Carry on Screaming! (1966) User Reviews

Zombies that make you laugh

[lastliberal · 7/10 · 29 April 2007]

If you are looking for a zombie film, this will not satisfy you. Sure, it has zombies, but they are too busy devising double entendres and references to Abbott and Costello bits or other films to be gnawing on flesh.

Speaking of flesh, Fenella Fielding was just about the hottest vampire I could imagine for the day.

Her brother, played by Kenneth Williams, was a hoot. He played the gayest Dr Frankenstein character I ever saw.

I had never seen Jim Dale before, and he was excellent. I only knew Dale as the reader of the Harry Potter books. I spent many hours with him as i listened to all of them many times over. Now, I find that he is an excellent actor to boot.

If you like British comedy, and I certainly do, then this is one film you should see. I can't wait to see more of them.

"Lets have a sift, I'm all for a good sift." Wonderful comedy horror spoof from the Carry On boys.

[poolandrews · 8/10 · 5 November 2005]

Carry On Screaming! starts in Oakham Woods as a young couple Albert Potter (Jim Dale) & Doris Mann (Angela Douglas) are out on a date. Albert disappears to investigate a strange noise & upon his return he finds Doris missing. Scotland Yard's finest Detective Sergeant Sidney Bung (Harry H. Corbett) & his trusty sidekick Detective Constable Slobotham (Peter Butterworth) are on the case & make the connection between this case the disappearance of several other young women in the same area within the past year. They search the woods but find nothing except a finger, they stumble across a large house belonging to Doctor Orlando Watt (Kenneth Williams) & his sister Valeria (Fenella Fielding) who are secretly using a hairy monster named Oddbod (Tom Clegg) to kidnap women which they then turn into shop dummies which they then sell to local stores, they are questioned but Bung finds nothing suspicious. Can Bung piece the clues together, figure out the truth & put a stop to the Watt's sinister plan? It's well worth a watch to find out...

This British production was directed by Gerald Thomas & was the twelfth Carry On in a series that has produced over thirty films & Carry On Screaming! is surely one of (if not the) the best. The script by Carry On regular Talbot Rothwell has all the sexual innuendo, smutty gags, crude humour & puns that make these Carry On's so much fun to watch & thankfully it doesn't take itself too seriously. I have to admit that I find Carry On Screaming! hilarious even as a die-hard horror fan or perhaps even because I am. It parodies & makes fun of all the Hammer horror film so popular at the time this was made with great affection & it is never disrespectful towards it's inspiration. Director Thomas tires to take the mickey out of everything, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, mad scientists, a sexy vampire, old dark creepy mansions, a mummy, bringing the dead back to life, the sinister butler & plots involving the kidnapping of sexy young English maidens & adds plenty of humour to the proceedings so it never becomes too scary or frightening. It moves along like a rocket, it never becomes boring & is consistently funny, I love the interchanges between Bung & his dim-witted partner Slobotham, the hilarious rows Bung & his wife Emily (Joan Sims) have night after night as he comes out with sarcastic quips to her constant moaning, the silly dialogue & situations that crop up & I just think the entire film works extremely well at what it sets out to do. Another area where Carry On Screaming! succeeds so well is that it looks & feels like a horror film with wonderfully atmospheric period sets especially Dr. Watt's mansion & basement laboratory. The costumes are great with Bung wearing a Sherlock Holmes type cape & smoking from a pipe & how did Fielding get into that dress? The cinematography by veteran Alan Hume is great with a rich bright almost garish colour scheme, fantastic stuff. The over-the-top acting as everyone camps it up big time is worth watching the film for in itself, Corbett was a last minute replacement for Sid James when he couldn't take part due to illness & does a great job while Feilding makes for an incredibly sexy & hot looking villain, the other Carry On regulars like Williams who hams it up with the best of them, Sims, Dale, Butterworth, Charles Hawtrey as Dan Dann the gardening man, Bernard Bresslaw as Sockett the butler & future Dr. Who Jon Pertwee also turns up. I think Carry On Screaming! is a fantastic film from the catchy & funny opening theme song right down to the happy almost feel good ending, wholeheartedly recommended & an absolute must for Carry On & comedy fans.

its a scream

[petersj-2 · 8/10 · 21 September 2008]

