Sound of Horror

I remember first seeing this film on television back in the 1970's. At that time I watched it in the middle of the night. It played right after Brides of Blood. At the time I didn't know what the film was called but years later I read about the title in a film book. Now I have been able to see the film again after nearly 30 years as it has become available on DVD (although a poor print). The film still has it's scary moments and is notable as being Ingrid Pitt's first film as well as featuring Soledad Miranda. I can't give the film a high rating as it is very slow overall but the sounds the creature makes as well as the death scenes are very well done for such a low budget film.

as a collector of vintage sci-fi movies from the 20"s through the 60"s i have found many use a cookie cutter mentality with no new imagination,that does not mean they are not good movies, but the story often is not very original,been done before,etc., that said, i like the story of the sound of horror even at the risk of being ridiculed,*** (my co-workers broke into tears of laughter when i told them i liked a movie about an invisible prehistoric dinosaur)***these same individuals looked me straight in the eye and told me how believable it was to them that a family could feed and pet a brontosaurus in Jurassic park!*** give me a break!*** anyway,that being said, i find sound of horror to be very unique in imagination and concept,the film was obviously a low budget production,yet,it has more intense suspense than some million dollar movies of later vintage. the only available copy at this writing is just a "fair" print quality wise,and the movie was Spanish origin with English dubbing,** still, i recommend this movie to serious "vintage" sci-fi collectors, its very different and thats what makes it stand out among the crowd.*** it really is kind of creepy,*** even today,*** turn the lights out when you watch it!***creepy soundtrack highlights it also! ****

With this type of film there always seems to be a sentimental this-scared-me-as-a-kid review. And I supposed this one is no exception. I saw it once on TV as a kid. It scared me. I've never forgotten it. And I never saw it again until recently when I picked it up as a discount DVD.

As others have said this is a very low budget effort from Spain that employs a cheap gimmick to scare it's audience. It's monster is not seen, only heard. And what is heard is a particularly creepy series of sounds.

But the problem for the film's detractors is that this gimmick seems to work.

Like the famous swimming pool scene in the superior Cat People, it tricks the audience into imagining something more horrible than what could be shown.

The movie's greatest asset is that it's director seems to know how to scare his audience. For instance there are long, sustained shots in which very little happens. But this serves to create tension, causing us to wonder, "What is coming next?"

In watching it again, I kept thinking how well this would have worked as a radio play. The way it uses only sound and narrative to frighten the audience, it reminded me of Wyllis Cooper's classic The Thing on the Fourble Board.

For those who need vivid color, big stars and intrusive CGI effects, let them rent Anaconda.

And for those who have trouble suspending disbelief over the film's gimmick: Who's to say there weren't any invisible dinosaurs? How would we know?

This is a cool Spanish horror film from the 6os finely directed by Jose Antonio Nieves Conde , a slick craftsman . A group of isolated people expert on archeology in the Greek mountains formed by three adventurers "André" (Antonio Casas), "Asilov" (James Philbrook) and "Dorman" (Jose Bódalo), seeking a hidden treasure in a cave in a remote rural area of Greece . Accompany them in their search "Pete" (Arturo Fernandez), a hired driver in Athens, "Sophia" (Ingrid Pitt), the Asilov lover , and "María" (Soledad Miranda), daughter of "Andre" . Ignoring the warnings from local residents, who claim that the cave is cursed, and following an old map, "André", "Asilov" and "Dorman" use dynamite to open unexplored caves. They set off a cave explosion , one blast exposes two major prehistoric eggs that are apparently petrified . They are menaced by an invisible shrieking dinosaur that had been buried for eons . "André" leads one to the cabin where he is staying in the care of a local employee, "Calliope" (Lola Gaos). The egg opens and escapes inside a prehistoric monster invisible beeps awful, capable of causing death. As a dinosaur egg hatches and out lashes an invisible predator .

Thrilling film in low budget plenty of chills , suspense , screams and lots of blood . I admire creative effort to keep budget down , but this time is too little . The invisible monster is an original and imaginative resource that lets you play with a certain ambiguity and , at the same time, contributes mightily to create an oppressive ambient and haunting atmosphere . Predictability of the plot, written by Americans named Gregg Tallas and Sam X Abarbanel outlining causes of settings and characters , but not hidden at any time a script perfectly constructed, that transcends its status monster movie to approach the field of cosmic terror. Science has a role in the development of anecdotal history, full of mythological references and legendary as the legend of the Golden Fleece , the monster as a symbol of moral punishment of greed . You'll have to use your imagination as archaeologist are slashed to bits by the show terror carried out by the estrange creature . The spectator does not know at any time the dimensions and physical characteristics of the monster , but the abominable sound emitted is more than enough to imagine the horror it represents. This is an effective and simple movie ; it results to be an acceptable Spanish-American co-production with a Spaniard all-star-cast such as Arturo Fernandez , Lola Gaos , Francisco Piquer and Jose Bodalo-Antonio Casas , both of whom played many Spaghetti Western ; in addition a B Series American star as James Philbrook . Furthermore two cult female stars as the British Ingrid Pitt , Hammer's ordinary , and Spanish Soledad Miranda , Jesus Franco's usual . Passable cinematography in black and white by notorious cameraman Manuel Berenguer who photographed several American movies , though being necessary a right remastering ; it was filmed at Samuel Bronston studios and on location in Hoyo de Manzanares , La Pedriza , Madrid . Intriguing and suspenseful musical score by the classical composer called Luis De Pablo . The motion picture efficiently produced by Gregorio Sacristan was compellingly directed by Jose Antonio Nieves Conde , a director of great quality . He was a drama expert (Surcos, El Inquilino , Marta , Casa Manchada) , religious cinema (Balarrasa, Cotolay) , Comedy (Don Lucio Y Hermano Pio) and even terror as¨ Sounds of horror¨ , one of the least known and appreciated films but is nowadays best considered .

Back in the old days of television, with no cable and only 3 channels available, I was still very lucky to be able to catch some fine horror gems like this one, along with other more-scary films such as 'Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things' and 'Twisted Brain'. For years I never knew what the title of this film was, I just knew it was an invisible monster who screeched loudly and slashed people's faces & bodies apart! I loved the scene with the flour, where they had layed it across the floor, so you could see the creatures' foot-steps coming closer to them, holed-up in the cabin....it's a far-fetched film, but I loved it as a kid but could never place the title & never saw or heard of it again...until a few months ago! There is a video dealer in NYC who helped me discover its' title and I was able to buy it off ebay (oldies .com has it also) and am proud to have been able to find this old gem! It may not be for everybody, but there's something about a horror film, when seen as a kid or teen....it will always stay with you and to find it again is kind of like finding a lost love or family member! I give it 6 out of 10 stars ******