THE TERROR (1963) - Review

The Terror

Horror
1 hour and 21 minutes
Rated: PG

Written by: Leo Gordon & Jack Hill
Directed by: Roger Corman
Produced by: Roger Corman

Cast:
Boris Karloff
Jack Nicholson
Sandra Knight
Dick Miller
Jonathan Haze

There's No Rest For The Wicked ...

Jack Nicholson has retroactively referred to The Terror as being "hopeless". His frustrations were later shared by his costar Jonathan Haze who stated that there is no story to the film. Roger Corman himself has said the film had more directors than it boasted - including Jack Hill, Francis Ford Coppola, and even Jack Nicholson for some scenes - adding to the problem of the film's jumbled storyline.

The Terror came about while Corman was in the process of shooting his famous Edgar Allan Poe films. While shooting The Raven, Corman informed Nicholson that the sets would be lying around dormant for a weekend or so, and that he wanted to shoot something else on them while they were still available. Hence, The Terror.

The film has the same atmosphere as Corman's Poe films, or even Mario Bava's contemporary gothic horror chillers - but it lacks in quality in comparison to the two. For starters, the film is horrendously photographed. It could be that later copies are just in such poor shape, but it'd be a shocker to learn that the original negative isn't in as rough of shape as these modern day copies. Cinematographer John Mathew Nickolaus, Jr. is ultimately responsible for this major downfall of the film. There are moments where the color appears either over saturated or under saturated - never quite reaching the place where it needs to be. The f-stop settings are all off, not helping with this dilemma. In fairness, this distortion of the color and lighting - in an accidental way - helps to set the film's creepy atmosphere. The distortion compliments nicely the distortion of the story.

Editor Stuart O'Brien is wise in the ways of Corman, meaning that he pulled together some interesting moments on a next-to-nothing budget. There is one moment where Nicholson's character is caught in a landslide. Two different reaction shots are showcased multiple times against shots of boulders collapsing down the mountain. This happens just quick enough for most not to notice, but not quick enough for a cinephile to miss it. All the other action-oriented scenes are cut together well, it should be mentioned, including an opening sequence where Nicholson's character is attacked by an eagle.

The special effects are what can be expected out of this era in Corman's filmography. Due to the film's incredibly low budget, there's hardly any scenes that require effects. The first of two is actually relatively gory. When an eagle plucks out the eyes of Jonathan Haze's character, the blood effects are not disappointing. What is disappointing is later in the story when the witch is struck by a bolt of lightning. Not cheesy enough to bring the entire film down, but it is still enough to make a viewer's eyes role.

The story is an absolute jumbled mess. While saying it's nonexistent or "hopeless" is perhaps an exaggeration, it isn't a gross one. There is a solid story that can be pulled out of the film, but it has enough twists and turns to lose any distant viewer. Perhaps what is the cheesiest thing about the film is its own understanding of its jumbled story. Dick Miller's character is afforded a moment towards the end where he attempts to recap and explain everything that has happened. Something that a decent film would never consider doing.

This all having been said, the film isn't a complete catastrophe. The performances (not surprisingly) are quite good. Boris Karloff is as elegant as ever, and is right at home in this creepy gothic atmosphere. It's absolutely not his greatest performance, but it is undoubtedly far from being his worst. Nicholson - in his very early years - manages to hold his own, especially in scenes involving himself and Karloff. The only distraction being seeing him play a French lieutenant with an American accent. It's still not as distracting as Dick Miller's strong New York accent on his butler character. These mishaps are easily forgiven though, and neither Nicholson nor Miller manage to embarrass themselves.

The saving grace of the picture is its sets. Leftover from The Raven, the castle setting looks to be much more expensive and elaborate than it undoubtedly was. The exterior sets are also remarkably chosen, mainly the setting on the rocky coastline.

Even with top notch actors and beautiful set pieces, The Terror manages to be a rather uneventful gothic horror film that suffers from a confusing and hastily put together storyline, and poor cinematography.

