THE TERROR-1963-Andre Duvalle (Jack
Nicholson),a French soldier lost on a beach meets the wistful Helene
(Sandra Knight) who gives him water then runs with him along the
shore. She walks into the ocean and Andre nearly drowns trying to
rescue her (he's also attacked by a black bird). An old woman named
Katrina (Dorothy Neuman) takes him in after he's saved her mute
servant Gustav (Jonathan Haze). She also has a black bird name
Helene. Later Andre follows the bird into the forest and finds the
human Helene. They kiss and she power walks away. He follows her and
is met by Gustav, who apparently can talk because he tells Andre that
Helene is possessed and the only way the soldier can help her is by
visiting the castle of Baron Von Leppe. Despite the old woman's
warnings he sets out to find the castle and is almost killed by a
rock slide. Upon first seeing the castle, she spies Helene at a
window. Entering he meets the Baron (Boris Karloff; round of
applause) who despite being most hospitable denies that Helene is
there. The Baron shows Andre a picture of the Baroness (a dead ringer
for Helene) and says she has been dead for 20 years. Andre is invited
to stay the night and while in his bed he hears strange noises and a
drawing he had made is ripped to shreds. The next day while visiting
the Baroness' tomb he is confronted by Stephan (Dick Miller), the
Baron's servant. When next they meet The Baron, under a threat from
Andre, he relates the story how years before he met and married a
village girl who became the Baroness and how he killed her and her
lover, Eric. He believes that the girl is the ghost of the Baroness
(actually named Ilsa). “Perhaps we are both mad?”.
Stephen discovers the old woman's
secret: she summoned Helene/Ilsa from the sea. There's some talk
about the mysterious lover, Eric and Stephan wants to kill Andre but
the Baron won't allow it. Andre decides to leave but Gustav signals
him to stay and has his eyes torn out by the black bird. He falls to
his death but manages to speak his last words to Andre: “Go
back...”. Back at the castle he meets Helene and they kiss again.
At night, Andre follows the Baron into the family crypt. It seems
Ilsa wants Van Leppe to flood the castle so they can be together.
When Andre meets Katrina in the cemetery she reveals that she is
using Helene to drive Van Leppe to suicide because the Baron killed
her son, Eric, Llsa's lover. But it turns out Stephen actually killed
the Baron and Eric took Van Leppe's place in mind and body! After
Katrina is burned up by lightening, Andre and Stephen try to stop
Baron Eric from flooding the castle. They tussle in the flood waters.
Stephen tries to save the phony Baron but they both drown. Andre
saves Helene and takes her away from the castle (“You're free
now”). They kiss and she rots away.
For this AIP quickie Roger Corman shot
all the principal scenes featuring Karloff in four days then turned
it over to second unit directors consisting of Francis Ford Coppola,
Monte Hellman, Jack Hill and Nicholson. The sets were re-used from
Corman's previous Poe film THE RAVEN (with Karloff & Nicholson).
The story (scripted by Jack Hill and actor Leo Gordon) is confusing
at times and there are several lapses in logic and continuity but at
least from a personal standpoint it's an enjoyable little mess. It's
funny the way the plot changes several times but Karloff and
Nicholson keep it afloat. No pun intended as there is a flood scene.
THE TERROR fell into the public domain
years ago and used to be on TV constantly. It's had three dozen video
releases. I've read that years later Corman filmed a new intro with
Dick Miller to make the movie seem like a flashback and thus own a
copyright version! Not sure if this is true though.
Nicholson and co-star Sandra Knight
(still alive at the time of this writing) were married at the time.
She appeared earlier in FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER.
Thanks for reading!
