east European art-film aesthetic into what could have been a Hammer horror. Like much of the best of 'British' - Withnail and I, The Ruling Class, Summer of Love and Skilomoski's own Deep End - The Shout benefits greatly from an outsider's perspective.

There's something profoundly ludicrous about the whole premise of this film, but the story is told in such a straight-faced manner it becomes compelling to the viewer. Aboriginal mysticism finds its way to the English country-side in the form of a spine-shattering shout that can cause all life cease to exist. One mysterious man possesses the knowledge on how to use this shout and forces himself into the lives of an unknowing, loving couple. The main story is a bit oddly placed between a pro- & epilogue set during a sports event at an insane asylum, which does wrap things up nicely. If you have a thing for a strange, offbeat mixture of mystery/horror/thriller/drama, then you can't go wrong with "The Shout". Due to its disquieting triangular relationship of the three leading characters (John Hurt, Susannah York & Alan Bates; yes, you may expect some nudity from all of them), "The Shout" might make up for the better half of a double bill with Norman J. Warren's "Prey" (1978).

Reminding me of the likes of the original Wicker Man in terms of style, The Shout is an unusual but very atmospheric film. While the story is compelling and very well-paced, there are some parts where it meanders slightly at the end where the film felt a little strange in its tone. Also the film is a little too short, I think the reason why the story meandered was to do with the attempt to wrap everything up before it was too late. And in regards to the DVD, the audio could've I agree been much better, it sounds a bit murky making some of the dialogue hard to hear That said, The Shout works in its atmosphere. The many moments that work are incredibly haunting, and the shout itself stuck in my mind for weeks. The Shout also looks very stylish, the scenery and costumes are wonderful, the lighting is appropriately bleak and the cinematography and editing add to the atmosphere without looking too slip-shod. The direction is very adroit and the dialogue is thought-provoking and very rarely over-the-top. The performances also help elevate. Alan Bates is brilliant, both John Hurt and Susannah York are perfect and Tim Curry is very effective in a smaller role.All in all, atmospheric and well done. 7/10 Bethany Cox