User reviews

In the 1970s, it was understood and accepted that some leading actors and actresses looked a little different from the box-office stars (they didn't just stand out to get attention, often they were embracing their own idiosyncrasies). Karen Black probably didn't intend to go mainstream, though her supporting performance in 1970's "Five Easy Pieces" was embraced by the counterculture and netted her an Oscar nomination. She's an offbeat actress who performs without vanity. Headlining this three-tiered TV-movie, Black plays plays four fascinating women, and her somewhat exotic cadence and her slightly-zonked overall manner gives the shuddery material an extra layer. Written by Richard Matheson and William F. Nolan, from Matheson's original stories, this "Trilogy" is well-cast and well-directed by Dan Curtis, who delivers some memorable moments--and the proof is that horror fans still refer to the film today. Curtis and Black really seemed to click, as the director quickly and efficiently zips through three creep-outs about complex ladies: "Julie", a dowdy teacher with nice legs who has naughty little minds in her classroom wondering what she's really like; "Millicent and Therese", two completely opposite sisters who live together; and "Amelia", a single woman who fights off the attack of a Zuni fetish doll in her apartment. This third chapter has incredible point-of-view camerawork as the enraged doll with sharp teeth swoops around furniture trying to get at his prey (he's at once comical and horrifying). The first two segments are psychological suspense studies of women holding power over men, while the finale turns the tables and makes woman the victim. The movie has a modest budget (it fit nicely on the tube) and might not have been considered so remarkable without the efforts of Curtis and Black. This was a scream-team made in horror heaven. **1/2 from ****

I don't remember the first two films but I must have seen them when the trilogy was shown on UK television in the 70s. The one that stuck with me, in fact terrified me, was the third one of the trilogy, Amelia. It's come up now to my mind from an article in the Guardian and I would never have known the name of it unless I'd read that article.

I was watching at my parents' house after they had gone to bed. I honestly didn't know what I was letting myself in for. That doll made me genuinely frightened. Whoever, in the props department, conceived of it was an evil genius. The way it moved, chasing its victim through her flat was perfect, as was the terrible noise it made.

I met some friends the next day who shared a flat. They had also watched the film and afterwards all slept in the same bedroom together as they had been so freaked out. I'm glad I hadn't been the only one to have been utterly spooked. I admit that when I went to bed, I was worried that that horrifying doll would come charging out from under a cupboard or out of a wardrobe.

I can still feel the frisson of terror forty five years later. It's one that I shall never forget.

I first saw this movie in '75 when I was 12 years old, along with my 9 year old sister. To this day, we both will never forget that last segment entitled "Amelia"! The entire movie itself is definitely done in the true, classic made-for-TV 70s flicks, but in and of itself is worth watching if you are interested in the horror genre and specifically from a hallmark standpoint. The movie consists of 3 different stories (hence "trilogy") and they all star Karen Black. The first segment is a clever piece about an uptight literature professor at a college who dons a bun hairdo and looks impenetrable on a personal level. However, her true vocation, so to speak, comes to light and we see there is much more to her than meets the eye. The second segment is your classic....well, I won't give it away. Good enough story, although somewhat lacking in suspense. The last story is the one that scared the pants off of me when I was a kid. Mind you, if you ever watch it, take a kid's point of view into account, but even as an adult, it has its moments! Very frightening for its time, and very original in plot. The ending scene is totally awesome. Take into account that this movie was 1975, so there are no computer graphics to assist in realism. I won't tell what happens in that last segment, but suffice it to say that it took my sister and I literally *months* before we'd get out of bed at night without running like mad across the floor! Karen Black does an outstanding job in all her roles.

Three stories interwoven together and starred by the great Karen Black. All of them are filled with mystery , suspense , terror , grisly killings , twisted events and horrible happenings. The first, : ¨Julie¨about a college student infatuated with his teacher , as she is blackmailed by one of her pupils for a past indiscretion in which she played an unwilling part, but then things go wrong , and she turns the tables on him the first chance she gets . The second, ¨Millicent and Therese" a paranoid tale of two sisters - one good girl , the other bad girl , only their doctor who visits from time to time knows the real thing behind the scenario . And the the final story : ¨Amelia¨, equally starred by Karen Black in a solo terror story monologue concerning a woman who buys an African Zuni fetish , it results to be actually a Native American voodoo doll that comes to life and pursues and attacks on her own flat . An electrifying experience - you won't believe your eyes !

A vintage , bizarre horror film financed from producer/director Dan Curtis and written by prestigious writer Richard Matheson , formed by three episodes ¨Julie¨, ¨Millicent and Therese" and ¨Amelia¨, with full of creepy events , chills , surprises , thrills and horrifying scens . These tense terror stories all of which stars Karen Black in four different roles playing tormented women : a sexually-repressed college teacher who is blackmailed by a pupil , a reclusive woman who lives with her amoral twin sister and a woman who's terrorized after buying a doll that chases and mistreats her . It deals with three entertaining and chilling segments ; all of them competently performed by Karen Black , accompanied by a familiar cast , such as : Gregory Harrison , John Karlen and George Gaynes of ¨Police Academy¨franchise .

