Skip to main content

The Terror (1963)

 

After all the black and white films I've watched over the past month or so as I worked my way through horror films from the 1920 to the present, I finally hit 1968- and a colour film.  It was a welcome change of pace- as was the story.

Seperated from his regiment in 1806, Andre Duvalier stumbles across the castle of Baron von Leppe, and a mysterious woman whom the Baron claims has been dead for the past 20 years- because he killed her and her lover.  Determined to discover the truth behind the dark past of the castle, Duvalier soon finds himself confronting a deadly mix of guilt, revenge, and madness...

"The Terror" was filmed on sets used in two other Roger Corman films- "The Raven," and "The Haunted Palace".  The tree in the final scene is from "The Haunted Palace" where it was the sight of Vincent Price being tied up and burnt.  In addition to re-using sets, this movie is notable for the number of directors it had:
  • Roger Corman
  • Francis Ford Coppola
  • Monte Hellman
  • Jack Hill
  • Jack Nicholson
I'll say from the start that I enjoyed this movie.

The acting was quite good- but that's only natural considering it had Boris Karloff as the Baron, and a young Jack Nicholson playing the role of Duvalier.  Nicholson brought some cheese to his performance, but it wasn't overpowering, and was enjoyable.  Karloff, as he did when playing Frankenstein's monster, brought pathos and a feeling of tragedy to the character of Baron von Leppe.  Seeing the two of them together was just a joy to experience.

Dick Miller- who plays Stefan the butler, did a remarkable job as well.  You got the sense that he honestly did care about the Baron, and would do what he had to in order to protect his secrets.  I also really enjoyed the character of the peasant witch, played by Dorothy Neumann.  She didn't have a huge role, but still helped the story move forward, and showed the folly of revenge.  The mysterious woman, Helene- as played by Sandra Knight, was beautiful, and brought a very ethereal air to her character.

The cast helped to strengthen a really good storyline.  It was layered, but not so heavily that you got distracted thinking too much.  The characters were well written and interesting, and the events moved smoothly from one scene to the next.

"The Terror" had some very effective camerawork- especially during the exterior shots on the beach and in the forest.  The scenery in the beach scenes was simply beautiful, and perfectly set-up the isolation of the Baron's castle.  The only scenes where the camera work wasn't as good involved the ones out front of the chapel.  It just couldn't hide the fact that it was a set.  Other than that one area, I was impressed.  I also quite liked the opening credit sequence.  It reminded me very much of the style used for the opening of Coppola's earlier movie, "Dementia 13".  I have to wonder if they got the same artist to do them.

There aren't a lot of special effects in this movie- other than lightning, and the final scene.  I was especially impressed with the smoothness of the final sequence.

For a low budget film- and one often considered to be a B-movie, I have to say that "The Terror" is one of my favorite ghost story movies.  I'm definately rating this one as "The Good".
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Meridian: Kiss of the Beast (1990)

Sometimes, a director/producer will surprise you- such was the case during " Terrorpolooza 2012 " when I watched Charles Band's " Meridian: Kiss of the Beast " Catherine Bomarzini has come home after her father's death.  Needing company, she asks Gina to stay with her.  Soon, the two meet a wondering troupe of performers that Catherine invites to dinner at her castle. Catherine find herself pulled into a love triangle and an ancient curse that only she can break. After watching movies like " Evil Bong ", and " Demonic Toys ", I really wasn't expecting too much from this Charles Band movie- but I was pleasantly surprised by it. The story is actually quite interesting with lots of potential for eerie scenes, and character development.  It's a nice twist on the classic " Beauty and the Beast " story.  It's a bit slower than most of Band's other works, but moves smoothly and draws you with it. I have to ad...
Post a Comment
Read more

Zombie Bikers From Detroit (2001)

Over the years, it has been shown that with very little money, a skillful director can put together a high quality horror movie (John Carpenter's " Halloween ", " The Blair Witch Project ", and " Paranormal Activity " being a few of them).  So, when it comes to determining a movie's quality, budget is no longer a negative... Ken and his mother have moved from Hell, Michigan to Grosse Pointe near Detroit.  Upon his arrival, he meets the lovely Courtney, and her jealous suitor Chad.  While Ken and Chad square off, an evil is growing within Detroit and slowly spreading towards Grosse Point... where Ken will meet his destiny ... This week's " What Movie Wednesday " winner was " Zombie Bikers From Detroit "- a low budget horror movie that feels like it was put together as a school project.  High School, or College... I can't really tell. The premise- as stated in my little synopsis is interesting- as was the title.  ...
9 comments
Read more

The Black Castle (Les Daniels)

Vampires and witches are often a good basis for a horror novel.  Through in the Spanish Inquisition, and odds are you'll get a pretty good story. In 1496, while the Spanish Inquisition is in full motion, Diego  de Villanueva is seeking a way to rise through the ranks of the Inquistion.  He will do anything he needs to... even use his brother's darkest secrets and knowledge to bring fear and hatred to the world... " The Black Castle " caught my  eye while shopping at " The Book Place ".  I was intrigued by the idea of it taking place during the Spanish Inquisition.  While I did enjoy reading this book, I was also a little disappointed. The style is very fitting to the story- it has an almost old world charm and rythm to it that I found pleasing to the ear.  It's also easy to read, and flows at a nice pace.  While, it's not "fancy", the images it creates are fairly good and atmospheric. The story itself is a really interesting idea....
Post a Comment
Read more