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
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