‘Your blood runs cold… your heart jumps into your throat.’
Too Scared to Scream is a 1982 American psycho thriller film directed by actor Tony Lo Bianco from a screenplay by Neal F. Barbera, based on a story by Glenn Leopold. Starring Mike Connors (who also produced), Anne Archer and Ian McShane.
The film is known for its cameo line-up that includes actors such as John Heard, Maureen O’Sullivan and Murray Hamilton. The title song “I’ll Be There” was sung by Charles Aznavour.
The police investigate a string of deaths that occur in a high rise apartment building in New York City. The affable night doorman is a strong suspect…
Reviews:
“Too Scared to Scream comes across like a slightly demented TV movie but with the added benefits of some surprisingly gratuitous nudity, a fair bit of sleaze, a mountain of cheese and even a little gore thrown in too just to round things off nicely (I really can’t imagine this movie still sits on any of the star’s CVs though). So there’s plenty here to keep you entertained…” Hysteria Lives!
“My only guess as to how people passed this up is that it’s not much of a slasher and the leads aren’t anything like the dead teenagers of the era. Mike Connors was TV’s Mannix and Ian McShane was a nobody at the time (an terrific nobody). It’s also not particularly scary, which—granted—is a problem. But McShane is totally bonkers here…” Miles Lemaire, CHUD.com
“You just have to handle the well-intended yet uninspiring bridges. Minimal blood, Too Scared to Scream brings out some cheese and sleaze anyhow, with the sugar daddies, breasts and rather silly end. Leaving us with shockingly stylish Psycho-similar pieces…” Josh G., Oh, the Horror!
” …director Tony Lo Bianco builds some adequate suspense and throws in some smelly red herrings.” John Stanley, Creature Features
Choice dialogue:
Cynthia Oberman, the cleaner [Victoria Bass]: “You’re a sour-faced, down in the mouth, lowlife motherf*cker. Excuse the expression.”
Vincent Hardwick [Ian McShane]: “I have no friends lieutenant, I take my solace in my books.”
Cast and characters:
- Mike Connors as Lt. Alex Dinardo
- Anne Archer as Kate Bridges
- Ian McShane as Vincent Hardwick (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides; American Horror Story; The Ballad of Tam Lin)
- John Heard as Sid (Cat People; C.H.U.D.; Would You Rather; Sharknado)
- Leon Isaac Kennedy as Frank
![]()
- Maureen O’Sullivan as Inez Hardwick
- Val Avery as Dr. Richards
- Carrie Nye as Graziella (Creepshow; Screaming Skull [1973])
- Murray Hamilton as Jack Oberman (Jaws and 2; The Boston Strangler; Seconds)
- Marty Dudek as Butch
- Sully Boyar as Sydney Blume (The Entity)
- Rony Clanton as Barker
- Beeson Carroll as Barry Moyer
- Victoria Bass as Cynthia Oberman, a cleaner
- Dick Boccelli as Benny
- Harry Madsen as Lyman
- Gaetano Lisi as Guard
- John Ring as Irishman
- Chet Doherty as Edward
- Phyllis Hyman as Herself
Trivia:
The film was originally known as The Doorman.
