Rated : R
Directed by: Marc B. Ray
Staring:
Fred Holbert, Leigh Mitchell and Robert Knox 
Scream Bloody Murder starts out with a boy named Matthew running over his father with a tractor while some how mangling his own hand before jumping off. His mom then ships the poor bastard to a mental institution for 10 years and gets a shinning new hook for a hand in the process. For some unknown reason he is released from the mental institution only to find his mother remarried (which angers him). He kills the husband with an axe and accidentally strangles his mom. Then begins his rampage. He meets up with a hooker in the process and tries to convince her to quit and live with him in his mansion (who he murdered the people in the house to get) where he holds her captive.
A piece of 70s exploitation through and though. This movie doesn't make much sense at all, but it works. It was made in 1971 but released in 1973. It was also shot on 35mm and seems like it does have a budget and played in the theaters in the 70s. There's not really any gore to speak over but has it's share of blood. One particularly nerving scene where he is chopping at a woman with a meat cleaver. Even shortly after killing the dog, although off screen. Some humor is injected as well. Including a scene where the elderly woman that owns the house seems to overpower him. Much of this movie doesn't make much sense. He seems to rob many places and people for money but no cops are to be found. He also has some weird obsession with his mother and everyone he kills he sees as a zombified version of his mom and her husband. The reason isn't explained why. His hook hand is also pretty much MIA as far as kills go. Maybe it's there to add to his ummm sexual frustration? In fact, nothing makes much sense in this movie but its still a fun ride.
Video/Audio: I watched mine on an old cheapy public domain disc that can be had for dirt cheap at the store. I take it, its from an old VHS tape seeing as how I saw track lines. Also the print used for the tape seems to be of a bad print itself. Blurry, overly dark in places, specs, jump cuts, and the usual print damage. Add to that the added pixelation from the awful bitrate on the disc (it does share space with another movie). I'm OK with that though. It gave me that feeling as a kid and going to the rental store and renting a cheap old horror movie on a tape. Audio is muffled as you'd expect.
