Writer Jimmy Sangster's revision of his own "Scream of Fear" from 1961 involves a young woman returning to her family's home in San Francisco after spending several years in a Swiss institution; seems she was attacked by an unknown man when she was a child, however the familiar surroundings quickly begin playing tricks with her mind--or is someone trying to drive her insane? Lumbering made-for-TV yarn at first features Barbara Parkins running around the opulent woodland grounds in a terrified state, then exchanges Parkins' screams for those of Barbara Stanwyck's, playing Parkins' mother. Both actresses are at the mercy of a teleplay so contrived, the plot twists are not so much surprising as they are confounding. There's no attention to detail (at least, not logical detail) in Sangster's scenario, and the story becomes so muddled that the final revelations are practically irrelevant. Parkins keeps shooing Stanwyck off to the store or away to the airport, while Arthur O'Connell shuffles around as a simpleton groundskeeper and William Windom keeps popping up as a drunken stepfather (always with the same pained expression on his face). None of it coheres for an instant.

A Taste of Evil is a very interesting movie that tackles a pretty big issue for it's time. It involves the sexual assault of a young girl, and for 1971 I'm sure the topic was not as talked about as it is today. Anyways, the film starts with the young girl who is alone in her playhouse when a man (who we don't see) enters and attacks her off-screen. Fast forwards years later to when she is an adult. After spending years in a psychiatric institution, Susan travels home with her mother Miriam to tackle her demons. We meet some potential suspects of the rape; the mother's boyfriend Harold and a long time groundskeeper John. While at the family home, strange things start to happen. Susan sees someone lurking in the shadows, she feels someone following her in the woods, and a very dead looking Harold keeps popping up around the house. The imagery of this movie is amazing. The usage of dark shadows in the house adds a very spooky feeling to it all. About halfway through the film we discover what/who is causing these strange occurrences, and I must say I was surprised by what it was and who assaulted Susan years ago. We then get another twist that leads us to a satisfying ending. It's a typical 1970's made for television thriller which I love, but this one adds a lot more such as the shocking storyline of the rape. The acting was alright, Barbara Stanwyck was the best part about it. Overall a very satisfying TV movie that is impossible to purchase on DVD or VHS. Best thing to do is search it out online or hope for it to pop up on TV one day.8/10

A Taste of Evil is an unintentional funny movie. As mentioned before, story revolves around a daughter who comes home to an estate on the outskirts of San Francisco. Movie has an excellent lovely Barbara Parkins, underrated legend Barbara Stanwyck, Roddy McDowell, and Arthur O'Connell, most notably for "Bus Stop" with Marilyn Monroe. It is interesting because the first half of the movie is focused on Barbara Parkins and then the 2nd half is focused on Barbara Stanwyck. Movie has unintentional funny moments. Here are some of them. Barbaba Parkins calls the caretaker to see what is for dinner because the mother is out all night shopping, cold cuts and salad. However, the camp award goes to Barbara Stanwyck. The funniest scene, which my friend and I keep laughing at, is when Barbara Stanwyck is cooking. Barbara acts so bi-polar with a manic look on her face, she yells at Barbara Parkins as they leave to hunt, "Work up a healthy appetite, I'll have hamburgers piled right up to the ceiling." You have to see the scene to see what I am referring too. As the movie progresses, you see funny scenes as a Raggedy Ann doll floating in the bathtub. All the humor is on Barbara Stanwyck's facial expressions in the 2nd half. There is a surprise twist but guidelines won't allow me to tell you what it is. Enjoy and this is a must to keep your video collection. I am glad I taped this off t.v. 15 years ago.

The plot of A TASTE OF EVIL is a pastiche of cliches. Stop me if you've heard this before: A young woman, raped as a child and just released after years in a mental institution, comes home only to find herself seeing and hearing things that prove elusive when she summons witnesses. Is she still mentally unfit? Cue heroine waking up to thumping noise, wandering through darkened mansion, finding open window with shutters banging against frame and curtains billowing in gale-force winds. In fact, thunder storms and billowing curtains are repeating motifs in this unimaginative film. Drag in dog-eared scenes involving rustling bushes, haunted voices calling, a dimwitted butler who may or may not have been the girl's rapist, shadowy figures standing in the yard, disappearing corpses, a treacherous relative's inheritance-lust, etc. Even a plot this hackneyed can be revived to a certain extent, but "A Taste of Evil" is just uninspired through-and-through. Director Moxey reused these hoary story elements to better effect a decade later in NO PLACE TO HIDE. Still achingly familiar, at least that film was considerably more suspenseful, and contained one or two surprises."A Taste of Evil" is efficient enough within its very limited aspirations, and Stanwick makes an impression in her role, but the film still several notches below the high standard of numerous made-for-TV suspensers of the seventies.