The Shout

"A film of intense perversity - the madness of the mind."

1978 1h 26m EN

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 132

ThrillerMysteryHorror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A traveller by the name of Crossley forces himself upon a musician and his wife in a lonely part of Devon, and uses the aboriginal magic he has learned to displace his host.

“A film of intense perversity - the madness of the mind.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

AMC+ Amazon ChannelSubscription

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Alan Bates
Charles Crossley
Susannah York
Rachel Fielding
John Hurt
Anthony Fielding
Robert Stephens
Chief Medical Officer
Tim Curry
Robert Graves
Julian Hough
Vicar
Carol Drinkwater
Cobbler's Wife
John Rees
Inspector

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jerzy Skolimowski
Writers: Robert Graves, Jerzy Skolimowski, Michael Austin
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

86 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

48 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jerzy Skolimowski, shot by Mike Molloy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mike Rutherford. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Barrie Vince shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Alan Bates and Susannah York and John Hurt carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A film of intense perversity - the madness of the mind.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0078259 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jerzy Skolimowski directs. Mike Molloy behind the camera. Mike Rutherford scores. Barrie Vince cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

186 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
248 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Jerzy Skolimowski, shot by Mike Molloy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Mike Rutherford. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Barrie Vince shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Alan Bates and Susannah York and John Hurt carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "A film of intense perversity - the madness of the mind.".
8IMDB entry: tt0078259 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Released under 24 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Mike Molloy
Original score: Mike Rutherford
Editing: Barrie Vince
Makeup / hair: Betty Glasow
Sound: Gordon K. McCallum
Runtime: 86 min · 1h 26m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Shout (1978)

Awards

Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Jerzy Skolimowski

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

rogerco2020-12-24
★ 6/10
I remember seeing this when it first came out (1978) and thinking it a bit overblown. Just watched it again (2020) after it was featured in a list of films containing an English cricket match (a short list; The Go Between from the same period is another one, also with Alan Bates in a similar role) It now seems a bit better than I remembered despite some inconsistencies and plot holes. Alan Bates, for all his brooding lumbering around, never quite pulls off the surreal menace that the role of Crossley, the man with The Shout That Can Kill, demands. John Hurt as Anthony the philandering cuckold composer, seems unbelievably weak in the face of Crossley's invasion of his life, but that's what the role as written demands. Tim Curry as Robert Graves (not the real one!) listens to Crossley's tale with suitable wide-eyed innocence in the hut as they are scoring the locals versus loonies cricket match at the asylum. The cast features many well known English actors of the period, including Susannah York getting her nipples out as usual and a young Jim Broadbent ripping his kit off to prance about in his pants in the thunderstorm that terminates the match, and the film. The Devon locations are an added bonus. All in all an entertaining 90 minutes although not a great film by any means. (and there isn't that much cricket!). Worth 3/5 or 4/7 if you prefer a finer grained rating system)

Production companies