These three horror anthology stories of tormented women being compellingly directed and in limited budget , as shooting was completed in a few weeks . Being financed by the notorious producer/directed by Dan Curtis at his best . Curtis created the series about Kolchak or Night Stalker (1972) , in fact in first segment the starring appears at a drive-in theater where can be seen showing the movie "The Night Stalker", this is an in-joke reference to filmmaker himself . Dan was a good writer, producer and director of TV series , working from the 60s . Curtis was a specialist in terror genre as proved in ¨Dark shadows¨, ¨Trilogy of terror¨, ¨Night Stalker¨, or ¨Scream of wolf , ¨Night Strangler¨¨ and successful wartime series filmmaker as ¨Winds of war¨ and ¨War and remembrance¨ , among others . Trilogy of Terror(1975) rating : 6.5/10 . Better than average horror movie. THe flick will appeal to terror enthusiasts and Karen Black fans .

"Trilogy of Terror" is one of the best remembered made-for-t.v. movies of my generation. It deserves to be. It scared all of us to death. Watching it now, It's still pretty good. The first story is way too short. It deserves a full ninety minute treatment. The second story is pretty obvious. The third story is, hands down, the best of the bunch. The last one was the cause of many bad dreams way back when. "Trilogy of Terror" is definitely worth the watch.

Karen Black excels playing four different roles in this made-for-TV horror trilogy adapted from the works of Richard Matheson. In `Julie,' a meek college professor turns the tables on a student who drugs, rapes and attempts to blackmail her. `Millicent and Therese' details a pair of feuding sisters; a frigid, jealous brunette and a kinky, malicious blonde. Finally, 'Amelia' (also known as `Prey') details Black's horrific battle with a re-animated Zuni fetish doll inhabited by the spirit of a bloodthirsty African warrior. Although the first tale doesn't hold together very well and the second is too predictable, this is well worth sitting through for the final segment and, as always, Karen Black rocks in all four roles. `Amelia' is also available separate on video as TERROR OF THE DOLL, by the way. It was followed by an OK 1996 made-for-cable sequel starring Lysette Anthony.

Score: 7 out of 10

Karen Black is too frightening for mainstream cinema. You couldn't watch her in a romantic comedy without wondering whether she's going to kill and devour the male lead. But those freaky crossed eyes and that off-kilter sexuality make her a magnetic screen presence and we're all lucky that she found a handful of directors who were able to use her well without rendering her ridiculous ("Five Easy Pieces" by Rafelson) or shrewish ("Nashville" by Altman). Of all Karen Black's worthy star vehicles (an extremely short list), "Trilogy of Terror" is far and away the standout.

The first two pieces are mildly diverting -- the first, "Julie," has an entirely untelegraphed twist that feels like a cheap trick, so it's the weakest link. Still, it coasts along nicely on its creepy camera angles and Karen's dark-star power, and the last couple of scenes are just unsettling enough to whet your appetite for the delights to come. The second segment, "Millicent/Therese," is some standard mid-70s horror fare, laced with madness and hints of sexual perversity, that would be a "Flowers in the Attic"-style yawn if it weren't for the lovely Karen, who plays warring sisters: prim, evangelical Millicent and slutty, predatory Therese. As Therese, she wears a ridiculous blonde wig and sashays around the set like a drag queen, a fully intended foray into pure camp made even more bizarre by Karen's much more nuanced performance as repressed, mousy little Millie. Slowly you wonder if all of Therese's evil is a figment of . . . well, I don't want to spoil it for you.

Ol' Karen saves the best for last: "Amelia." As played by Karen Black, Amelia is a complex, very modern, very normal woman confronted with an utterly conventional dilemma: does she spend Friday night with her boyfriend or her mother? But this isn't a sitcom starring Valerie Harper, it's a horror movie starring Karen Black and something intensely weird happens -- the Zulu doll she has bought as a present for her boyfriend comes to life and starts chasing her around the apartment! (Sound familiar, "Chuckie" fans?) It sounds ridiculous, and it would be if it weren't for the magnificent Ms. Black. She believes. There is no ironic distance between actress and character, no winking acknowledgment of the absurdity of the situation, no excess of histrionics. Dammit, Karen is being menaced by a vicious, spear-wielding figurine and you are terrified for her! Maybe you could make the argument that the vignette is an attempt to juxtapose the civilized and the savage and to expose our true uncivilized nature. But no. It's an ugly doll attacking a cross-eyed actress. It's silly. It's stupid. It's pure entertainment. If you haven't seen it yet, go get it now.

