Trilogy of Terror *2008 review

IMDb user comments 

 

 Director Dan Curtis, along with writers Nolan and Matheson, craft three tales all starring Karen Black as the leading female character of each one.

The first tale concerns a polite, well mannered, soft-spoken, nerdy seemingly naive(..and too trusting) school teacher who is blackmailed by a student who drugged her, sexually taking advantage of her while unconscious after slipping something in her soda at a drive-in movie. A photographer, Chad(Robert Burton)believes he can just do whatever he wishes with Julie(Black)if she wishes to continue teaching, but he doesn't really know who's truly in charge..

The second tale is quite a doozy, a real chance for Black to shine as she portrays dual(..emphasis on dual)characters, supposed sisters..the repressed, ugly spinster Millicent who wishes to end her sister, the seductive floozy blonde Therese's evil ways. Therese, according to Millicent, is a follower of Satan who practices witchcraft, and attempts to warn her boyfriend Thomas(John Karlen, of Dark Shadows & "Daughters of Darkness")before "it's too late", revealing her possibly murdering their mother and having an incestuous affair with their father. But, there's a mystery about these sisters which only their doctor, Chester Ramsey(George Gaynes)truly knows about.

The third, and most popular which has earned this televised film it's cult status, concerns this innocent woman, Amelia, whose putty in her overbearing mother's hands, alone in her apartment with a Zuni fetish doll, whose gold chain(around the doll's waist to keep the African hunter's spirit from attacking)falls off releasing it to terrorize her. This claustrophobic entry has Amelia running around her apartment, trying desperately to escape harm's way, slowly finding less places to hide while it stalks her with a kitchen knife. The climax to this one, when Amelia attempts to cook it in a stove, and how Black performs it, is a hoot.

The grand stage for Karen Black(..and, boy, does she show her stuff)where she's able to showcase a wide range of characters, each different than the next. While, I felt the third one is the most terrifying, delivering the most thrills, I think the other two tales provide Black with an opportunity(..if she hadn't done so already)to show her audience just what kind of versatility she had. There's also a phone conversation(..the actress claims she re-wrote herself with Curtis' permission)in the third tale between Amelia and her mother that really develops the character well..we see how Amelia is manipulated by her irksome mother, only through Black's voice and response. But, my favorite performance(s)of Black was in the second tale where we see two completely different characters, with a major discovery that links them. The first story, and my least favorite, is more of a case of "nothing is what it seems" where one character, who seems the tragic victim of deception, is actually the predator not prey. If you are a fan of Ms. Black, then this "science fiction" anthology(..Curtis, Black & Matheson all hate the descriptive term "horror" when used for "Trilogy of Terror")is a must-see.