Trilogy of Terror (1975)
*** (out of 4)
Dan Curtis made a number of made-for-television films but none of them has survived as long as this one as it continues to gain new fans each and every years thanks in large part to its final story. In the film, Karen Black appears in all three stories and plays four different parts and her acting certainly helps make TRILOGY OF TERROR so memorable.
The first story has Black playing a professor who pretty much stays alone in her room but she reluctantly agrees to go on a date with a student who ends up drugging her and taking some sexual photos of her. He then plans on blackmailing her but there's one thing he doesn't know. JULIE is a good film to start off on as it's certainly slow-moving but at the same time it delivers a nice little twist that actually works quite well. This segment certainly flows very well and keeps you entertained throughout.
In the second story, "Millicent and Therese" Black plays both characters. One is a oh- too-serious woman and the other her more sluty sister. They are both well aware of a doctor who has taken care of them from childhood but the wiser sister makes a plan to take care of her evil sister for good. This is the least entertaining of the three stories because it really takes a while for it to get going. The twist itself isn't as good as the first story and you should see it coming from a mile away but Black is certainly wonderful in both roles.
Finally, "Amelia" has Black playing a woman who decides to stay home alone when a Zuni doll she bought for her boyfriend comes to life and starts to stalk her. It's funny and easy to see why this story scared so many people and it's really the main reason the movie is remembered today. The impact this portion of the film had on people is quite great to read about and it's certainly the best of the three. Black is terrific as the tormented lady but the Zuni doll easily steals the picture with its screams and incredibly ugly teeth. I certainly won't ruin the final shot but it's a classic.
TRILOGY OF TERROR had all three stories written by Richard Matheson so the quality is certainly there. It's funny but the first two stories are a lot more laid back compared to the third so it almost seems like the third should have been in a different series of films but it really doesn't matter. That third story is just pure madness from start to finish and it works extremely well. Black is certainly the main key here because she plays four different types of characters and does justice to them all. Curtis certainly handles all of the material perfectly and helps makes this one of the better made-for-TV movies.
