The Terror (1963)



Movie Title: The Terror

Year Released: 1963

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 1h 21min

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Director: Roger Corman

Writer: Leo Gordon and Jack Hill

Starring: Boris Karloff, Jack Nicholson, Sandra Knight, Dick Miller, Dorothy Neumann, Jonathan Haze

Review: A young soldier in Napoleon's army (Jack Nicholson) gets separated from his regiment and rescues a mysterious woman (Sandra Knight) in danger. She then leads him to a creepy castle, home to an eerie elderly Baron (Boris Karloff). The castle appears to hold many secrets, that are ghastly and bloodcurdling! But can the brave lieutenant believe his senses? Is it all a dream... or is it The Terror!

This cult classic is courtesy of the B-movie maestro Roger Corman (The Raven, The Tomb of Ligeia), along with many aspiring film-makers like Francis Ford Coppola, Dennis Jakob, Monte Hellman, Jack Hill and even Jack Nicholson, all of which pitched in by taking turns in the director's chair. This horror hodge podge is thrilling, frightening, and make almost no sense whatsoever... and it's terrific!

Some horror films are about the scares, some are about the plot, The Terror is about mood, atmosphere, and the surreal. You have to give Boris Karloff, Jack Nicholson, Sandra Knight, and especially Dick Miller, credit for giving this one their all, and sticking with the wandering story. At one point, poor Dick Miller's character has the toughest task of explaining the plot to Jack Nicholson's Lt. Andre Duvalier... and it still doesn't make much sense, but thanks to Miller's fear and conviction we nod our heads and tell ourselves, "Oh, so that's what's going on."

I've always enjoyed The Terror and might very well have been my introduction to Roger Corman and I've been a fan of him and his extensive body of work ever since. So if you enjoy Boris Karloff, creepy castles, ghost stories, young Jack Nicholson, surreal storytelling, and Dick Miller talking in his Bronx accent during the Napoleonic period, then brace yourself for The Terror!

Stars (out of 4):
       

Fun Fact: Roger Corman shot the bulk of the film in four days, but the second-unit work was filmed over a nine month period by five directors, Francis Ford Coppola, Dennis Jakob, Monte Hellman, Jack Nicholson, and Jack Hill.


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