From the very first scene, when doorman Vincent Hardwick does his makeup in the mirror to a Charles Aznavour song, Too Scared To Scream got me hooked. I told myself “this is going to be one of those character studies that will stick with me”, and it was indeed a pleasure to meet Vincent, this cultivated, tender, yet deeply troubled man who is so much more than meets the eye. Ian McShane elevated what could’ve been just another slasher to a whole new level through his performance alone. However, I think the film fails to fully capitalize on his talent, because instead of focusing on this very interesting character, the plot goes in maybe too many different directions: we’ve got a fashion show, a prostitution subplot, a romance between the cops (I’ll admit I found this one endearing), a bit of everything. This is one of those rare cases where the movie could’ve been longer, so that Vincent’s story could’ve been fully explored beyond what is revealed in the plot twist. Which was great, by the way: just when I thought this was going to be another Psycho ripoff, my expectations were thankfully subverted.While not exactly a masterpiece, Too Scared To Scream has enough quality and flair to be a hidden gem and very much worth the (re)discovery.
From the very first scene, when doorman Vincent Hardwick does his makeup in the mirror to a Charles Aznavour song, Too Scared To Scream got me hooked. I told myself “this is going to be one of those character studies that will stick with me”, and it was indeed a pleasure to meet Vincent, this cultivated, tender, yet deeply troubled man who is so much more than meets the eye. Ian McShane elevated what could’ve been just another slasher to a whole new level through his performance alone. However, I think the film fails to fully capitalize on his talent, because instead of focusing on this very interesting character, the plot goes in maybe too many different directions: we’ve got a fashion show, a prostitution subplot, a romance between the cops (I’ll admit I found this one endearing), a bit of everything. This is one of those rare cases where the movie could’ve been longer, so that Vincent’s story could’ve been fully explored beyond what is revealed in the plot twist. Which was great, by the way: just when I thought this was going to be another Psycho ripoff, my expectations were thankfully subverted.While not exactly a masterpiece, Too Scared To Scream has enough quality and flair to be a hidden gem and very much worth the (re)discovery.