The chemistry between Fenella Fielding and Harry H Corbett is outstanding. They just sparkle on screen together. She was a remarkable performer and added class to every movie she did. I love her sexy sultry voice. Harry H Cobett is as he always was perfect. he looks as though he had been doing these movies for years. He was a brilliant performer. I had to good fortune of seeing him on stage when he came here to Australia to star in the JCW production of Neil Simons LAST OF THE RED HOT LOVERS. He was brilliant. Intentional or other wise it was a great idea to change the cast and introduce guests and new faces every now and then. I must say I prefer Harry to Sid James, even though Sid was a fine performer in his own right.The rest of the cast are great. I had not taken much notice of Amanda Douglas in previous movies but her performance in this is quite delightful. Jim Dale of course is as sexy as ever and a fine performer. His physical comedy is quite brilliant. Its the first one for Peter Butterworth. I really liked him in this and his drag is pretty good.Joan Sims is the wife from hell and gives a suitably nasty performance. Its rather funny to note that British people slept wit potties under their beds. I wonder if they still do? I guess so. The film looks great. I love the opening credits. We don't see much of Charles Hawtry in this but he gives a much straighter performance in this and its fun. It looks rather like a Hammer film. Kenneth Williams hams it up superbly as always. Its a bright clever film. I gave it an eight.

Totally Mad

[Big Movie Fan · 11 August 2002]

I have to admit that this is the best Carry on Film of the series. It had me laughing throughout.

There were great performances throughout and I particularly liked the late Harry H. Corbett's role as Detective Sergeant Bung in it.

The plot was mad. The late Kenneth Williams played Dr. Watt who was the fiendish brains behind an evil plot. He had a huge Frankenstein-like henchman called Oddbod who would kidnap women for him. He would then turn the women into dummies and sell them to a local shop. Crazy eh?

I won't spoil any of the scenes for you but they are all funny and there's some great dialogue throughout. As for the ending, it had me in stitches.

I really believe this is the best Carry on Film in the series so I recommend checking it out.

CARRY ON SCREAMING! (Gerald Thomas, 1966) ***

[Bunuel1976 · 7/10 · 25 January 2008]

This delightful spoof on the contemporaneous – and equally popular – Hammer Horror style is undeniably a highlight of the "Carry On" series: the film is remarkably evocative with respect to color scheme, sets, lighting, even the score (though the rock'n'roll title track is somewhat unwarranted)...but, then, it's regrettably neglected whenever genre parodies are discussed (in my opinion, it's a must for any Hammer devotee)!

The presence of series stalwarts Sidney James and Kenneth Connor is missed here; however, atypical 'recruits' Harry H. Corbett (in his one and only "Carry On") and Fenella Fielding (as a Morticia Addams-type nymphomaniac – she had appeared in CARRY ON REGARDLESS [1961] as well as Hammer's own spoof, THE OLD DARK HOUSE [1963]) more than make up for this. Among the typical horror elements we find here are Kenneth Williams as Mad Scientist, Zombie and Invisible Man all rolled into one, two Frankenstein Monsters named Oddbod and Oddbod Jr. (a nod, no doubt, to Oddjob from the James Bond adventure GOLDFINGER [1964] – it's interesting that the second creature is generated when electricity is applied merely to the missing finger of the first), two separate Hydes, a Mummy, plenty of wax figures, a sinister-looking butler, etc. Incidentally, the police investigation is redolent of a Holmes/Watson mystery (after all, Hammer themselves had filmed a version of THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES [1959]) – with Corbett and Peter Butterworth making for a great bumbling pair of sleuths.

Series regular Charles Hawtrey only has a bit part here as a tell-tale lavatory attendant/gardener, but his messy death is hilarious; ditto future Dr. Who Jon Pertwee as an eccentric police-lab technician – ironically, there's a "Who's On First?"-type routine concerning Williams' character (called Dr. Watt)! Jim Dale and Angela Douglas are again the young lovers, while Joan Sims' role is practically a repeat of her nagging wife from CARRY ON CLEO (1964). By the way, the flustered mannequin shop owner is played by Frank Thornton, later of the ARE YOU BEING SERVED? (1972) TV series. As expected, Talbot Rothwell's script contains a lot of unsubtle puns – but the film itself is capped by quite a terrific (if hysterical) climax to rival Hammer's best efforts.

