A jogger ambling through London as the titles roll has what appears to be a heart attack and wakes up in a private hospital room where he’s being attended to by a nurse who doesn’t talk much.
Each time he wakes up he seems to be missing another limb . . .
Meanwhile, in an unknown Eastern European country where some sort of fascist government is in power, intelligence operative Konartz (Marshall Jones) is given a briefing by his superior, Schweitz (Peter Sallis).
Konartz promptly gives Schweitz a Vulcan neck pinch, killing him almost instantly.
Finally, there is a killer on the loose in London (who seems to be a shaggy-haired Michael Gothard in a purple shirt). Sarcastic Police Superintendent Bellaver (Alfred Marks) is assigned to the case.
The presence of horror icons Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, and Vincent Price in the same film is (sadly) somewhat misleading. All have minor roles.
Cushing vanishes after one scene where he plays a leader in the totalitarian state and gets a Vulcan death pinch from Konartz, and Price appears a few times as a mad doctor named Dr Browning experimenting in transplants.
Lee plays a small part as a snooty and mysterious intelligence bigwig named Fremont.
Much of the screen time rests on Alfred Marks (who apparently improvised his dialogue) as Bellaver.
The third act finds Scream and Scream Again shifting into another gear and has Christopher Matthews as Dr David Sorel becoming the main character as he seeks to understand what exactly is going on – a desire greatly shared by the audience!
For several years after the film was released, Vincent Price claimed he never understood the script at all.
Dr Browning
Vincent Price Fremont
Christopher Lee Major Heinrich Benedek
Peter Cushing Sylvia
Judy Huxtable Detective Supt. Bellaver
Alfred Marks Keith
Michael Gothard Ludwig
Anthony Newlands Schweitz
Peter Sallis Jane
Uta Levka Dr David Sorel
Christopher Matthews Helen Bradford
Judy Bloom Detective Sgt. Jimmy Joyce
Clifford Earl Prof. Kingsmill
Kenneth Benda Konratz
Marshall Jones
Director Gordon Hessler
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