| The Terror |  | Directors: Jack Nicholson, Francis Ford Coppola, Roger Corman, Jack Hill
Actors: Rick Dean (iii), Wayne Grace, Jonathan Haze, Boris Karloff, Sandra Knight
Studio: York Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.99
Buy New: $0.43
You Save: $14.56 (97%)
New (21) Used (5) from $0.43
Avg. Customer Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 167457
Format: Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
UPC: 750723125329
EAN: 0750723125329
ASIN: B0000CDL97
Theatrical Release Date: 1963
Release Date: November 18, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW Factory Sealed - Ready to be shipped within 24 hrs from California - Average 5 workdays delivery time - Excellent customer service - Buy with confidence!
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Back when Jack Nicholson was a Hollywood unknown appearing in Roger Corman quickies such as Crybaby Killer and Little Shop of Horrors, it wasn't unusual for Corman to make a movie in just a few days. That was the case with this nifty little thriller, which was filmed in just three days using the same sets that Corman had used in his Boris Karloff thriller The Raven, which Corman had finished ahead of schedule. In fact, the sets were being torn down almost as fast as Corman could film them, but that hasn't stopped this moody little gem from acquiring a modicum of cult status over the years. Karloff plays the alleged baron of an isolated castle on the Baltic coast, where a Napoleonic officer (played by Nicholson!) appears after becoming intrigued by the presence of a mysterious and beautiful woman. Karloff's baron has a dark history, of course, and creepy atmosphere makes up for the minimal plot, which makes The Terror a vintage treat for horror fans. --Jeff Shannon
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| Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
 almost unwatchable July 29, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
All the "Corman-Poe" films for AIP (House Of Usher, Pit And Pendulum, The Raven, etc.) have been released in proper widescreen edition, with good image and sound, except for this one, who's numerous cheap (and not so cheap) DVD editions seem to be based on the same bad copy circulating in the public domain. This DVD is one of them, and is almost unwatchable.
I do not recommand to buy one of them, but rather to wait for a proper edition. I suppose there is a legal reason why The Terror is out of the serie edited by MGM Entertainment. We should aske them to do something for this very great movie.
The Terror ? More Like The Boredom January 17, 2008
The only reason I would recommend watching this is to see a much younger Jack Nicholson ,the rest is a boring story that will surely have you falling asleep in the first 15 minutes. Unfortunately I forced myself to stay wake and give the movie a chance.
The films begins in 1806 with the story of a lost French soldier (Nicholson) who has been separated from his group, he stumbles upon a strange young girl who seems sort of possessed, the soldier tries to ask her for directions, she does not answer she simply disappears on him. The soldier tries to find his way through until he finds a castle, in it lives an old man and a butler who seem very mysterious. And there is something very mysterious because the old man is much very connected to the strange young girl. The story of the movie is quite interesting but it lacks excitement. What I mean by that is that the movie is very slow, to a point that is unbearable. I forced myself to stay awake through the whole thing. Also the conclusion is quite unsatisfying
MY PERSONAL RATING 2 OUT OF 5
Mixed Bag of Boris and Nicholson October 2, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Roger Corman, the king of schlock, finished "The Raven" ahead of schedule and decided to make another film on the same set. Corman and four other directors filmed "The Terror" in four days. The result is mixed and horror movie fans are divided as to whether this film is a cult classic or another schlock horror film of the early 1960's.
The story is relatively simple. Lt. Andre Duvalier (Jack Nicholson) has become separated from his unit. He encounters a beautiful and mysterious woman on the beach. He eventually learns her name is Hellene (Sandra Knight). After wandering about, Duvalier encounters an old lady who is mysterious in the way of old ladies in horror movies. The old lady insists there is no beautiful and mysterious woman wandering about in this area, but Nicholson was in love so he went off to the nearby castle. The castle is a suitably creepy place inhabited by Baron Victor Frederick Von Leppe and his assistant Stefan (Dick Miller, who appeared in movies such as "The Howling" and "Small Soldiers," and continues to act as of the date of this review).
Duvalier quickly realizes that the castle is a creepy place. His mysterious woman appears and disappears. There are secret rooms. There is a dead body in the basement. Baron Von Leppe and Stefan are always skulking about. The unfortunate part of this portion of the movie is that it is all about atmosphere and very little about advancing the plot.
The movie picks up in the last 15 minutes or so, and a lot of questions get answered. Unfortunately, there are some new questions asked and some questions never get answered fully. On the other hand, the action picks up a lot near the end of the movie and the movie has a surprise or two for its audience.
On the plus side, Karloff is incredible in this film. He is mysterious and moody and you sense there is something driving his character, Baron Victor Frederick Von Leppe. The castle is also great, which is probably why Corman decided to film another movie in it after "The Raven." Sandra Knight, then married to Jack Nicholson, was also great as Helene and the ghost of the Baroness.
On the negative side, Jack Nicholson still had some things to learn about acting. Nicholson often rushes his lines and his overacted character is almost a distraction. I wonder what would have happened had Nicholson's character been written out of the movie. The other partially negative aspect of this movie is the almost total lack of plot. I say partially because the lack of plot makes this movie a moody atmospheric film. I got the feeling that Baron Von Leppe's story had been going on for some time and Lt. Andre Duvalier (Nicholson) had arrived late in the final chapters.
As I noted above, people see this movie one of two ways. Some people see this movie as a dragging, plotless bore. Other people see this movie as an artistic, moody period piece with masterful acting by Karloff. You will have to watch this movie to decide how you interpret this movie. I liked the moody aspects of the film, but I also thought the movie focused too much on atmosphere and too little on plot. This movie may be a cult classic, but I am not a member of that cult.