"Foul Feet Smell Something Horrible"

[Spondonman · 7/10 · 3 January 2005]

This one was my favourite Carry On when a kid, it's one of a few I can force myself to watch nowadays. I think I could stick with Khyber and Cleo but the rest forget it. Throughout the series from '58 to '70 there were some good moments, some ace smart-ass one-liners but a lot of swamp to crawl through, the humour eventually ending up in the gutter from '70 on. I left them all to it there and then.

Harry Corbett and Kenneth Williams have some great lines, in this version of Frankenstein - stealing women to "vitrify" into shop dummies. Williams: "I wish I was dead"; Fielding: "Don't you remember, you are"; Williams: "Oh yes. What a life!" And on and on, knockabout Music Hall and Variety stuff, some original but plenty borrowed from all sources from Abbott and Costello, the Addams Family, Will Hay etc. But in COS it generally works: therefore I admit I must still like it. I wish that Sid James had been in it as well, but I'm glad Barbara Windsor wasn't.

Maybe it's my rose-tinted spectacles kicking in with this one, but why on Earth do the Carry On films generally seem more popular now in the Noughties UK than 30 years ago?

My personal favourite of the Carry on movies

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 11 September 2009]

Carry on Screaming is a truly great film- I am not sure whether it is a cult classic though- but it is easily one of the better Carry On Movies, perhaps even THE best. The film is hilarious, the ending particularly had me in stitches, with a good plot and wonderful one liners, "Frying Tonight" is up there with "Infamy Infamy they've all got it in for me" and "it's all cock and no pea" as the funniest one liner not only in a Carry on but ever.

The performances were wonderful, and Harry H.Corbett's superb lead performance cleared away all the fears of Sidney James being sorely missed, though I will say, James I have always found one of the best Carry on regulars. There is great support from Charles Hawtry, Jim Dale and Joan Sims, but the picture belongs to Kenneth Williams as Dr Watt, just priceless. Overall, a classic Carry On, maybe not a cult classic, but a hilarious film all the same. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Whereabouts, hereabouts, thereabouts, roundabouts, layabouts

[steve-1297 · 7/10 · 11 November 2004]

Possibly the finest of the Carry On series, this film benefits hugely from the acting talents of the late, great Harry H. Corbett and the fabulously sexy Fenella Fielding. These two provide the usual Sid James / Barbara Windsor roles but play them with far more subtlety and aplomb than usual. Talbot Rothwell delivers a fine screenplay that beautifully lampoons Hammer Horror films while Kenneth Williams, Jim Dale and Peter Butterworth serve up great supporting performances. Jim Dale is worth a special mention here as a great physical comedian who never really received the recognition he deserved for his 'full body' comedy – he could teach the over rated Jim Carey a thing or two. 'Screaming', along with 'Khyber' and 'Cleo' remain great British comedies that have outlived the contempt and snobbery that was initially hurled against them to emerge as fine examples British cinema and humour. 7/10.

Carry on meets Hammer......

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 14 October 2015]

Hand on heart I'd have to say this is possibly the best, or at least in the top three of the Carry on Series. It is hilarious, it is unique, it feels so different to every other Carry on film, there is a definite newness to it, as a stand alone film it's superb. The plot is like no other Carry on film, a sinister family, taking young girls and turning them into shop dummies, more like a Hammer from then a Carry on.

The newness I mentioned is provided by Harry H Corbett and Fenella Fielding, even though she's appeared in Regardless she still felt new. Both are so good, they have some truly funny moments, but in Screaming it's Kenneth Williams that shines, for me this was one of his best performances, he is just so funny, 'Frying tonight!' Smaller roles for some of the supporting cast, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Jon Pertwee, but each performs brilliantly.

Funny throughout, too many moments to pick out a best bit, but the scenes with Odd bod and Junior are really funny.

Fenella looked incredible, her figure was outstanding, and that dress made her look incredible, coupled with that voice she was perfectly cast in the role.

The production values are great, straight out of Hammer horror, as it the music.

