Trilogy of Terror (1975)

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

Director:

Dan Curtis

Writers:

William F. Nolan (teleplay), Richard Matheson (story)

Stars:

Karen Black, Robert Burton, John Karlen

2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Karen Black	...	Julie / Millicent / Therese / Amelia
Robert Burton	...	Chad Foster
John Karlen	...	Thomas Amman (as John Karlin)
George Gaynes	...	Dr. Chester Ramsey
Jim Storm	...	Eddie Nells (as James Storm)
Kathryn Reynolds	...	Anne Richards
Orin Cannon	...	Motel Clerk
Gregory Harrison	...	Arthur Moore
Tracy Curtis	...	Tracy

Storyline

Three stories interwoven together. The first, about a college student infatuated with his teacher. The second, a paranoid tale of two sisters - one good, the other evil, and the third about a Native American tribal doll that comes to life and terrorizes a woman in her apartment.

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Plot Keywords:

crush on teacher | thigh | drive in | date | motel | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

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.

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Goofs

When Amelia calls her mother at the end, her face and mouth can be seen briefly, and her teeth are clearly normal, unlike just a few minutes later when she shows that her teeth now resemble the Zuni doll's.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Spoofed in Karen Black Like Me (1997)

User Reviews

Third Segment Makes This Film!

Trio of stories starring the late Karen Black in three different roles.

First has her playing a shy teacher who is desired by one of her male students, but gets more than he expects from her...OK story is watchable, but not particularly memorable in itself.

Second story about two entirely different sisters(?) is far too predictable, though still not bad, just obvious.

Third tale however is a knockout, and the stuff of legend. Evil African tribal doll is accidentally brought to life by a woman in her apartment, who desperately tries to escape from, then destroy the thing. Does she succeed? Chilling, knock you out of your shoes ending gave children nightmares for years; segment is incredibly suspenseful and tense, a true masterpiece that redeems the whole film. Watch out for that doll!

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 March 1975 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tales of Terror

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

ABC Circle Films, Dan Curtis Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

72 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1