Taste of Fear (1961)

This taut little suspense film is unlike anything else to emerge from Hammer Studios. No garish colors or scary monsters. It's "small" in the sense there are only a handful of characters and it's photographed in moody black and white (by none other than Douglas Slocombe!). There are enough plot twists and red herrings to keep viewers on edge. And for visual appeal, it's all played out against a luxurious home on the French Riviera. While I find Ann Todd's and Ronald Lewis's performances spot on, I'm less enthusiastic about Susan Strasberg in the leading role. She's stiff and whiny and less likable than the others. Hammer stalwart Christopher Lee has a small, but effective role. It's all very entertaining right to the end.

Wonderful cast, atmosphere and story. Suspenseful, chilling and thrilling. This one has a air of sadness, mystery and horror that you do not see most modern horror-thrillers. This one is great for a late night thriller.I don't know how I missed this film earlier in my life but I'm glad to see it now. It's definitely worth watching.She is bound to a wheelchair and returns home to see her father after 10 years of not being able to see him. She sees his dead body and his ghost(?) - that leads others to believe she might have other problems outside of her physical state. But there is more going on that will leave the viewer guessing.8.5/10

Coming to her father's home after an almost fatal accident, his wheel- chair bound daughter finds him away, but her most gracious step-mother present to welcome here. Obviously, something is amiss, and no sooner has she settled in then she begins to claim to see her father's supposed corpse all over the grounds of the estate. What seems to be a traditional "Get your hands on the inheritance" plot turns into something a lot more deadly, and there's a lot of fun along the way in what is a fun, if obvious thriller. You've seen this plot in films time and time again, from the original "The Cat and the Canary" onto today. Susan Strasberg gives a sincere performance as the endangered heroine. Ann Todd, as the step-mother of wheelchair bound Strasberg, is outstanding as her character is developed and the truth is revealed. A famous horror villain is nothing more than a red herring, given a dark presence to cast instant suspicion as the villain. There are some really creepy moments throughout this thriller, and the conclusion may have you shrieking in both shock and laughter. Columbia had some tiny gems in the horror genre in the 1950's and 60's, and this is one of the best.

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.