It's a classic comedy, the film of my childhood. 10/10

My brief review of the film

[sol- · 7/10 · 1 December 2005]

One of the better films of the Carry On series, the film spoofs the typical horror films of the 1960s quite well, and there is a great feel of the Gothic to it, thanks to apt costumes and sets. It is still overly silly as is usual for an entry in the series, and there are silly sound effects and some lame jokes that bring it down. However, there are quite a few good gags to make up for those that do not work, and the team receives great assistance from Fenella Fielding this time, who is perfectly cast as a vampire like seductress. The film also has some good makeup work, and the title song, sung by Jim Dale, fits in well.

One of the better Carry Ons

[solar-penguin · 9/10 · 23 September 2004]

The Carry On films were at their best in the early days when they offered more than just saucy double entendres. Don't get me wrong, there *are* plenty of great double entendres here, but they're set against the backdrop of a horror spoof. The unusual setting gives it a freshness that the other Carry Ons lack.

A changed cast helps too. Harry Corbett shines in the sort of role which normally goes to Sid James. He makes the part his own, only failing in the scenes where he argues with his wife. There's just no chemistry between him and Joan Sims to show why these people were once in love with each other.

But there's chemistry between Corbett and Fenella Fielding, the other guest star. She makes a wonderful evil seductress. Of the regulars, Williams is best. His usual eccentric, camp performance takes on an edge of madness that grows as the film progresses.

Recommended.

Entertaining Without Being A Classic Comedy Horror

[Theo Robertson · 6/10 · 3 January 2005]

I had often thought this was the best movie in the CARRY ON series , an opinion brought about by the fact that there's a couple of DOCTOR WHO references and that it combines the genres of comedy and horror . After seeing it recently I would say that both CARRY ON CLEO and CARRY ON UP THE KYHBER are better movies But CARRY ON SCREAMING still remains one of the better films in the series even if ( Or because )it's off centre with its peers : the main character is played by an actor who's not a regular member of the cast , there's references to other popular TV shows of the time like Z-CARS and STEPTOE AND SON , and there's little of the cringe making innuendo seen in the later movies .

There are some flaws that may rile fans of the post modernist SCREAM movies like no one noticing monsters stalking the woods or a lack of internal continuity where monsters being able to knock down doors then not being able to when the script requires it but CARRY ON SCREAMING remains a fairly entertaining movie almost 40 years after it was made

Nostalgia sucks.

[BA_Harrison · 5/10 · 4 August 2013]

Carry on Screaming was regular viewing as I was growing up and I have long remembered it with fondness as one of the films instrumental in kick-starting my lifelong obsessions with Gothic horror and camp comedy. Unfortunately, a recent re-watch has left me feeling a little let down: while the film certainly features some memorable moments and characters (best of all being Fenella Fielding's Elvira-style vamp Valeria), the film isn't anywhere near as funny or as creepy as I seemed to recall.

Admittedly, I was much easier to frighten as a kid, and I was no longer expecting to be scared by the film's monsters (the delightfully daft Oddbod and Oddbod Junior), but I was hoping for a good laugh. Sadly, the comedy here isn't up to scratch, the jokes either too stale or not suggestive enough to be genuinely hilarious, and with the notable absence of series stalwarts Sid James and Babs Windsor also detracting from the fun, this one just doesn't possess that special Carry On magic.

Fantastic

[m_pratt · 19 November 2006]

This Film is one of the films which has got everything. There is no Sid in this one but Harry H Corbert steps into his shoes with the same name Sidney Bung. The film is great as is Fenella Fielding as Veleria. Kenneth Williams is superb as Dr Watt in one of his best ever carry on roles. Charles and Joan are wasted. Jim Dale and Angela Douglas are very good. Butterworth is excellent as Slobotham. Jon Pertwee makes a carry on appearance as Doctor Fettle. The film remains one of my favourites. Bernard Bresslaw is good but not brilliant as in Cowboy. The locations are top notch, the house of Dr Watt is still there as a private language school. Odd Bodd is very funny when Valeria sees the reconstructed Odd Bodd and thinks that is the real one. "Put some cloths on you filthy beast" classic!!.

Carry On by all means

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 20 October 2018]

Kenneth Williams takes center stage in this Carry On movie as Dr. Watt who with his voluptuous sister Fenella Fielding is carrying on all kinds of diverse experiments that mad scientists do. Even more remarkable since Williams is dead and has to get a jode from an electrode as the Monster Mash Songs have it.

