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The Shout

Play trailer Poster for The Shout R 1978 1h 27m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
86% Tomatometer 14 Reviews 66% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
When a wandering man named Crossley (Alan Bates) insinuates himself into the lives of British composer Anthony Fielding (John Hurt) and his wife, Rachel (Susannah York), the couple is cautiously hospitable. Isolated out in rural Devon, where Anthony works on his music, the Fieldings find that their enigmatic guest has some strange preoccupations, most notably an obsession with dark Aboriginal magic. Crossley claims that he can kill a person with a mystical shout, but is he telling the truth?

Critics Reviews

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Dave Kehr Chicago Reader Dec 12, 2017
[The Shout] is shrewd, imaginative moviemaking. Go to Full Review Elliott Stein Film Comment Magazine Dec 12, 2017
1/4
My thoughts were elsewhere. Go to Full Review Variety Staff Variety Mar 26, 2009
Skolimowski has been able to create a gripping film that holds attention most of the way through its economical length. Go to Full Review Luke Goodsell ABC News (Australia) Sep 7, 2020
If the sexual corrosion weren't uneasy enough, then the film's frightening titular moment possesses a psychic power that's impossible to unhear. Go to Full Review Chris Alexander Alexander On Film Apr 1, 2020
Driven by a powerful score by Genesis alumni Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks, this is truly a living, breathing nightmare committed to celluloid. Go to Full Review Diego Galán El Pais (Spain) Aug 27, 2019
The mystery that surrounds the story and Alan Bates' excellent performance will transport viewers to an unsettling world. [Full Review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Horror fan 4 @Horrorfan4life Sep 6, 2026 This was a crazy and simple movie. Terrifying in that a simple whistle and you could die!! A mysterious man be friends a married couple and right away we see his intentions to take the man's wife. Using an object of hers he can completely control her. Terrible sound and a well shot horror movie. Timothy Treakle See more Michael C @RT65973121 Apr 13, 2026 Brilliant! Watch this! It is one of the best movies of its era. See more Glafira Regina O @Glafira_Regina Jan 22, 2026 Honestly, I didn't quite grasp the concept of the film. It is empty, soulless, there are barely any dialogues, and the lack of a soundtrack makes the picture completely subtle and quiet, giving the viewer no space to feel any engagement whatsoever. But then it is relatively short, so one would not need to toil upon it for long, and I did like the Shakespeare quote in the end. See more CodyZamboni Z @CodyZamboni Oct 26, 2024 Intriguing premise, Top notch performances from John Hurt, and especially Alan Bates, He's fascinating, quiet, menancing, who may have a supernatural power. Movie boosted by an incredible sound design, The movie's low budget, and small scale keeps the eerieness focused. The ending works, See more ron y @RT24500859 Aug 26, 2024 Don't waste your time. See more Dave S @RT68722908 Aug 18, 2024 Despite the difference in genre, is it possible that The Shout is a riff on the Monty Python skit The World’s Funniest Joke? In the latter, a joke is written that is so funny that when the audience hears the punchline, instant death by laughter is the outcome. In The Shout, a man, having been trained by an Aboriginal shaman, has the power to emit a deafening roar, resulting in instant death by…well…something. The cast is impressive (Alan Bates, John Hurt, Susannah York, Tim Curry) and the performances are solid, but the whole thing just seems pointlessly weird as the screaming man (Bates) inserts himself into the lives of a young couple (York and Hurt), leading to predictably weird results. Monty Python had a point to make with their skit. It’s hard to say if the same can be said for The Shout. See more Read all reviews
The Shout

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Jerzy Skolimowski

Director

Alan Bates

Crossley

Susannah York

Rachel Fielding

John Hurt

Anthony Fielding

Robert Stephens

Medical Man

Tim Curry

Robert Graves

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The Shout

The Shout (1978) The Shout (1978) The Shout (1978) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis When a wandering man named Crossley (Alan Bates) insinuates himself into the lives of British composer Anthony Fielding (John Hurt) and his wife, Rachel (Susannah York), the couple is cautiously hospitable. Isolated out in rural Devon, where Anthony works on his music, the Fieldings find that their enigmatic guest has some strange preoccupations, most notably an obsession with dark Aboriginal magic. Crossley claims that he can kill a person with a mystical shout, but is he telling the truth?
Director
Jerzy Skolimowski
Producer
Jeremy Thomas
Screenwriter
Jerzy Skolimowski, Michael Austin
Production Co
The Rank Organisation, Jeremy Thomas Production, Recorded Picture Company (RPC), National Film Finance Corporation
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 7, 2019
Runtime
1h 27m
Sound Mix
Surround
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