The Terror (1963)

A young officer in Napoleon's Army pursues a mysterious woman to the castle of an elderly Baron.

Directors:

Roger Corman, Francis Ford Coppola (uncredited)

Writers:

Leo Gordon (screenplay), Jack Hill (screenplay)

Stars:

Boris Karloff, Jack Nicholson, Sandra Knight

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Boris Karloff	...	Baron Victor Frederick Von Leppe / Eric
Jack Nicholson	...	Lt. Andre Duvalier
Sandra Knight	...	Helene / Ghost of Ilsa The Baroness Von Leppe
Dick Miller	...	Stefan (as Richard Miller)
Dorothy Neumann	...	Katrina, Witch / Eric's Mother
Jonathan Haze	...	Gustaf

Storyline

France, 18th century. Lieutenant Andre Duvalier (Jack Nicholson) has been accidentally separated from his regiment. He is wandering near the coast when he sees a young woman (Sandra Knight) and asks her for directions to Coldon, where he hopes to rejoin his regiment. But the woman doesn't answer, doesn't even greet him and walks away. Eventually she takes him towards the sea, where she disappears in rough water. Andre loses consciousness while trying to follow her, and is attacked by a bird and awakes in a house where an old woman (Dorothy Neumann) claims never to have seen the woman. After he leaves, he sees the woman again, and while trying to follow her, is saved by a man from certain death. Andre learns that in order to help the girl, he must go to castle of Baron Von Leppe (Boris Karloff), and when he arrives, Andre sees the woman looking out of a window. However, Baron Von Leppe is old and seems reluctant to let Andre in. He claims there's no woman in the castle, but shows Andre...

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Plot Keywords:

castle | body possession | transformation | dungeon | melting face | 

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Taglines:

Trapped in a Haunted Castle... There is no Escape From The TERROR

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

American International Pictures would frequently make use of frozen dollars and cheaper European facilities by sending composers Les Baxter and Ronald Stein to record their scores in London, Munich and Rome. In spite of The Terror having a very small budget, Stein was able to use the 90-piece Munich Symphony Orchestra to record the score. And whilst in Munich, Stein cut costs even further by juggling the recording sessions to squeeze in the scoring of Dementia 13 (1963).

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Goofs

In the opening scenes, Duvalier's chestnut horse has a small white mark (faint star) on its face. Later, when his horse bolts from the stable, its face marking is a wide white stripe.

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Quotes

Andre: One more question, Baron: has anyone else except yourself seen the spirit? Stefan, for instance.
Baron Victor Frederick Von Leppe: [smiling] You think I'm mad, don't you.
Andre: Right now, Baron, I'm not sure just what I think.
Baron Victor Frederick Von Leppe: Ah! But don't forget: *you* saw her, too. Perhaps we're both mad.

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Alternate Versions

In 1990 Roger Corman prepared a new version with about 10 minutes additional footage to copyright the film for his Concorde-New Horizon Corp. Mark Griffiths was the director of this new footage (added at the beginning and the end of the film). It was filmed on video and featured Rick Dean, Wayne Grace and Dick Miller (the only actor from the original cast - now 27 years older).

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Connections

Featured in Trailer Trauma 2: Drive-In Monsterama (2016)

User Reviews

Gothic tale of horror

This is quite a Gothic tale of horror, including sundry gory bits. The castle is expectedly dark and brooding, and Corman creates an eerie atmosphere very well.

I spotted two directional errors. The handguns are revolver like, and I do not think such guns were used in Europe in the early years of the nineteenth century. Also, the servant Stefan often stands too close to the Baron, and to Lieutenant Duvalier. For reasons that become clear later, he could assume such familiarity with the Baron. However no nineteenth century officer of the French army, especially one of aristocratic lineage, would tolerate such behaviour from a minion.

Jack Nicholson said of the film, 'This is the only Hollywood film with a complete script that has absolutely no story.' This about sums it up. It should be watched for the camera-work and the ambiance.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1964 (UK)

Also Known As:

Roger Corman's The Terror

Filming Locations:

Big Sur, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Roger Corman Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min 91 min (1990) (extended)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1