Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		1.5

A Scream in the Streets Blu-ray Movie Review

Umm. . .didn't they mean *sheets*?

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 22, 2021

It frankly wouldn't have been that much of a surprise had the American Genre Film Archive (AGFA, for you acronym minded) released A Scream in the Streets rather than Severin Films, since this obvious softcore (?) "detective" story has cult video written all over it. To give the uninitiated at least some idea of what A Scream in the Streets has to offer, it may be salient to point out that two porn films culled from outtakes are included on this Blu-ray disc as supplements. With barely the outlines of a story involving a cross dressing sexual assaulter and killer and the cops out to bring the culprit to justice, A Scream in the Streets suffices mostly to string together a variety of vignettes supposedly documenting sexual liaisons between men and women and (just for good measure) women and women. It's all pretty smarmy feeling, but for those who like experiencing a time machine trip to what grindhouse drive-in fare might have been like back in the 1970s, A Scream in the Streets will probably suffice well enough.

There actually is a release from the American Genre Film Archive which might make for an interesting (?) double feature with this film, namely Sometimes Aunt Martha Does Dreadful Things, which similarly offered a ludicrous looking cross dresser whom only the seriously visually challenged would ever mistake for a "real" woman. As in that film, A Scream in the Streets posits a rather, well, masculine looking cross dresser who is shown in the credits sequence having his way with a damsel in distress.

There are some passing attempts at injecting "character beats" into the story, including some supposedly "personal" information involving the cops assigned to the case, but A Scream in the Streets is pure exploitation fare, replete with lots of female (and occasional male) nudity and a variety of sex scenes. It's all resolutely sleazy, but some, um, cultural historians may get a passing kick out of it.

A Scream in the Streets Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

A Scream in the Streets is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in either 1.85:1 or 1.33:1. I provided a few screenshots from more or less the same moments of both versions so that those interested could compare how framings tend to differ. Both the back cover of this release and a press sheet accompanying the review disc sent mention that this was "scanned uncut in 2K from the original negative". There's quite a bit of damage to be seen in both versions, with typical age related wear and tear like white flecks, blemishes, nicks and scratches dotting the premises, but on the whole, and especially from a palette perspective, this presentation may well surprise some people with how generally good it looks, considering the rarity of the film and its less than stellar history. There are some density fluctuations, and clarity can also ebb and flow at times, but fine detail on those great seventies polyesters tends to look very good, and color has made it through the gauntlet of time rather well.

A Scream in the Streets Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

A Scream in the Streets features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track that retains a goodly amount of fidelity in rendering both dialogue and a groovy (?) score. There are some sound design and editing choices that seem to not had exceptional QC in the post production process, but on the whole dialogue is rendered cleanly and there are no egregious signs of damage. Optional English SDH subtitles are available.

A Scream in the Streets Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Peeper: Part 1 (HD; 10:34) is one of two porn shorts culled from outtakes from the main feature.


• The Peeper: Part 2 (HD; 9:30)


• Trailer 1 (HD; 3:29)


• Trailer 2 (HD; 3:29)


• Trailer 3 (HD; 1:44)

Note: Chapter skipping is not permitted for any of the supplements, and the Main Menu button on the remote also does nothing. The Pop Up Menu button allows direct access to either the Bonus submenu, the film menu, or the Main Menu (which offers the choice of which aspect ratio to watch).

A Scream in the Streets Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It frankly may be a little difficult to perceive either the ostensible "entertainment value" or even the prurient interest in A Scream in the Streets, since the story rarely makes a bunch of sense, and the sex scenes are not exactly titillating. That said, this curio of seventies quasi-porn may appeal to certain cult movie lovers, and the good news for them or anyone considering a purchase is that technical merits are generally solid.