DIE SCREAMING, MARIANNE (1970) is Pete Walker's first genre effort but it feels more like a mystery drama than a real thriller or horror story. I feel like the director was still learning the ropes here because this lacks the bite of his later fare and indeed I couldn't help but find it a bit lacklustre throughout, one of those films that doesn't seem to have enough story to sustain the running time, so that it drags a little. Susan George - whose talents have grown on me over the years - plays a carefree young woman saddled with a mysterious legacy that comes into effect on her 21st birthday, only a few weeks hence.

Sadly there isn't much mystery at all, just a couple of murderous characters and lots of dated shenanigans. On the plus side, the sun-drenched Algarve is a pleasing change from most chilly locales in British horror of the 1970s, and the cast includes '50s star Leo Genn (as another of Walker's sinister 'old folk') and Barry Evans, the DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE actor turned bawdy sex comedy stalwart. It even gets fairly exciting in the last half or so, but it's not one I'd relish sitting through again.

Saucy free-spirited tart Marianne (a sweetly disarming performance by the delectable Susan George) will inherit a sizable sum of money from her wealthy, but severely dysfunctional family on her 21st birthday. Susan will also acquire several documents about the illegal activities of her crooked judge father (well played by Leo Genn). Pretty soon Marianne finds herself in substantial danger. Director Pete ("Frightmare") Walker crucially fails to wring much tension or momentum from the standard woman-in-peril thriller potboiler premise. Moreover, Walker lets the pace crawl along at a sluggish rate, thereby ensuring that a dull quality hangs heavy throughout most of the movie. Norman Langley's pretty, picturesque cinematography makes cool use of fades, dissolves and split screen. Cyril Ornadel's lush, elegant score, the scenic Portugal locations and the haunting melancholy theme song are all likewise solid and effective. Nice supporting turns by Barry Evans as loyal boyfriend Eli, the lovely Judy Huxtable as bitchy half-sister Hildegarde, and Christopher Sandford as bitter ex-suitor Sebastian. Susan George's deliciously considerable pulchritudinous presence keeps the picture watchable: Susan does a memorably sexy go-go dance during the groovy opening credits sequence and looks absolutely smashing in a skimpy black bikini. Unfortunately, Murray Smith's tediously talky script, an off-putting glum tone and the slow-going, largely uneventful plot make this feature a really draggy chore to endure. A merely decent timewaster.

I'm a big fan of Pete Walker's exploitative style of horror and Susan George rates very highly on my '70s crumpet-ometer', so I was pretty stoked at the prospect of finally watching 'Die Screaming, Marianne', which sees Walker directing the lovely actress as a free-spirited young woman on the run from those who will stop at nothing to get their hands on the contents of a swiss bank account for which only she holds the numbers.

Unfortunately, this early attempt by the director to break free from his sexploitation roots sees him struggling to find his feet, the plot meandering all over the place, the pacing dreadfully slow, with very little of the bolder elements that would make his later films so much fun; in fact, if it wasn't for George, who looks absolutely stunning throughout, go-go dancing in a bikini during the opening credits, modelling some very short dresses, relaxing in a bubble bath (curse those bubbles!),cavorting in her underwear, and wearing just a towel while trapped in a sauna (Die Steaming, Marianne?),'Die Screaming, Marianne' would qualify as a total snoozeathon.

3.5 out of 10, generously rounded up to 4 for IMDb.