4.5/10

NIGHTMARE CASTLE (1965) - Review

Nightmare Castle

Horror
1 hour and 30 minutes
Unrated

Written by: Mario Caiano & Fabio De Agostini
Directed by: Mario Caiano
Produced by: Carlo Caiano

Cast:
Barbara Steele
Paul Muller
Helga Liné

A mad, sadistic scientist on the loose!

In the annals of Italian horror cinema, there have undoubtedly been several films over the years that have fallen out of relevance and into obscurity. These films were the ones being pushed out quickly so that they could make a profit on the coattails of another more successful film. Mario Caiano's film Nightmare Castle, is a good example of all of this.

Nightmare Castle has "mocksploitation film" written all over it. The film follows templates put into place by two incredibly successful Italian horror films that came before it: Mario Bava's 1960 film Black Sunday, and Riccardo Freda's 1956 film I Vampiri. With Black Sunday, Mario Bava perfected the gothic horror film over thirty years after it having gone out of style - using the then unknown British actress Barbara Steele in two different roles. Nightmare Castle also boasts Steele in two separate roles in a gothic setting. Caiano unquestionably knew this would draw in fans of Bava's film and generate more revenue.

Freda's I Vampiri is one of the first films ever to place the idea of vampirism in a modern context. Indeed, the idea that young blood transfused into an older body could regenerate youth had been around before, but it was never connected with the traditions of horror. This storyline of a scientist pumping a young person's blood into an older woman to regenerate her youth is recycled by Caiano in Nightmare Castle. 

These elements of mocksploitation are not surprising in the least, especially considering Nightmare Castle's 1965 release date. The 1960s was a time where low-budget films were thriving on grind house and drive-in theater screens. Many of these low-budget films used these mocksploitation tactics to appeal to mainstream audiences in order to draw in more viewers. It worked less often than filmmakers would have hoped.

Despite the blatant similarities to Black Sunday and I Vampiri, Nightmare Castle contains some really incredible, and creative moments. For starters, the film is quite violent - even more so than anything Bava was producing at the time. Its still tame by today's standards, but viewers might be shocked to see just what is shown in this older gothic chiller. A brutal flogging scene, Steele's character subjected to acid being dripped on her body, a brutal blow to the head, and finally an intense electrocution. The effects are done quite masterfully, and are even more amazing to witness in the film's beautiful black & white framing.

Enzo Barboni was the film's director of photography and the film is beautifully captured. The black & white really creates gorgeous and haunting shadows within the film's castle setting, and is most effective during the dream sequences. Steele's character is over saturated with white - a white dress, her pale skin and bleach blonde hair. While it may not be as detail oriented as one of Bava's films, Barboni did a masterful job capturing the film in a beautiful manner.

The film's score was composed by the legendary Ennio Morricone, who is most famous for his work on Sergio Leone's Man with No Name spaghetti western trilogy. Morricone's talent shines through, even at such an early stage of his career. The delightful, and even cheerful, piano score works effectively in contrast with the scenes of horror. And a organ-based piece is present to the pleasure of all gothic horror fans everywhere.

Despite the dialogue being dubbed, the performances are all standard for a 1960s gothic film. Steele does a wonderful job - as is expected. Her talent really shines through with her performance of an innocent and tormented young girl - something vastly different from her usual typecast performances.  Paul Muller is also excellent as the sadistic scientist husband of both of Steele's characters.

The film's strongest asset is its tie in with the supernatural. While the I Vampiri-plotline plays a major part of the story, it is intertwined with an incredibly haunting ghost story. This subplot showcases Nightmare Castle's creativity within a mocksploitation context. And the climax - involving Steele donned in complete burn-make-up - is truly a standout moment in gothic horror and Italian horror cinema.

Even with its now forgotten status, and its elements of mocksploitation, Nightmare Castle is able to triumph over its flaws by boasting outstanding special effects, beautiful cinematography, an outstanding score, and performances by iconic actors all set within a creatively told ghost story.

6.5/10