Scream Bloody Murder (1973)

AKA: "The Captive Female,” “Claw of Terror,” and “Matthew”

Directed by: Marc B. Ray

Starring: Fred Holbert, Leigh Mitchell, Robert Knox and Angus Scrimm

Genre: Horror, Thriller, Exploitation, Slasher

Rated: R

As a child, Matthew killed his father, managing to lose his hand in the process. Ten or fifteen years later, he is released from a mental institution, his hand replaced with a hook. Upon arriving home, he discovers that his mother has remarried. Angered by this revelation, Matthew embarks on a killing spree, only pausing when he meets Vera, a free-spirited artist and prostitute who greatly resembles his mother. After spending time with Vera, Matthew decides that he must have her, no matter what the cost.

The first half of this movie is a slasher, while the second half is basically Matthew holding Vera captive. The first kill is pretty cheesy, but they get slightly better as the film progresses. The gore effects, however, are pretty awful, with the blood almost watery in some scenes. Once Matthew acquires a house and kidnaps Vera, the film slows down and becomes more of a suspense piece between the two of them.

Clearly Matthew has Oedipal issues that need to be resolved, something the asylum he was in as a boy must never have thought to tackle. His character is rather grating, especially his whiney voice. He is also afraid of anything sexual, thinking any man touching a woman in a sexual nature is hurting her. He goes into attack mode whenever he witnesses people showing affection toward one another. Vera is a strong, intelligent woman, despite the fact that she is a prostitute (an uncommon combination in films such as this). She seems to have a big heart, but she’s also willing to fight for her own safety.

While the tagline, “When You’re In Her Business, Sooner Or Later, It Has To Happen!” makes it seem like Vera was asking for this psycho to abduct her, the film doesn’t portray it that way. Vera is a much more sympathetic character than Matthew, and I longed for her to be able to escape his clutches. I loved that she was stubborn and resilient, despite her fear of Matthew and his psychotic rage. She spits food in his face when he tries to force feed her, and her escape attempts are honorable. Especially when, bound hand and foot, she manages to limbo out of the ropes binding her to a chair, hop downstairs, make her way to the telephone, use it to pull the gag from her mouth, then use her tongue to dial the operator for help. Some people find this scene laughable, but it’s a heck of a lot more than most damsels-in-distress do. I found the scene suspenseful and her efforts admirable.

The acting in this film wasn’t the greatest, but this is bottom-of-the-barrel grindhouse sleaze, so what do you expect? Holbert gives a decent performance as the perpetually childish, psychotic Matthew and his line delivery in a few scenes makes the film. For example, his calm, casual delivery of this line when Vera refuses to eat, “Eat, or I’ll cut your tongue from your mouth.” He ranges from this to a child-like tantrum when he brings Vera his gifts and she isn’t impressed, “See what I do for you? I get groceries and clothes and art stuff and kill people. And do you appreciate it? No!” (I can’t help it; I laughed at this line, a lot.) Leigh Mitchell kept up a strong performance as Vera, varying from friendly free spirit to fearful (but not pathetic) damsel to seductress. However, her portrayal of Matthew’s mother was very weak – though, in all honesty, so was his mother. The worst performance by far was from Robert Knox as Matthew’s stepfather – wooden and unable to express emotion, even fear. His shocked expression is almost laugh-inducing. 

This film also had its random moments, some funny, such as the dual-cane wielding old woman (whom the viewer and Matthew believed to be bed-ridden) and Matthew’s apparent ability to teleport at the end of the movie. There was an unnecessary scene where he killed the old woman’s dog – a dog that wasn’t doing anything to him. That scene felt like it had just been thrown in for shock value and could have been left out without marring the film in any way. 

There is no nudity in this flick, so if that’s what you’re looking for, you’re in the wrong place. The most you will see is Mitchell’s bare back when she’s getting ready to bathe, and even though she is supposedly naked, you can see the top of her underwear. It’s important to distinguish this from many other exploitation films of the era that dealt with rape and women held captive. Matthew kidnaps Vera because he wants a live-in companion, a friend, and a mother-like figure. He is attracted to her, but his fear of sex and the way he views her keeps him from trying anything sexual – something a little different for that sub-genre.

Overall, this was an okay flick. The performances were decent, some dialogue and scenes unintentionally funny, and the character of Vera was very likable. There was also a decent amount of suspense, despite the bad special effects and overall cheese.

5/10