“A living, breathing nightmare committed to celluloid.” – Chris Alexander

During a cricket match at an insane asylum between the patients and the local villagers, one of the inmates, Crossley (Alan Bates, in a tour-de-force performance of seething malevolence), tells a story of how he came to possess supernatural powers enabling him to kill with a single shout. The story involves Crossley insinuating himself into the uneasy marriage of composer Anthony (John Hurt) and his wife Rachel (Susannah York). Crossley is an enigmatic, menacing presence who seduces Rachel and humiliates Anthony in a strange power game played, seemingly, for his own amusement. Adapted from a short story by Robert Graves (author of I, Claudius) and directed by legendary Polish auteur Jerzy Skolimowski (Deep End, Eo), the film is enveloped in an entrancing yet unsettling atmosphere that’s enhanced by the lonely beauty of rural Devon and the haunting synth-and-digeridoo score composed by Genesis members Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford. Though not widely known, this haunting enigma of a film earns comparison to Nicolas Roeg’s similarly jagged masterpiece of atmospheric horror Don’t Look Now and is a favorite of no less an authority than Steven King, who placed THE SHOUT on his list of 96 recommended horror films in the book Danse Macabre.

This film is screening as part of Arkadin’s March-long series, Disruptive Guests, featuring films where visitors from other countries, other worlds, and other socioeconomic statuses upend domestic normalcy.

Arkadin does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. However, we encourage researching titles to determine if a screening may contain content that could be upsetting to you. Please feel free to contact us for guidance on specific films. Information about content can also be found on Common Sense Media, IMDB and DoesTheDogDie.com, as well as through general internet searches.