Scare-A-Thon Totals to Date:
Total Movies Watched: 31
Total First Time Views: 16
Amount raised for AMAZON WATCH: $2,565.56
Trilogy of Terror (1975) d. Dan Curtis (USA) (72 min) (2nd viewing)
Producer/director Dan Curtis was already a legend in 1975, having created the legendary vampire soap opera Dark Shadows, as well as The Night Stalker, the highest-rated made-for-television movie released at the time, and well-received adaptations of Dracula and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (both starring Jack Palance). So when he hired Richard Matheson, already a well-regarded entity in both television and film, with numerous Twilight Zone credits to his name, among others, to adapt three stories, it seemed like a can’t-miss proposition. (William F. Nolan was eventually recruited to adapt the first two tales, while Matheson handled the concluding chapter, “Amelia,” based on the short story “Prey.”)
Two-time Golden Globe-winner and Oscar nominee (Five Easy Pieces) Karen Black was a bona-fide star at this point and was apparently reluctant to do the project, acquiescing only after her agent harangued her into accepting the assignment and then only on the condition that her then-husband, Robert “Skip” Burton, be allowed to co-star in the first episode, “Julie.” But there is no evidence of reticence in her performances, plural as she plays the lead characters in all three segments, including that of twin sisters in the second episode, “Millicent and Therese.” Black throws herself (literally at times) into the various scenarios with such gusto that it’s no wonder this has become her most recognizable filmed project.
We’ll deal with the most famous segment first, since Trilogy is often remembered as “That Movie with the Little Zuni Doll,” with people forgetting there ever were other stories in the mix. It’s a stunningly simple plot: An insecure woman struggling to cut the apron strings of her (never seen) mother has rented an apartment in the city. She buys an authentic African Zuni Fetish doll for her anthropologist boyfriend’s birthday, and when the small gold chain around its waist snaps, the little beggar comes to life in glorious shrieking ambulatory fashion.
It can’t really be done justice in print, because it shouldn’t work as well as it does. I mean, a little puppet chasing a full-grown woman around her apartment with a kitchen knife ought to be as silly in execution as it sounds on paper. But Paul Lohmann’s frenetic camera movement, Black’s committed solo performance, the massive-fanged countenance of puppet master Erik Von Buelow’s creation, and the insanely enthusiastic audio design of the doll’s nonstop, nonsensical war cries sell the bill of goods right down the line.
Seriously, you can’t watch the last 10 minutes without your jaw on the floor and/or a grin on your face. It can’t be done. And no one who watches it is ever quite the same afterwards.
The preceding two chapters simply can’t compete with this breathtaking assault, and that’s too bad, since they are both worthwhile suspenseful entries and Black is equally captivating in three separate roles. The first deals with a college student (Burton) who badgers his English teacher (Black) into going on a drive-in movie date, then drugs her root beer, and takes her back to his apartment, where he not only has (implied) sex with her, but takes photos of the encounter!
PRETTY RACY STUFF FOR TELEVISION IN 1975. She gets her comeuppance, not to worry, but still. Wow.
The second focuses on the war of wills between two sisters, spinster Millicent (Black in small round glasses and a tightly wound bun hairstyle) and her slatternly opposite Therese (Black in a long blonde wig and mascara), with the former trying to convince the latter’s new beau (Dark Shadow’s John Karlin) of the web of deceit and sin he’s wandered into. It’s a fun little diversion, mostly as an acting showcase for our star, but once again, the shocking taboo subject matter of incest and matricide are introduced so casually that viewers might find themselves doing a double take of, “Wait… what?”
This anthology showcase for Black and Matheson, served up with panache and chutzpah by Curtis, stands as one of the most beloved slices of television terror ever created for the small screen and remains essential viewing for all horror fans, casual or committed.
BONUS FEATURES:
Brand New 4K Restoration
NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Richard Harland Smith
NEW Interview with Composer Bob Cobert
Audio Commentary with Karen Black and writer William F. Nolan
"Richard Matheson: Terror Scribe" Featurette
"Three Colors Black" Featurette
Newly Commissioned Art by Jacob Phillips
Trilogy of Terror is available now on Blu-ray and DVD from Kino Lorber and can be ordered HERE:
https://www.kinolorber.com/product/trilogy-of-terror-special-edition-dvd
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