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:

From the depths of an evil mind a sadistic plan of revenge.

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Since the credits feature no copyright information, the film is in the public domain.

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Goofs

Duvalier says he became separated from his regiment at the battle of Auerstädt, which puts the action in Prussia in mid-October 1806. However, the Fifth Chasseurs were not at the Battle of Auerstädt.

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Quotes

Helene: The crypt! It must be destroyed, and with it the dead.
Andre: Don't speak of the dead anymore. You're with me now.
Helene: I am possessed of the dead.
Andre: You're a warm living woman. Who has told you these things?
Helene: The dead.

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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 Son of Svengoolie: The Terror (1963) (1982)

User Reviews

good, old-fashioned horror film

For a DVD that sells 3.99 at Walgreens, this movie was a lot better than I expected. Yes, seeing Jack Nicholson pre-Schmidt days is a fun concept. But that amusement was short-lived, and I eventually found myself actually intrigued with the entire plot-line going on.

Jack is an officer of some sort, and he gets stranded on a seluded island of some sort with this witch of some sort, her boy of some sort and this weird girl of some sort. Turmoil unravels when he finds himself curiously (or not so curiously, considering there was the whole cleavage thing going on) attracted to the weird girl.

Vague, yes. But this is kind of the type of movie whereas if I say anything more, it would be considered a spoiler. Everything/everyone will link together in the end. There is also a killer crow that is quite amusing and scary at times.

Ignoring the fact I could barely hear the dialogue despite I had the volume turned up on 10, the oldness of the film was actually fitting. It adds to the whole vintage horror flick persona, supported by a young Jack Nicholson, dramatic music, and fuzzy-staticky screen. So don't be discouraged if it appears to be a little washed out. It's satisfying, and leaves you feeling disturbed. 3.99 was well spent.

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, The Filmgroup

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min 91 min (1990) (extended)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1