Trilogy of Terror (1975) (TV)

Director:

Dan Curtis

Writers:

William F. Nolan (teleplay) (segment)
Richard Matheson (story) (segment "Julie")
(more)

Release Date:

4 March 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

An electrifying experience - you won't believe your eyes!

Plot:

Three bizarre horror stories all of which star Karen Black in four different roles playing tormented women.

Plot Keywords:

Student | Doll | Teacher | Anthology | Twins

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Karen Black	...	Julie / Millicent Larimore / Therese Larimore / Amelia
Robert Burton	...	Chad Foster
John Karlen	...	Thomas Amman
George Gaynes	...	Dr. Chester Ramsey
Jim Storm	...	Eddie Nells
Gregory Harrison	...	Arthur Moore
Kathryn Reynolds	...	Anne Richards
Tracy Curtis	...	Tracy
Orin Cannon	...	Motel Clerk
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Walker Edmiston	...	Zuni Fetish Doll (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Dan Curtis

Writing credits
William F. Nolan		(teleplay) (segment "Julie")
Richard Matheson		(story) (segment "Julie")
William F. Nolan		(teleplay) (segment "Millicent and Therese")
Richard Matheson		(story) (segment "Millicent and Therese")
Richard Matheson		(written by) (segment "Amelia")
Richard Matheson		(short story) (segment "Amelia")

Produced by
Dan Curtis	....	producer
Robert Singer	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Bob Cobert		(as Robert Cobert)

Cinematography by
Paul Lohmann

Film Editing by
Les Green

Casting by
Gail Melnick

Art Direction by
Jan Scott

Set Decoration by
Leonard A. Mazzola		(as Leonard Mazzola)

Makeup Department
Kathryn Blondell	....	hair stylist (as Kathryn L. Blondell)
Michael Westmore	....	makeup artist (as Mike Westmore)

Production Management
Robert J. Koster	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Art Levinson	....	first assistant director
George Wagner	....	second assistant director

Sound Department
James Pilcher	....	production sound mixer

Special Effects by
Richard Albain	....	special effects (as Richard Albaine)
Erik von Buelow	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Michael Simpson	....	assistant camera
Bob Rose	....	key grip (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
John S. Perry	....	costume supervisor
Barbara Siebert	....	costumer

Music Department
Frank Kulaga	....	music recordist

Other crew
Lois Kerst	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• ABC Circle Films
• Dan Curtis Productions

Distributors

• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1975) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Dark Sky Films (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• MPI Home Video (USA) (VHS) (as "Terror of the Doll" and "Tales of Terror")

Other Companies

• Screen Time Images  film restoration

Also Known As:

"Tales of Terror" - USA (alternative title)
"Terror of the Doll" - USA (alternative title)

Runtime:

72 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Unrated | Germany:BPjM Restricted | USA:TV-14

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

ABC Circle Films

Trivia:

The original Zuni doll puppet owned by director, Dan Curtis, was used for the new sculpts of the Zuni doll for the sequel, Trilogy of Terror 2.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Amelia has the doll in the oven and is holding the door closed, you can clearly see the tubing that pumped the blood from when the doll bit her neck.

Quotes:

Chad Foster:You've drugged me!
Julie:[Flippant] No dear, I've killed you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King" (2006)

When Karen was Queen...

I long for the days when an odd, slightly exotic/slightly zonked actress like Karen Black can make it in Hollywood. There was a time in the mid-'70s when--every time you turned around--Karen Black was in a new movie. I'm still discovering early movies she starred or co-starred in that I never knew about ("Cisco Pike", "Portnoy's Complaint", "The Pyx"). She and director Dan Curtis were quite a pair, here masterfully zipping through three short creep-outs in which Karen plays four fascinating women. The last segment, "Amelia", has incredible point-of-view camera-work, seamlessly swooping around corners, which rivals even "The Shining". Karen is very much attuned to the eccentricities of character (in fact, when she played a 'normal' woman, like the lead in "Day Of The Locust", she came off almost colorless), but Dan Curtis winds this toy up and Karen runs with it. The first two segments are psychological suspense studies of ruined-women-turned-triumphant, the third story turns the tables and makes woman the victim. It's a terrific feat, worth talking about even after 26 years.