The Shout

Lore & Background

The film follows Crossley, a mysterious traveller who invades the lives of a young couple, Rachel and Anthony Fielding. Anthony is a composer experimenting with sound effects in his secluded Devon studio. Crossley claims he learned from an Aboriginal shaman how to produce a 'terror shout' that can kill anyone who hears it unprotected. The plot unfolds as his intentions become increasingly sinister.

Producer Jeremy Thomas initially wanted Nicolas Roeg to direct, but Roeg was unavailable. Thomas hired Skolimowski due to his fluency in English and his prior work on Deep End. Finance came in part from the Rank Organisation. Interiors were shot at Pinewood Studios, with location shooting on the North Devon coastline, including Saunton Sands and Braunton Burrows. The church of St Peter in Westleigh was used for church scenes.

The soundtrack was composed by Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks of the progressive rock band Genesis. The central theme 'From the Undertow' appears on Banks's 1979 album A Curious Feeling.

Reader's Guide

The Shout is notable for its unique sound design and unsettling portrayal of the English coastline. Critics have described it as an 'elegant mirror-box construction' with 'uniquely dovetailed performances.' The film's use of sound, particularly the titular shout, has been called 'one of British cinema's most unnerving examples of sound design.' Skolimowski's outsider perspective as a Polish émigré brought a distinctive, darkly magical quality to the film. The Monthly Film Bulletin noted that the film is 'let down, finally, only by the wild antics of the conclusion.' On Rotten Tomatoes, 86% of 14 critics' reviews are positive; on Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 67 out of 100, labeled 'generally favorable.' The film was nominated for the Palme d'Or and won the Grand Prize of the Jury in a tie with Bye Bye Monkey. It was released on DVD in 2007 by Network and will be released by the Criterion Collection in October of 2026.

Did You Know?

• The film was the first produced by Jeremy Thomas under his Recorded Picture Company banner.
• The soundtrack was by Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks of the progressive rock band Genesis.
• The film won the Grand Prix de Jury at the 1978 Cannes Film Festival, tying with Bye Bye Monkey.
• The church of St Peter in Westleigh was used for the church scenes.