Cry Terror! (1958)

Good guy Jim (James Mason) is tricked into building a detonator for an army buddy (Rod Steiger) who uses it to extort money from airlines. They need his wife to execute part of the plan so they keep Jim and child locked away to ensure her cooperation.

Buddy Paul’s gang includes the always menacing Neville Brand, the never menacing Jack Klugman, and Angie Dickinson. Familiar face William Schallert has a small role and silent film star Mae Marsh makes an appearance. She has a ton of screen credits.

Jim’s young, pretty wife (Inger Stevens) could have been the helpless damsel but instead was strong and active in the face of adversity. Also quite charming. Stevens herself could have used some of that strength. Late in filming, she and Steiger were overcome with carbon monoxide fumes. She tried to refuse oxygen, saying she wanted to die. She would take her own life twelve years later. One never knows the private battles others are fighting.

Local police are on top of the case but Paul has things pretty well figured out. Many times films like this rely on characters behaving illogically in order for the story to happen. I was pleasantly surprised when that expectation was subverted.

Cry Terror! won’t stand out at the top of the genre, but it deserves to be better remembered. It has a quality story, the characters behave logically, some pretty tense moments, and a satisfying conclusion. AMRU 3.5.