Karen Black is everything. I could look at her face for hours and never get tired of it. She's stunning. She's got a unique energy that makes me buy every role she plays. Plus, there's something... idk... mesmerizing yet terrifying about her. Bottom Line: I love this lady. So 'Trilogy of Terror' - a 3-part horror anthology where Karen plays 4 leading roles ... it's pure manna-from-heaven for me.
When 'Trilogy' first aired as an ABC Movie of the Week back in 1975, Karen wasn't a horror queen. She only had one horror movie under her belt: 'The Pyx' aka 'The Hooker Cult Murders' (1975). In fact, Karen initially turned down 'Trilogy.' It wasn't until her then-husband (Robert Burton) was cast that she decided to reconsider. The movie received mostly positive reviews, largely because of the last story about a young woman who is terrorized by a Zuni hunting fetish in her New York apartment (a pretty swank one too). The last story packs the biggest punch. The camera work is more creative. The music is more lively. The sound effects of the doll chattering and scampering about the apartment help to ramp up the tension. It's the only story with a script by Richard Matheson. Plus, Karen contributed plenty of ideas and dialogue-rewrites.
The success of the movie may have had an unintended effect on Karen's career. She felt it led to genre typecasting, forcing her to take roles in B-grade horror films. She said it put her career on a path where it didn't belong. Personally, I'm grateful for her work in horror - especially her role as Mother Firefly in Rob Zombie's 'House of 1000 Corpses.' Iconic.
When 'Trilogy' first aired as an ABC Movie of the Week back in 1975, Karen wasn't a horror queen. She only had one horror movie under her belt: 'The Pyx' aka 'The Hooker Cult Murders' (1975). In fact, Karen initially turned down 'Trilogy.' It wasn't until her then-husband (Robert Burton) was cast that she decided to reconsider. The movie received mostly positive reviews, largely because of the last story about a young woman who is terrorized by a Zuni hunting fetish in her New York apartment (a pretty swank one too). The last story packs the biggest punch. The camera work is more creative. The music is more lively. The sound effects of the doll chattering and scampering about the apartment help to ramp up the tension. It's the only story with a script by Richard Matheson. Plus, Karen contributed plenty of ideas and dialogue-rewrites.
The success of the movie may have had an unintended effect on Karen's career. She felt it led to genre typecasting, forcing her to take roles in B-grade horror films. She said it put her career on a path where it didn't belong. Personally, I'm grateful for her work in horror - especially her role as Mother Firefly in Rob Zombie's 'House of 1000 Corpses.' Iconic.