British music hall comedian Harry H. Corbett joins the Carry On troupe for this film and he fits in perfectly. He's the police chief in the local area where Williams is doing his fiendish work and many women have gone missing. Jim Dale arrives at the station saying a woman he was out on a date with has gone missing and he wants action. Corbett and assistant Peter Butterworth go out to investigate.

Corbett is married to Carry On regular Joan Sims so he's happy when duty calls. Even this kind of duty where he's dealing with fiendish and unearthly things.

Just about all the horror film cliches get a satirical view. Corbett, Williams, and Butterworth even do their own version of Abbott&Costello's Who's On First. You'll recognize moments from several classic horror films done rather differently.

Definitely one of the better Carry On films out there.

"Fangs Ain't What They Used to Be...!"

[richardchatten · 6/10 · 2 January 2024]

An epochal film in the 'Carry On' series that really should have represented their swan song as it was their last film for Anglo-Amalgamated. Although the label 'Carry On' was subsequently reinstated by Rank the franchise was never remotely the same again.

In addition to music hall humour like references to chamber pots Talbot Rothwell's script manages to includes nods to current tv series like 'Dr Who', while the presence of Harry H. Corbett - who does a splendid job of entering into the spirit of his sole 'Carry On' - is reflected in a couple of fleeting snatchs of the 'Steptoe and Son' theme on the soundtrack.

The film also follows in the footsteps of 'The Addams Family' with Bernard Bresslaw the film's equivalent of Lurch as Socket the Butler, while the addition of colour enables Fenella Fielding to look extremely spectacular in a crimson Morticia Addams dress and matching lipstick; although the scariest sight has to be Peter Butterworth in drag.

Why don't we do what they did to your friend Dracula, drive a spike through his heart.

[hitchcockthelegend · 8/10 · 22 October 2010]

Carry On Screaming is the 12th film of the popular Carry On series of film's that began in 1958 and ended in 1992. Behind it are the usual team with Gerald Thomas directing, Peter Rogers producing and Talbot Rothwell writing the screenplay. There's no Sid James, Barbara Windsor or Hattie Jacques for this one, but most of the regular actors appear, with Harry H. Corbett joining the cast for the first and only time. The film is a parody of the Hammer Horror film's that were also massively popular during the 50s and 60s.

Fresh from spoofing the historical epic with Carry On Cleo (1964), and the western with Carry On Cowboy (1965), the Carry On team were well into their stride and hitting a purple patch. One that was arguably their best run of film's that culminated with Carry On Up the Khyber in (1968). "Screaming" is a delight, one of the franchise's most fondly remembered offerings. The standard sexy innuendo and nudge nudge nudgery so befitting the series is still there, but as with the previous two outings, it's quality satire enveloped. With the makers showing no little amount of skill and knowing of the genre they spoof.

Plot wise it's an amalgamation of classic horror, it basically uses House Of Wax as its starting point and runs with it. Taking in anything from Frankenstein and Dr Jeykll & Mr Hyde along the way; all cloaked in a Gothic, fog bound Edwardian England sheen. The sets (particularly the riotous Dr Watt's (Williams) laboratory) and effects are suitably Hammer like, as is the colour; where Alan Hume's photography nails the lurid tone required.

Of course none of the production value matters if a horror/comedy isn't funny. Thankfully "Screaming" is, be it the wonderfully alluring Fenella Fileding vamping it up, or the lovable twin menace of Oddbod and Oddbod Jr, the visual joys equal the sharpness in the script. There's also in jokes to be sampled too, while the film is not without a creepy vibe to accentuate the sheepish blend of sex and murder. Sid James was unavailable due to commitments to work with Tony Hancock, so in came Corbett, who delivers a blast of a turn, with his "change" sequence a laugh out loud moment. Carry On Screaming doesn't feature three of its most well known stars, with even Charles Hawtrey only cameoing here after being shoe horned in at the request of the American distributors. That it's one of the best in the series is quite a feat. Frying Tonight indeed. 8/10

A Good Carry On.

[edavidathome · 7/10 · 25 February 2017]

Definitely one of the best, although not in the class of Kyber. Harry H. Corbett fits well into the run of things and the cast altogether were very good. Kenneth Williams seems to be enjoying himself and Miss Fielding is a delight. The back drop to the film is well done as well.

Bung, bung, bung.......what a fitting name!

