Review: de Havilland Impresses in '70s TV Movie 'The Screaming Woman'
Formidable Oscar winner Olivia de Havilland ("To Each His Own," "The Heiress") had only made one television appearance prior to her TV movie debut in 1972's "The Screaming Woman," directed by Jack Smight ("Harper," "Airport 1975"). She would go on to do a few miniseries, including "Roots: The Next Generations" and "Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna," three TV films (her final being "The Woman He Loved"), as well as an episode of "The Love Boat."
On paper one would wonder why she would choose to take part in "The Screaming Woman." In the film, which is based loosely on a Ray Bradbury short story, de Havilland plays Laura Wynant, a well-to-do former mental patient who is now home to recuperate. One day while out walking she sees a dog digging up the ground, and then hears a woman's scream coming from underneath the soil. She basically spends the rest of the 74 minutes trying to convince everyone around her — including her doubting son (Charles Knox Robinson) and his annoying wife (Laraine Stephens) — that she isn't off her rocker again. She literally begins going door-to-door, and soon manages to knock on the door of the man who committed the crime (Ed Nelson, perfectly creepy). Yikes!
Well, surprisingly, "The Screaming Woman" is a rather fun sit, with de Havilland running around a lot, at 56, displaying great stamina as well as showing she can carry a movie — a movie that could appeal to all ages. Of course, things do get redundant after a bit, and the avaricious, cartoonish daughter-in-law tries one's patience, as do all of law enforcement and the neighborhood not taking de Havilland seriously (there is a missed opportunity about not exploring why the neighbors resent her character so much).
I must mention one truly great moment that scared the crap out of me near the end. For horror buffs, "The Screaming Woman" is worth it for that one scene alone. And for movie fans, there's the great de Havilland proving she was still in the game. And she had one hell of a scream, btw! Also, the film features cameos by Joseph Cotten and Walter Pidgeon (although both stars are wasted in tiny roles). This was also John Williams' last TV movie score before he moved to film forever.
The Blu-ray 2K master is fantastic. One doesn't expect such clarity of image with early '70s TV films. Kudos to Kino Classics for such a great job. Ditto the DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio Track.
The Special Features include an audio commentary by Gary Gerani (screenwriter and film historian) who goes into decent detail about de Havilland's career.
Blu-ray Extras Include:
"The Screaming Woman" is available on Blu-ray on October 5, 2021.