La vergine di cera

... which are mostly crap, copied from old nth generation prints full of dirt and splices and bad sound. I never saw THE TERROR when it was originally released but I did see TARGETS, which incorporated footage from the earlier film a few years later. The footage from TERROR was crisp, sharp, and beautifully photographed. Seeing it when it was new must have been an entirely different experience. On the other hand, audiences then didn't have the advantage of hindsight. They didn't know that the young lead would go on to become possibly the most successful actor of his time. And they certainly wouldn't have suspected it from THE TERROR. Jack Nicholson is handily out-acted by virtually everyone else on the screen, including his then buddy Dick Miller. Karloff shines, bringing the same sly relish to his wittier lines that he brought to THE BODY SNATCHER many years before. The guy was the king of horror movies, no question about it. Everyone knows the backstory: shot on leftover sets from THE RAVEN (and possibly, if I'm not mistaken, THE HAUNTED CASTLE) with plenty of stock footage from PIT AND THE PENDULUM and HOUSE OF USHER. Most amusing (to me) was the way no one could agree on how to pronounce the name Gustav, whom Nicholson at one point addresses as "Gust-off" (although he comes closer in a later scene). If you're a fan of classic horror (or B-movie lore) you should give THE TERROR a look. Its creaky atmosphere is oddly charming.

For a DVD that sells 3.99 at Walgreens, this movie was a lot better than I expected. Yes, seeing Jack Nicholson pre-Schmidt days is a fun concept. But that amusement was short-lived, and I eventually found myself actually intrigued with the entire plot-line going on.

Jack is an officer of some sort, and he gets stranded on a seluded island of some sort with this witch of some sort, her boy of some sort and this weird girl of some sort. Turmoil unravels when he finds himself curiously (or not so curiously, considering there was the whole cleavage thing going on) attracted to the weird girl.

Vague, yes. But this is kind of the type of movie whereas if I say anything more, it would be considered a spoiler. Everything/everyone will link together in the end. There is also a killer crow that is quite amusing and scary at times.

Ignoring the fact I could barely hear the dialogue despite I had the volume turned up on 10, the oldness of the film was actually fitting. It adds to the whole vintage horror flick persona, supported by a young Jack Nicholson, dramatic music, and fuzzy-staticky screen. So don't be discouraged if it appears to be a little washed out. It's satisfying, and leaves you feeling disturbed. 3.99 was well spent.

Enjoyment of this film will depend on two things. First how much you like the actors involved. The second is the understand that this film was pieced together from scraps of film shot by various directors to fit in with footage that had been shot of Karloff on left over sets after the original feature had been finished. If you can forgive your favorite actors anything and accept that this is a paste up job, then you'll have yourself an okay time at the movies.

Lets face it this film is a mess. The story of a French soldier following a mysterious woman to a castle is so disjointed that they actually shot a scene where Jack Nicholson grabs one of the characters and asks him whats going on, its at that point all of the loose ends are brought together in a tenuous grip.

Its the sort of movie that shouldn't work on any level but some how does.Its well acted considering that no one probably had any idea what they were starring in. Its also directed well enough that you don't realize that there were actually five directors other than Roger Corman behind the camera.

Currently floating around in the public domain (cheap video copies are to be had) this is a movie worth seeing if you want to see how Jack Nicholson started or how Boris Karloff ended up. Its a just okay thriller with a more interesting production history. Worth a bag of popcorn if you need another movie to fill out a night of Corman Poe movies.

For a film calling itself 'The Terror', Roger Corman's unpolished and critically hounded horror film isn't very terrifying. In fact, by the time the credits role there's a good chance that you'll sit there bewildered asking yourself what, exactly, you've just spent the last eighty minutes of your life on. There's a good reason for this, as The Terror is an almost complete waste of time; it offers nothing in the way of intrigue, invention or influence on the genre, nor does the plot have any kind of point and, to be honest, it's not all that interesting anyway. However, The Terror gains points for protruding that lovely Roger Corman style quickie sort of atmosphere, and for excellent performances from classic horror icon, Boris Karloff, and a man that would go on to set the acting world on fire a decade later; the inescapably excellent, Jack Nicholson. The film has an awesome amount of camp and cult value for these two performances, Nicholson especially as it's always fun to see a highly rated actor in an early, and much less highly rated role.

The point of The Terror would appear to be the classic Roger Corman 'point' – "let's make some money!" and the penny-pinching style that Corman perfected over the years is evident in just about every cheap looking scene. The plot follows a French solider (Jack Nicholson) who travels to the castle of the resident baron in search of a girl he met while stranded in the local village. While there he discovers a lot of terror (or not) as we find out that the baron is harbouring a secret. The secret can be guessed within the first half of the film, and that's another area where the film fails, but it's kept alive by a constant stream of ridiculous goings on, and as the film moves closer to it's climax and the lines get more terrible and the plot becomes more ridiculous, you cant help but treat yourself to a good laugh. People that rate films objectively will hate the Terror, but for the cult fans and Roger Corman fanatics; this will fill a gap, and although it's instantly forgettable; there's worse ways to waste your time.

This Roger Corman film deals with a young officer (Jack Nicholson) serving during the Napoleon empire . He's stranded in a coast near an eerie castle . There he meets a gorgeous young girl (Sandra Knight, Nicholson's first wife) and discovers that she's haunted . When she spontaneously disappears , he goes to the castle where inhabits a mysterious Baron (Boris Karloff) , his servant (Dick Miller) and the deceased Baroness is the beautiful girl he saw close the beach , then creepy events occur .

This is a well known Corman terror film that was only shot in three days . It's a quickie with lack luster and low Budget . The storyline has holes similarly to Swiss cheese , but thanks to the excellent cast it manages to be at least an agreeable terror movie . The film belongs to the Corman terror period during the 60s with classical horror adaptations on the writers : H.P. Lovecraft (The haunted palace) and Poe . It was realized after the classic Edgar Allan Poe adaptations (Tales of terror , The premature burial , Pit and pendulum , House of Usher) and on the sets and leftover from ¨The raven¨ and in spite of having similar style , isn't a Poe rendition , but an original screenplay by Leo Gordon (a habitual secondary actor : Tobruk) and Jack Hill (a grade Z film director). In the movie there are the Corman's common actors , such as : Jonathan Haze, Dick Miller and a newcomer Nicholson who had previously played ¨Little shop of horrors¨ in a comical interpretation as a sadomasochist who receives an especial dental intervention . Besides , here repeat the main technicians and assistants as the musician Ronald Stein composing a gloomy score , Daniel Haller as production designer , Monte Hellman (The shooting) as auxiliary direction and even Francis Ford Coppola as associate producer . The flick will appeal to Jack Nicholson fans and followers to Corman's long career.