Foul Feet Smell Something Horrible

[pbbuffyhugs · 10/10 · 14 January 2006]

If you only ever watch one Carry On film make sure it's this one. Consistently funny with terrific performances from everyone involved this is guaranteed to make you laugh. The makers have got the period setting spot on for a classic p@!s-take of all those brilliant Hammer films. Talbot Rothwell throws everything into this - a mad scientist, a deliciously evil and beautiful sister, an effective looking monster, a couple of Jeckyll and Hyde transformations, a spooky mansion, fog shrouded woods and a couple of inept coppers in the style of Holmes and Watson. Peter Butterworth has never been better and Harry H Corbett is simply stunning in his only Carry On appearance. Also worthy of mention are Jon Pertwee and Charles Hawtrey despite these two only being on screen for one scene each. The story revolves around missing young women who are being turned into tailors dummies by Kenneth Williams' manic Doctor Watt. Jim Dale tries to persuade Detective Sergeant Bung and his idiotic assistant Slowbottom that his date Doris has been abducted by a hideous monster while they were enjoying a night in Hokum Woods, 'How far did you go?' asks Bung (meaning how far into the woods they went), 'Oh not far I've only known her a year!' says Dale and that sums up the humour, not very intellectual but very very funny, in fact the funniest line comes when Corbett - having stolen the dummy of Doris from a shop while under the influence of one of Watts potions - turns to Jim Dale (number 1 suspect) and says 'I suppose I took it!!'. Every thing in this - the 12th Carry on - hits the mark and along with 'Carry On At Your Convenience' shows a team clearly enjoying themselves and it's a pleasure to watch time and time again. A Classic.

Looks good, but punches like Charles Hawtree

[wadechurton · 6/10 · 19 June 2009]

This is one I remember seeing as a kid and being most amused. Horror and comedy together? That was cool. Watched it again the other night and it seemed distinctly lacklustre. Yes, horror and comedy can work together (An American Werewolf In London, for instance), but there are too many faults here and the movie suffers for it. For one thing the dialog this time around conspicuously lacked inspiration. Not only were the jokes a bit lame, but they were stretched too thinly to cover the screenplay. Neither Sid James nor Barbara Windsor appeared in this one, so in come Harry H. Corbett and Fenella Fielding. Fielding made an acceptable saucy comic vamp(ire) but Corbett's occasionally overdone mugging is a distraction. Elsewhere, Charles Hawtree may well have had a four-square liquid lunch before filming his little cameo as a lavatory attendant, while Kenneth Williams pretty much phones it in, set on 'loud, campy delivery' and turned up to 10. The actors do what they can, but their characters aren't as finely drawn as many previous 'Carry On' efforts, and the energetic-but-hollow result looks a bit 'tryhard'. Unfortunate, because the movie had a higher budget and a better 'look' than the 'Carry On' norm, and the central concept was sound. It's not actually all bad, just that it's so undernourished script-wise. Considering the frequency at which entries in this film series were cranked out (this was the twelfth 'Carry On' in eight years) and that '..Screaming!' was the first of two to be produced in 1966, it's probable that the movie marked an incidence of creative fatigue.

Carry On Screaming review

[JoeytheBrit · 5/10 · 3 July 2020]

Classic 'Carry On' comedy that loses much of its lustre when viewed through eyes that are older than 14. Kenneth Williams is fun as the camp, sinister Dr Watt who, with his sexy sister, Valeria (sultry, smokey-voiced Fenella Fielding), is abducting young women and encasing them in wax in order to sell them as mannequins, but Harold H. Corbett and Peter Butterworth as a bungling detective and his sidekick try the patience from their very first scene.

Just glorious

[deathinleamington · 10/10 · 4 December 2010]

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. It transcends the Carry On series effortlessly, yet stays true to its roots. Parodying the horror genre that had become so popular in the mid-60s was a pretty brave move, especially as the Carry On series was at its zenith, but the gamble certainly paid off. Sid James and Barbara Windsor are both missing - it could have been suicidal, but their replacements Harry H Corbett and Fenella Fielding are simply stunning, giving tour-de-force comedy performances from a sparkling script that makes even the most dyed-in-the-wool Carry On fanatic forget James &Windsor's absence. The plot is involving and suitably spooky, borrowing themes from a kaleidoscope of suspense and supernatural stories, seeming always to pick the best...... Frankenstein, Sherlock Holmes, Edgar Allen Poe, even science fiction. The performances are unilaterally superb - Williams, Butterworth and Dale are effortlessly comedic, and Bernard Bresslaw is a gem as the undead butler.

