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The Terror (1963)
Starring Boris Karloff, Jack Nicholson, Sandra Knight, and Dick Miller. Cinematography by John Nicholaus. Edited by Stuart O’Brien. Produced by Roger Corman. Written by Leo Gordon and Jack Hill. Directed by Roger Corman.
Lieutenant Andre Duvalier (played by Jack Nicholson), an officer in the Napoleonic Army, becomes separated from the rest of his troops on the German coastline. While trying to find his way back, he spies a beautiful woman (played by Sandra Knight) and is immediately stricken with her. He follows her to a nearby castle where the mysterious Baron von Leppe (played by Boris Karloff) lives.
He is granted lodging at the castle as settles in for the night. Suddenly his phantom mistress appears again and the Baron is convinced that it is his late wife Ilsa (also played by Sandra Knight). But Duvalier soon discovers that the woman is not a ghost at all. Her name is Helene and she appears to be under some sort of hypnotic spell. Who would put her under the trance and why? Such is the mystery of The Terror.
Francis Ford Coppola’s directorial debut, Dementia 13, had become a nightmare. Roger Corman, the film’s producer, was displeased with Coppola’s efforts and had hired Jack Hill to shoot additional footage for the picture. The situation put a strain on the two filmmakers’ relationship, but before they parted ways Coppola took one more job with Corman working on his makeshift horror picture, The Terror.
Principle photography had wrapped early on the latest film in Corman’s Edgar Allen Poe film series, The Raven, and Corman still had the lead actors under contract. So a story was quickly thrown together and The Terror was shot in only four days using the sets already assembled from The Raven.
To maximize the usage of time, Corman had a number of his protégés working on different sequences at the same time. Even one of the film’s stars, Jack Nicholson, was given some scenes to shoot. Of all the filmmakers Coppola shot the most footage which upset Corman, putting further strain on their already rocky relationship. Coppola eventually quit The Terror, marking the end of his professional relationship with Corman.
But bigger and better things were on the horizon for Coppola. In just a few months he was under a three year contract with Seven Arts Productions as a staff screenwriter working on such acclaimed projects at This Property is Condemned and Is Paris Burning? The Terror ends up being a nice little horror picture and fine addition to the Roger Corman library.
Budget: $???
Total US Gross: $???
Genre: Horror
Runtime: 81 Minutes
US Release Date: 6/17/63
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Awards: none
Tagline: A Classic Tale Of Horror…
Quote: “Don't speak of the dead anymore. You're with me now.”
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