Die Screaming Marianne - Region 1 DVD

Handsomely shot in the lofts of swinging London and on the sunny coast of Portugal by future British goremeister Pete Walker, this is a competently made little thriller, familiar in parts and clumsily executed in moments--the flaming car wreck is particularly ragged--but engaging overall. There is no shortage of murder and mayhem, but despite its provocative title, Die Screaming, Marianne only hints at the sex and violence that later became the hallmark of Walker's savage productions Frightmare and House of Whipcord. His signature is found in the sheer desolation of the project. In a Pete Walker film, innocence is no guarantee of survival.

Image Entertainment's full-screen release marks the film's first uncut home-video release in the U.S. The print is worn in places and in parts resorts to less than stellar footage (ostensibly to reconstruct the full version), and the color is slightly subdued, but considering that this is a 1970 drive-in film it looks fine and is quite watchable. --Sean Axmaker

In notorious British goremaster Pete Walker's first horror film, the beautiful Susan George (Straw Dogs) stars as Marianne, a nightclub dancer desperately running for her life. Marianne is about to turn 21 and inherit the contents of a sizeable Swiss bank account, which includes certain incriminating documents. Trickery, betrayal and death are around every corner in this pulse-pounding, suspense-filled horror thriller.