Trilogie de la terreur

Trilogy of Terror (1975)

*** (out of 4)

Dan Curtis made a number of made-for-television films but none of them has survived as long as this one as it continues to gain new fans each and every years thanks in large part to its final story. In the film, Karen Black appears in all three stories and plays four different parts and her acting certainly helps make TRILOGY OF TERROR so memorable.

The first story has Black playing a professor who pretty much stays alone in her room but she reluctantly agrees to go on a date with a student who ends up drugging her and taking some sexual photos of her. He then plans on blackmailing her but there's one thing he doesn't know. JULIE is a good film to start off on as it's certainly slow-moving but at the same time it delivers a nice little twist that actually works quite well. This segment certainly flows very well and keeps you entertained throughout.

In the second story, "Millicent and Therese" Black plays both characters. One is a oh- too-serious woman and the other her more sluty sister. They are both well aware of a doctor who has taken care of them from childhood but the wiser sister makes a plan to take care of her evil sister for good. This is the least entertaining of the three stories because it really takes a while for it to get going. The twist itself isn't as good as the first story and you should see it coming from a mile away but Black is certainly wonderful in both roles.

Finally, "Amelia" has Black playing a woman who decides to stay home alone when a Zuni doll she bought for her boyfriend comes to life and starts to stalk her. It's funny and easy to see why this story scared so many people and it's really the main reason the movie is remembered today. The impact this portion of the film had on people is quite great to read about and it's certainly the best of the three. Black is terrific as the tormented lady but the Zuni doll easily steals the picture with its screams and incredibly ugly teeth. I certainly won't ruin the final shot but it's a classic.

TRILOGY OF TERROR had all three stories written by Richard Matheson so the quality is certainly there. It's funny but the first two stories are a lot more laid back compared to the third so it almost seems like the third should have been in a different series of films but it really doesn't matter. That third story is just pure madness from start to finish and it works extremely well. Black is certainly the main key here because she plays four different types of characters and does justice to them all. Curtis certainly handles all of the material perfectly and helps makes this one of the better made-for-TV movies.

I first saw this movie in '75 when I was 12 years old, along with my 9 year old sister. To this day, we both will never forget that last segment entitled "Amelia"! The entire movie itself is definitely done in the true, classic made-for-TV 70s flicks, but in and of itself is worth watching if you are interested in the horror genre and specifically from a hallmark standpoint. The movie consists of 3 different stories (hence "trilogy") and they all star Karen Black. The first segment is a clever piece about an uptight literature professor at a college who dons a bun hairdo and looks impenetrable on a personal level. However, her true vocation, so to speak, comes to light and we see there is much more to her than meets the eye. The second segment is your classic....well, I won't give it away. Good enough story, although somewhat lacking in suspense. The last story is the one that scared the pants off of me when I was a kid. Mind you, if you ever watch it, take a kid's point of view into account, but even as an adult, it has its moments! Very frightening for its time, and very original in plot. The ending scene is totally awesome. Take into account that this movie was 1975, so there are no computer graphics to assist in realism. I won't tell what happens in that last segment, but suffice it to say that it took my sister and I literally *months* before we'd get out of bed at night without running like mad across the floor! Karen Black does an outstanding job in all her roles.

I loved reading the comments everyone has made regarding the third segment. I also remember seeing this on TV when it was originally broadcast in 75 (I was 13) and, like so many others, was absolutely terrified by the killer doll. I remember the next day at school, everyone who saw it was talking about it and those who didn't were upset they missed it. I must have drawn pictures of that doll on every notebook I had that year (the teeth were awesome). It's one of those movies that I have never and will never forget.

Dan Curtis directs this made for television anthology of three stories written by horror-meister Richard Mathseon. Matheson wrote the teleplay for the third story "Prey," while Richard F. Nolan(writer of Logan's Run and much more) did so for the first two stories. All of the stories star Karen Black in the lead and the stories are titled with the female names "Julie," "Millicent and Therese," and "Amelia." All three stories are to varying degrees effective. I really enjoyed the first story about a college student who seduces his seemingly coy college professor only to see things differently later. Curtis plays with his audience and shows scenes from The Night Stalker at a drive-in theater. Look for a very young Gregory Harrison at this episode's close. The second story has two sisters who hate each other finally settle their differences..in a very unique way. George Gaynes helps out in this episode as a doctor. The story works because of its acting even though I knew what was going to happen long before it did. Karen Black really gets to show her acting range in this one, and as Therese she is one real knockout. Easily the best of the trio is the third story of a woman bringing a Zuni fetish doll home only to somehow become the prey of this one-to-two foot doll. The special effects here might seem campy by today's standards but when this came out they were truly frightening...and still powerful I think today. The doll looks very scary and attacks with quite an intense ferocity. This story should put you on the edge of your seat, and is very different in tone and style to the first two. Trilogy of Terror is a good, fun-filled romp through the works of one of our best authors...Richard Matheson.

I don't remember the first two films but I must have seen them when the trilogy was shown on UK television in the 70s. The one that stuck with me, in fact terrified me, was the third one of the trilogy, Amelia. It's come up now to my mind from an article in the Guardian and I would never have known the name of it unless I'd read that article.

I was watching at my parents' house after they had gone to bed. I honestly didn't know what I was letting myself in for. That doll made me genuinely frightened. Whoever, in the props department, conceived of it was an evil genius. The way it moved, chasing its victim through her flat was perfect, as was the terrible noise it made.

I met some friends the next day who shared a flat. They had also watched the film and afterwards all slept in the same bedroom together as they had been so freaked out. I'm glad I hadn't been the only one to have been utterly spooked. I admit that when I went to bed, I was worried that that horrifying doll would come charging out from under a cupboard or out of a wardrobe.

I can still feel the frisson of terror forty five years later. It's one that I shall never forget.