This isn't just the best Carry On film - it is, of course - it is NOT Camping, it is NOT Cleo, THIS is the best - it's almost certainly the best British comedy of the 1950s and 1960s. So funny, so lovable, so authentic. All I could wish for is that Charles Hawtrey was in it more.... Although he wouldn't have been in it at all if it weren't that the American distributors asked them to put him in. God Bless America!

It's horrors turn.

[lost-in-limbo · 7/10 · 30 June 2020]

The Carry On team sets their sights on Hammer films in their horror burlesque "Carry on Screaming". Taking notes from Hammer's classic "Frankenstein" cycle we get all the tropes and cliches turned up a notch to electrify the rapid-fire humour. Gag after gag at a fast quip accompanied by witty banter, non-stop puns or pyshical buffoonery while keeping the gaudy monster make-up and embellished art-direction of the originals it's sending up. From the atmospheric night-time strolls in the park to the mad doctor's laboratory on an atmospheric estate - everything about the set-pieces are spot on. The cast pretty much throw themselves into the roles, especially Kenneth Williams and Fenella Fielding as the unhinged siblings who come under the suspicion of the bumbling police detectives (Harry H. Corbett & Peter Butterworth) after the disappearance of young women in a park. The investigation becomes a comic of errors mixing absurd macabre with cheerful glee. Also throw in an amusing bunch of cameo appearances from TV stars. I simply had a good time here.

Still a watchable movie...

[paul_haakonsen · 5/10 · 3 July 2022]

I actually never heard about this 1966 horror comedy titled "Carry on Screaming!", from writer Talbot Rothwell and director Gerald Thomas, before now in 2022 as I had the opportunity to sit down and watch it. And with it being an older horror comedy that I hadn't already seen, of course I took the time to sit down and watch it.

Sure, there was some charm to the movie with its 56 years of age, and I will say that the movie was actually still rather watchable all these years later. So it is a movie that has managed to withstand the test of time adequately enough.

The storyline in "Carry on Screaming!" was pretty straight forward. Sure, it was watchable and enjoyable enough for what it turned out to be, however this wasn't a particularly outstanding movie, nor was it one that had the contents to being a classic.

I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble, aside from Jim Dale and Joan Sims, but I will say that the actors and actresses in the movie actually put on good enough acting performances, taking the movie's script into consideration.

For a horror comedy, then I have to admit that "Carry on Screaming!" somewhat fell short of being all that entertaining for my particular taste and preference.

My rating of "Carry on Screaming!" lands on a five out of ten stars.

British Men and Women Behaving Badly

[BaronBl00d · 1 September 2001]

A silly film about a brother who is dead yet alive, his sister who wears a dress two sizes too small and flirts constantly, a Frankenstein-type monster that looks more like a neanderthal(not really...but more that than Frankenstein's monster!), his monster brother created from the regeneration of his finger, and a trio of men out to discover what has been happening to missing women. Well, it seems that they are being kidnapped, covered in plaster, baked for hours, and then sold to clothing shops as dummies. The whole film is one excuse to showcase the talents of some vaudevillian-type comedians and their sexual innuendo, double entendre, and other humor. Much of the humour works very well. It is clear none of the performers are taking anything seriously. Nor should the viewer. I enjoyed this film. The actors go through their lines like a race at who can be funniest or say the most shocking thing(shocking by those day's standards...now it is incredibly tame stuff). Lines like "his name is Dan Dan the Gardening man" and "may I blow on your whistle" are some of the one-liner highlights from the film. Nothing is sacred as the actors go into one old routine after another. The cast is very talented. Kenneth Williams just lets the words roll off his tongue with absurdist sublimeness. Fenella Fielding(the sister of Marty Feldman) makes an incredibly sultry seductress with her red gown, huge bosom, sexy voice, and batting eyes. The special effects are very lacking where the monsters are concerned. They do look just ridiculous in their blue and green jumpsuits with belts. Some of the funniest moments are between Harry Corbett(a policeman) and Joan Simms(his wife). A pleasant entertaining diversion.