Starring: Karen Black, Robert Burton (III), John Karlen, George Gaynes, Jim Storm Directed By: Dan Curtis Average Rating: Audience Rating: Unrated Binding: VHS Tape Format: Color, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered, NTSC Label: Starz / Anchor Bay Number of Items: 1 Release Date: July 11, 2000 Running Time: 72 minutes Theatrical Release Date: March 04, 1975
Amazon.com: Dan Curtis, the creator and producer of such out-of-the-ordinary TV classics as the willfully offbeat gothic soap opera Dark Shadows and the proto-X-Files series The Night Stalker, remains best known for the Zuni fetish doll that terrorizes Karen Black in Trilogy of Terror. The wild-eyed doll, with its snapping jaws and screeching yells, borders on camp, yet its relentless attacks and single-minded, homicidal drive make it an absolutely terrifying figure in the climactic chapter of this trilogy of short films based on stories by Richard Matheson. In the first story, "Julie," Karen Black plays a mousy college professor blackmailed by an obsessed student, and in "Millicent and Therese" she plays sisters consumed with an intense hatred of one another that comes to a head when their father dies. Both of these films conclude with Twilight Zone-ish twists and are more clever than gripping, kept alive mostly by Black's gleefully theatrical performances. With "Amelia," however, Black delivers an almost solo show, playing against the famous Zuni fetish doll, a wooden statue that comes to life when the a protective chain slips off the figure and releases the evil spirit. Curtis turns her apartment into a claustrophobic cage trapping the increasingly hysterical woman as the unstoppable figure hacks at her legs with a kitchen knife and chomps down on her arms and neck with the relentless intensity of a bulldog. It's still a classic of small-screen horror. --Sean Axmaker
Still Fabulously Terrorizing! What A Great Blast from TV Past! One late night in 1977 my sister and I were watching the late night horror movie on Detroit's local ABC station WXYZ. As suspense/horror/mystery fans, we had seen almost all the classic and features from the kitchy "Wood" movies and Hammer horrors to the slasher films that were reaching a fever pitch about then. But of all the movies we had seen up to that date, nothing scared us two teenage fans to the point that we stood on our respective sofas, afraid to put our feet down. Before Ms. Black got to the sofa, we had run into my mother's room screaming "Ma! You gotta see this!!" pulling her out of bed. All three of us were standing on one couch, laughing and screaming. It was the best scare of our lives to that point. The two preceeding features were so wonderfully and intererestingly written, but the screenwriter was a master of so many favorites of ours at that time. I won't give more away.. you'll have to buy it to enjoy it.(reviews are not book reports and I feel they should give the writers impression of the work, not an autopsy, and pique the curiosity of the reader) I purchased this version a few weeks ago and it is very clean and clear and has great sound. I never thought I'd ever see it on DVD. When it arrived, I shared it with my metalbabies and we all had a horrifyingly great time. Metaldiva Sez: This is so much scary fun to watch. Fans of this richly creative time in "made-for-tv" movie history will love it.
Terror of Trilogy with Karen Black at her Best If you enjoy a cheesy 'horror' flick, or just want to see the unstoppable Zuni warrior doll, then this is for you. You get to see Karen Black at her best - working the witchyness, playing several deranged characters, and screaming for her life. This is one of my favorite B horror movies, and I'm a Karen Black fan, so my review is alittle biased. But if you can find this flick anywhere for cheap, it's decent deal.
Still freaks me out I first saw this three stories tele-movie three decades ago and after finding it was on dvd, purchased Trilogy of Terror to find out if it still has a high scare factor. It does! For anyone contemplating purchase I say go right ahead but make sure you don't live alone. I won't spoil your entertainment with details, suffice to say that the first story is spooky, subtle with a knockout ending; the second will have you enthralled and the third story will make you put all the lights on in every room at night for at least a week! Karen Black shows what an actor she is, absolutely fantastic.
Not the usual horror flick
This is not your usual horror flick: it has loads of psychological implications. The characters portrayed by Karen Black are almost sympathetic, which is about the best way to watch a horror movie -- having sympathy for the beast. Even FRANKENSTEIN could evoke a bit of sympathy from the viewer. Originally saw this movie on TV back in the '70's with my spouse and we've never forgotten this triolgy. While it isn't the greatest movie ever made (and not on par with a great classic like FRANKENSTEIN), it is MEMORABLE . . . particularly the last third of the trilogy. Some of the scenes in the last of this three-parter have never left me or my spouse. I won't ruin the movie for anyone reading this review, except to say this is a DVD worth having. Disturbing and VERY unusual, and well worth viewing. And well worth owning your own DVD copy. And, as a point of comparison, I saw a re-make of this movie that was very disappointing. The original TRILOGY IN TERROR is by far the best.
Classic Horror film Just as I remembered it from my childhood memories of TV Horror movies. The 3rd segment is great.
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