Sound of Horror (1967)

Strong and Moving!

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

With its title a parody of a well-known Julie Andrews musical, SOUND OF HORROR is an engaging film – and an odd one too. There's just some combination between Spain and monster flicks that make for distinctly distinctive movies; see, for instance, later '70s fare like THE LORELEY'S GRASP for another example. SOUND OF HORROR recalls the classic '50s monster movies popular around the world and it reminded me of BEAST FROM HOLLOW MOUNTAIN, although there's no obvious similarity between the two flicks.The cast is an engaging bunch and for a change the dubbing doesn't affect the performances too badly. The male characters are typically stern and bluff, but the focus is on the two female characters, played by Soledad Miranda and Ingrid Pitt. Both found fame in the 1970s, the former in Jess Franco skinflicks and the latter in Hammer horror skinflicks, and both lend equal glamour to the proceedings. They seem to spend an inordinate amount of time either dancing, wandering around in loose-fitting nightwear, or sunbathing, which I guess is the point.Of course, the main gimmick of this flick is that the monster is invisible. This is an effective idea; not only does it cut down on the budget, it also makes things that little bit creepier, as there's no rubber-suited or back-projected menace to date the film; instead, the viewer's imagination supplies the effects. The monster's cries are seriously spooky, although they do sound a little like a guy suffering from stomach pains on occasion; they had a shiver or two going up my spine. The script, written by an American, is better than most and focuses on stuff the viewers want to see, i.e. conflict between the group and encounters with the sinister terror. Director Jose Antonio Nieves Conde never really worked on any famous productions but he does an admirable job here, keeping things tight and never letting the pace flag too much.A spooky soundtrack adds to the atmosphere and the film's also surprisingly gory for its age – we see victims slashed to pieces by the monster. Perhaps they got away with it because it's black and white, but even so these moments are mildly shocking today. The climax, a variation on the classic house-under-attack format seen in THE BIRDS as well as about a hundred other horror movies, is effective, utilising clever scenes with flour and floating hatchets, and there's a good ending involving a twist with the car. Sure, SOUND OF HORROR is a B-movie through and through, but it's an effective, mildly scary one that's both well-made and well-directed.

In a way you've got to sort of admire the chutzpah of these Spanish filmmakers for making their movie monster INVISIBLE for almost the entire movie - that's one way to stretch out a special effects budget! What is real disappointing, however, is that when the monster does become visible, it's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment. Actually, the monster isn't among the real problems to be found in this movie. The real problem with the movie is that it is both very talky and very slow. There's very little in the way of horror sequences, not just from the fact it takes almost a half hour before the first true horror sequence unfolds. The movie also has a weird feel to it, coming across more like an early 1950s low budget horror movie instead of a mid 1960s movie. Oh, the movie has a little unintentional amusement, ranging from the sloppy work done by supposed professional archaeologists to how the characters seem mighty slow to realize that a body count is escalating. But other than isolated moments like those, the movie is a forgettable bore.

When a group of isolated people in the Greek mountains set off a cave explosion, they are menaced by an invisible shrieking dinosaur that had been buried for eons.As it happens, director José Antonio Nieves Conde was fairly prolific from the 1940s through the 1970s. Unfortunately, he was mostly prolific in Spain, and therefore little known in the United States. I wonder what other gems he has to offer and how easy they would be to track down...This film also features the debut of Ingrid Pitt, which has to be worth something. This is a cheap horror film (invisible dinosaurs are about as inexpensive as it gets), but having Pitt in there makes it quite important in retrospect...

What could possibly be more frightening than a face-shredding, chest-gouging prehistoric monster? Well, how about one with a particularly bloodcurdling scream? Or even better...howzabout one which, in addition to all of the above, and due to its complete camouflaging ability, IS TOTALLY INVISIBLE?!?! Anyway, it is just such a see-through monstrosity that menaces the characters of the 1965 Spanish film "Sound of Horror." In the picture, a trio of aging treasure hunters breaks into a long-lost cavern in the wilds of modern-day Greece, thus releasing the petrified egg of the unseeable whatsit. And very soon after, the freshly hatched, ravening beastie begins to kill off their helpers and traps the trio, their driver, the niece of one of the men (future Jess Franco muse Soledad Miranda, almost unrecognizable here) and the girlfriend of one of the others (future Hammer vampiress Ingrid Pitt, absolutely unrecognizable here) in a lonely old house in the valley. But how to fight an enemy that you simply cannot see?"Sound of Horror" is a relatively obscure little picture, and that is something of a shame. The film is actually very well put together, and it is quite remarkable how much suspense director J.A. Nieves Conde is able to generate utilizing only his actors' reactions, sound effects, and the moody strings of composer Luis de Pablo. Though we never get to see the film's monster--except for some split-second images in what I gather is refracted light, and once in the midst of smoke and flames--its hideous wailings (the film IS well named) and squishy footfalls are enough to elicit shivers. The reactions of the film's characters are quite realistic, too; when they hear the creature for the first time, these war-toughened men bolt as quickly as they possibly can! The picture features some fairly effective gross-out moments as the monster inflicts its mayhem, despite the fact that the movie was filmed in B&W. Actually, it is a pity that it could not have been shot in color, as the countryside outside Madrid (standing in for Greece) would have thus been nicely captured. And speaking of color, this viewer could not help wishing that our harried band in the film could just do what Jonny Quest and Co. did when battling "The Invisible Monster" from that TV episode (also from 1965); namely, drop some paint on the darn thing so we could get a good solid look at it! Still, despite all, this is a surprisingly involving little film, with some nice twists and surprises toward the end, as that darn monster proves itself to be stunningly resilient. And how can you dislike any film in which two characters, facing their demise, agree that the most important things in life are dancing, flowers, books and music? How many horror films have extolled the virtues of these four things? I love it! Oh...as for this DVD itself, it is yet another crummy-looking one from those indolent underachievers at Alpha Video. This is certainly a film that deserves a loving restoration, and much more than the Alpha treatment!