Ask anyone who has seen 70s TV anthology Trilogy of Terror and they'll no doubt mention the evil Zuni Fetish Doll that goes on a bloodthirsty rampage in the last of the three stories: with his beady little eyes, rows of savage teeth and wild black hair, he certainly is an unforgettable character. Sadly, there is nothing else about Trilogy of Terror that is anywhere near as memorable.
The problem lies primarily with the stories, which are surprisingly weak considering that they come from the pen of Richard Matheson, best known for classic sci-fi novel I Am Legend and his work for The Twilight Zone. Tales one and two are extremely mediocre, devoid of either chills or thrills and saddled with extremely lame 'twist' endings that neither shock nor surprise. Story number three is also has a pretty feeble narrative (one which amounts to little more than an extended chase/battle in an apartment) but at least it has that wicked little Zuni doll to liven things up a bit.
Star Karen Black puts in some decent performances throughout, ably playing a total of four very different roles, and there is adequate direction from Dan Curtis, but this film simply isn't as good as some seem to recall.
The problem lies primarily with the stories, which are surprisingly weak considering that they come from the pen of Richard Matheson, best known for classic sci-fi novel I Am Legend and his work for The Twilight Zone. Tales one and two are extremely mediocre, devoid of either chills or thrills and saddled with extremely lame 'twist' endings that neither shock nor surprise. Story number three is also has a pretty feeble narrative (one which amounts to little more than an extended chase/battle in an apartment) but at least it has that wicked little Zuni doll to liven things up a bit.
Star Karen Black puts in some decent performances throughout, ably playing a total of four very different roles, and there is adequate direction from Dan Curtis, but this film simply isn't as good as some seem to recall.