Good luck!
Nice To See A Young Jack Nicholson, But That's About It March 5, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Terror is a 1963 horror film (actually in color!) starring Boris Karloff and Jack Nicholson that hasn't really gained much recognition. And understandably so. Like Bela Lugosi, Karloff seemed to fall into numerous low budget B-movies after his initial fame of the Universal era reached its peak. This is one of those movies. For plot details, here's what the back of the DVD case reads:
"The Terror features two screen legends in a most unlikely pairing, alby directed by horrormeister Roger Corman (with an assist by Francis For Cappola). Jack Nicholson plays Andre Duvalier, a lieutenant in the French Army, who falls in love with Helene (Sandra Knight), a mysterious woman who keeps appearing to him. He eventually follows her to an old creepy castle, where he meets the sinister Baron Von Leppe (Boris Karloff), and is held captive. As it turns out, Helene is the ghost of the Baron's late wife, or so we are led to believe. This atmospheric film is appropraitely moody and drenched with a feeling of dread. Numerous plot twists and surprises will keep you guessing right up to the film's end."
I think that synopsis exaggerates a bit. The story, while slightly clever and intriguing once completely revealed near the end, is a bit draggy and, not surprisingly, doesn't really hold the viewer's attention. Karloff's character isn't very interesting either. For such a star, it seems there should've been a little more substance and style that he could've fooled around with. Strangely enough, most scenes seemed to focus on the other star of the show, which is the only real reason I enjoyed The Terror. For Nicholson. I've long been a fan of Jack and his undeniable sense of charisma and screen presence. So, of course, I just had to see some of his older works. Here, he's in his mid-twenties, basically unknown in the film industry, and doesn't have too much to work with as far as his character goes. Regardless, he is given a lot of screen time, which makes up for what the script lacks. Sure, he's no RP McMurphy or Jack Torrance, but it's still fun to see. And about the whole "French Army" deal, don't worry, he doesn't use an accent. Despite a few changes of grammer and a corny suit, given the story is set in the seventeen/eighteen hundreds, he's still good 'ol Jack Nicholson.
Now to the particular DVD edition I own -- the one from DigiView Productions. In addition to the already tattered age of the film, the transfer is pretty lousy. The color isn't very good at all, especially in the dark scenes. The sound could also use a little polishing, but overall it's still watchable. As far as everything else, well, there is a menu, but really no special features. Still, the price is unbeatable.
All in all, The Terror is a decent film. Nothing beyond the ordinary for that era of horror flicks, but a young Nicholson makes it worth owning anyway. I'd just recommend, depending on your tolerance for transfer quality, that you consider what price you're willing to pay.
 A cult horror classic with a fascinating history April 20, 2005
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
There is a lot to talk about concerning 1963's The Terror, but the most fascinating thing of all is the fact that Roger Corman actually made a creepy, impressive film for once in his life. Of course, I can't help but think he had a little bit of help by a young associate producer named Francis Coppola. As for the film itself, it definitely deserves its cult horror film status. It features Boris Karloff, it maintains a wonderfully gloomy atmosphere throughout, boasts some pretty decent special effects, and it actually features a good story with some surprising twists and turns at the end. It also stars a young Jack Nicholson, which certainly helps its popularity - unfortunately, though, this is probably Nicholson's worst performance ever, as he sometimes rushes through his lines without immersing himself in the character.
Nicholson plays Andre Duvalier, a French soldier who has become separated from his unit. You can tell he's French because he wears a fancy uniform but doesn't seem inclined to actually engage in any sort of battle, is rather rude to those he meets, and basically expects everyone to do whatever he commands of them. Andre meets a young lady named Helene as he is wandering along some coastline and apparently falls in love with her - despite the fact she keeps disappearing and just possibly tries to lead him to his death. He ends up being cared for by a strange old woman, who tells him there is no girl in that area. Still, he persists in finding Helene, eventually tracking her to a spooky old castle. There, he meets Baron von Leppe (Karloff) and learns that the girl he saw is the spitting image of the Baron's wife, who has been dead for twenty years. He eventually learns the story of the Baroness' violent death, but he just doesn't believe that the woman he met is actually a ghost. The Baroness' death all those years ago does stand at the heart of the story, but the truth is more complicated than you might think. The film sort of plods along for awhile, but the final twenty minutes play out wonderfully. You may think you know what is really going on, but odds are that you will meet with a surprise or two before all is said and done - I know I did. There is one plot point that is a little hard to swallow for reasons that will be obvious to the viewer, but overall I would declare this film an unqualified success.
The story behind this movie has become something of a legend. It seems that Corman wrapped up filming The Raven a few days early, and so he decided to make another film on the spot. The rush job origins of the film explain some of the anachronisms that crop up, but it seems obvious to me that Corman did his best work when he didn't have time to really think about what he was doing. Some critics have referred to The Terror as a movie without a plot. Apparently, only a partial script was written on the spot - specifically, those scenes filmed on the set of The Raven. The movie was actually finished a short time later (several individuals, including Francis Ford Coppola, were tasked with the job of putting the patchwork of filmed scenes together and actually finishing the whole thing). Despite its unusual and rushed origins, though, I found The Terror to be an impressive, strongly plot-driven film. The story, even more than the actors (in my opinion, only Karloff gave an impressive performance), makes The Terror a must-see horror film that, in my estimation, is in no way cheesy.
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