Trilogie de la terreur

Karen Black is too frightening for mainstream cinema. You couldn't watch her in a romantic comedy without wondering whether she's going to kill and devour the male lead. But those freaky crossed eyes and that off-kilter sexuality make her a magnetic screen presence and we're all lucky that she found a handful of directors who were able to use her well without rendering her ridiculous ("Five Easy Pieces" by Rafelson) or shrewish ("Nashville" by Altman). Of all Karen Black's worthy star vehicles (an extremely short list), "Trilogy of Terror" is far and away the standout.

The first two pieces are mildly diverting -- the first, "Julie," has an entirely untelegraphed twist that feels like a cheap trick, so it's the weakest link. Still, it coasts along nicely on its creepy camera angles and Karen's dark-star power, and the last couple of scenes are just unsettling enough to whet your appetite for the delights to come. The second segment, "Millicent/Therese," is some standard mid-70s horror fare, laced with madness and hints of sexual perversity, that would be a "Flowers in the Attic"-style yawn if it weren't for the lovely Karen, who plays warring sisters: prim, evangelical Millicent and slutty, predatory Therese. As Therese, she wears a ridiculous blonde wig and sashays around the set like a drag queen, a fully intended foray into pure camp made even more bizarre by Karen's much more nuanced performance as repressed, mousy little Millie. Slowly you wonder if all of Therese's evil is a figment of . . . well, I don't want to spoil it for you.

Ol' Karen saves the best for last: "Amelia." As played by Karen Black, Amelia is a complex, very modern, very normal woman confronted with an utterly conventional dilemma: does she spend Friday night with her boyfriend or her mother? But this isn't a sitcom starring Valerie Harper, it's a horror movie starring Karen Black and something intensely weird happens -- the Zulu doll she has bought as a present for her boyfriend comes to life and starts chasing her around the apartment! (Sound familiar, "Chuckie" fans?) It sounds ridiculous, and it would be if it weren't for the magnificent Ms. Black. She believes. There is no ironic distance between actress and character, no winking acknowledgment of the absurdity of the situation, no excess of histrionics. Dammit, Karen is being menaced by a vicious, spear-wielding figurine and you are terrified for her! Maybe you could make the argument that the vignette is an attempt to juxtapose the civilized and the savage and to expose our true uncivilized nature. But no. It's an ugly doll attacking a cross-eyed actress. It's silly. It's stupid. It's pure entertainment. If you haven't seen it yet, go get it now.

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.

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 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.

In the 1970s, it was understood and accepted that some leading actors and actresses looked a little different from the box-office stars (they didn't just stand out to get attention, often they were embracing their own idiosyncrasies). Karen Black probably didn't intend to go mainstream, though her supporting performance in 1970's "Five Easy Pieces" was embraced by the counterculture and netted her an Oscar nomination. She's an offbeat actress who performs without vanity. Headlining this three-tiered TV-movie, Black plays plays four fascinating women, and her somewhat exotic cadence and her slightly-zonked overall manner gives the shuddery material an extra layer. Written by Richard Matheson and William F. Nolan, from Matheson's original stories, this "Trilogy" is well-cast and well-directed by Dan Curtis, who delivers some memorable moments--and the proof is that horror fans still refer to the film today. Curtis and Black really seemed to click, as the director quickly and efficiently zips through three creep-outs about complex ladies: "Julie", a dowdy teacher with nice legs who has naughty little minds in her classroom wondering what she's really like; "Millicent and Therese", two completely opposite sisters who live together; and "Amelia", a single woman who fights off the attack of a Zuni fetish doll in her apartment. This third chapter has incredible point-of-view camerawork as the enraged doll with sharp teeth swoops around furniture trying to get at his prey (he's at once comical and horrifying). The first two segments are psychological suspense studies of women holding power over men, while the finale turns the tables and makes woman the victim. The movie has a modest budget (it fit nicely on the tube) and might not have been considered so remarkable without the efforts of Curtis and Black. This was a scream-team made in horror heaven. **1/2 from ****