Storm Fear

I discovered STORM FEAR one rainy Sunday afternoon in the 1960s. It was one of those Sunday Afternoon Movies that used to show on local TV on the stations that weren't carrying baseball games. These stations would drag out old movies from the 30s, 40s, and 50s, usually black-and-white b-movies, to fill up a couple of hours.Something about the atmosphere of this film grabbed me and I never forgot the story. Actually, by the time home video became possible, I wondered if I could find this movie again and tape it, but by then the title had escaped me. With the help of movie books by Leonard Maltin and Roger Ebert, my memory was finally jogged as to its title, STORM FEAR.The film by this time was so obscure that it was rarely, if ever, shown on TV. It was black-and-white in the age when everyone wanted everything in color so it never showed up in the TV listings - until sometime in 1990 or so, I spotted it as a LATE, LATE SHOW entry (back when they showed movies overnight). I taped it to VHS, watched it to be reunited with it, and was disappointed in the video quality of the tape I'd made. For some reason, the picture got darker and darker as the film moved on, making the ending scenes hard to view. But hey, at least I finally had a copy.That tape languished on my shelves, but I kept it anyway, knowing of its relative rarity, and I never expected to see it show up in any kind of home video presentation - ever. Occasionally I'd look it up on the Internet and find only the barest information.Sometime in 2010 or so, I dug out the tape and made myself a DVD-R of it for preservation, and the opportunity to edit out those late-night commercials that filled the VHS tape. The darkness at the end was still a problem, but I prided myself on knowing that I had this film on a DVD and could watch it anytime.What a surprise it was to see the film listed in a coming-soon thread on the Internet in 2015. I literally counted the days up to release day and was thrilled when it came to my door. Amazon got it to me on release day and I reveled in watching it then and there. Finally the film was sharp and clear on Blu-ray, with crisp images, widescreen picture, and great sound. I could never have imagined that the day would come when I could see this old movie as it was meant to be seen.The film stars (and was produced and directed by) Cornel Wilde. Also present is Dan Duryea, Jean Wallace, Kevin Stollery, Lee Grant, Dennis Weaver, and was the first film credit for Steven Hill. Living in the mountains are Duryea, Wallace, and their son played by Stollery. It's a solitary existence, far removed from civilization as Duryea is suffering from a respiratory ailment and is attempting to provide for his family by writing a book. Dennis Weaver is the handyman who has eyes for Wallace but is still devoted to the family. Weaver is almost a stand-in father figure for young Stollery as the film opens.Complications arise when Duryea's brother, a bank-robber, arrives with his entourage of Grant and Hill, fleeing the authorities, and with a bullet in his leg. Meanwhile, a snowstorm is brewing...Do yourself a favor and give this one a look. It's not the greatest film ever made, but it sure made an impression on me at the time. Maybe pick a rainy Sunday to give it a try...

Really enjoyed this movie keeps you guessing

An excellent film noir. Very engrossing.

Storm Fear (1955) American film noir that is set immediately after Christmas but not by any stretch of the imagination a Christmas movie. Basically, a bank robber (Cornel Wilde as Charlie Blake) on the run from the long arm of the law makes his way with his two accomplices Benjie (played by Steven Hill) and Edna Rogers (played by Lee Grant) to his older brother Fred's remote New England farmhouse (Dan Duryea), where Fred lives with his wife Elizabeth (Jean Wallace) and 12 year old son David (played by David Stollery). There is also a handyman, hired hand character as well who has a few key appearances.The film was based on a novel by Clinton Seeley which was published in November 1954, a story told through the eyes of 12 year old David.Originally Charlie and his crew were just going to spend the night, but a snow storm traps them all at the remote farm. Meanwhile tensions rise as radio announcements mention cops are looking for the bank robbers (who killed a man in the robbery), snow plow crews are working hard to clear the roads, and there is strife in the Blake residence as Charlie and Fred have unresolved issues with each other, Charlie apparently had a history with Elizabeth and that gets reopened, and Benjie is an awful person hitting on Elizabeth, threatening to actual hit Elizabeth when she won't stand for it, tries to steal the money from Charlie when Charlie is asleep, even threatening the kid. Before the movie is out, most of the cast is dead out in the snow (or left for dead or later dies) and who David's real father is in doubt (and never really answered). Also, who killed the person in the robbery is never definitively answered.It is a grim movie and definitely noirish as everyone in the film is deeply flawed including even David (such as hero worship of Uncle Charlie).At first, I thought it dragged a little and acting was at times almost melodramatic but it wasn't long till I got caught up in all the tension. The last third was actually pretty exciting, of people chasing each other out in the snow, fist fights, gun fights, knife fights, and the ever-closer noise of the snowplows acting like sands falling through the hourglass, reminding the bank robbers their doom was approaching. Not a lot of films noir out in the snow or woods. All I can think of that I have seen is On Dangerous Ground in 1951 which did have a broadly similar final act out in the snowy mountains.

Cornel Wilde stars as well as produces and directs this movie. One night three robbers show up at a mountaintop home where a dysfunctional couple live with their young son.There is a blizzard blowing which means they are stranded there until they can leave, terrorising the family. The head of the robbers is Wilde who is the ex- boyfriend of the woman of the house and the younger brother of the man of the house played by Dan Duryea.Jean Wallace who plays the woman happens to be Mrs Cornell Wilde in real life.The next day they need the young boy to lead them over the pass to safety. The kid could also be the son of Cornell Wilde unbeknownst to him. But will they make their escape as they are being hunted by Dennis Weaver (Chester from "Gunsmoke") who is a friend of the family.A good little drama filmed in black and white.

Bien.