EVERYONE I know that's ever seen it says the same thing. That doll freaked them out! The doll in the last story is worth it all! You watch this and you won't be able to go to sleep till you make sure any dolls in your house are locked away! I think the dolls face is so well done, so damned creepy that even with the somewhat limited "special effects" that were used to do the doll, it just freaks you out and afterward any little sound in your house will make you jump or send a shiver down your spine! For a made-for-TV movie from 1975 it is fantastic! I forget how much they paid to get the doll to work, but I think it was something like $100,000. Lots of money back then just for a single item for a movie, but well worth it! The stories are pretty good too! Worthy of the Twilight Zone, or Outer Limits! Karen Black is great in this. Of course, this was her time to shine in the mid '70's. If you like the Chucky movies, then you'll love this one.

Cult favorite actress essentially signed over her soul to be in horror films for the rest of her life after she did this TV movie where she plays 4 different characters in 3 different stories of suspense and horror. The first two are well told and somewhat interesting, but it's the third story where she plays a woman terrorized by an evil doll in her apartment that people will remember the most. The low budget doll effects are covered up well by inventive camera work, a booming score, and Black's excellent performance.

I saw this show on TV when I was about seven years old and the evil totem-doll in the last segment stayed with me for years. Upon a new viewing, I realized there were two other segments in the show that I had completely forgot. This is totally understandable since their quality hovers somewhere below an the worst episodes of the old "night gallery" series. Ah, but the last tale is a true gem of TV-horror. Simple story: an African Totem/Doll arrives in the U.S. and begins terrorizing the poor lass who receives it. What sets this one apart is the truly ugly Doll and a nifty ending. As far as TV-horror goes, this is as good as it gets.

Dan Curtis directs this made for television anthology of three stories written by horror-meister Richard Mathseon. Matheson wrote the teleplay for the third story "Prey," while Richard F. Nolan(writer of Logan's Run and much more) did so for the first two stories. All of the stories star Karen Black in the lead and the stories are titled with the female names "Julie," "Millicent and Therese," and "Amelia." All three stories are to varying degrees effective. I really enjoyed the first story about a college student who seduces his seemingly coy college professor only to see things differently later. Curtis plays with his audience and shows scenes from The Night Stalker at a drive-in theater. Look for a very young Gregory Harrison at this episode's close. The second story has two sisters who hate each other finally settle their differences..in a very unique way. George Gaynes helps out in this episode as a doctor. The story works because of its acting even though I knew what was going to happen long before it did. Karen Black really gets to show her acting range in this one, and as Therese she is one real knockout. Easily the best of the trio is the third story of a woman bringing a Zuni fetish doll home only to somehow become the prey of this one-to-two foot doll. The special effects here might seem campy by today's standards but when this came out they were truly frightening...and still powerful I think today. The doll looks very scary and attacks with quite an intense ferocity. This story should put you on the edge of your seat, and is very different in tone and style to the first two. Trilogy of Terror is a good, fun-filled romp through the works of one of our best authors...Richard Matheson.

Trilogy of Terror is a decent (but commonly overrated) anthology horror film directed by Dan Curtis (creator and producer of "Dark Shadows") and starring the great Karen Black. Although I have always enjoyed Karen Black's work, rarely have I seen her as impressive as in this film, which is primarily a showcase for her talents as an actress.

The first story of the film, "Julie", is by far the weakest entry. While well acted and directed, its dull plot of a black-mailed teacher goes no where and there isn't a chill or surprise to be found. Robert Burton gives a solid performance as the black-mailing student, but the unimpressive script gives the actors little to work with. Even Karen Black fails to impress on any level.

We move into much interesting territory in the second story, "Millicent and Therese". Even though I saw the twist coming a mile away, it was a good concept and an amazing set of performances by Karen Black. Watching her tightly move around the screen as Millicent in one scene and then seeing her seductively question George Gaynes as Dr. Ramesy in the next is a true testament to her charisma and skill as an actress. A mediocre tale is made very watch able by her performance.

The third story, "Amelia", is without a doubt the strongest of the three and the only frightening tale. Karen Black firmly places her self in the ranks as one of the strongest scream-queens of the 70s/80s with this role and it's a damn shame there aren't a few slashers in those eras with her playing the lead role. She frantically runs and screams around her apartment after an effective build up. While merely a "killer doll" story, it is a very well done one with a creepy looking (but funny sounding) doll. Despite a small amount of unintentional humor, there are some very solid chills to be found in this section.

While a little bit of a let-down for me, I did enjoy tales of terror and there are far worse ways to spend an evening. The first tale is boring, but the second picks up and the third is an excellent closing piece. Not the best anthology horror film, as some would have you believe, but definitely worth seeing of Karen Black's performance.

** / *****

In spite of two less than thrilling stories to open the film, Trilogy of Terror more than earns its horror badge with the final story featuring Karen Black running away from a terrifying tiny doll.

Black is wonderful throughout the entire film, but does come to life during the film's final segment where she plays her weak and easily dominated Amelia with ease, putting the audience of her side in the 5 minutes before the doll starts wreaking havoc.

The other two stories aren't exactly garbage, but they don't pack the same punch and are more of character dramas. They have Black playing a spinster college professor who's taken advantage of by a sleazy student and then as polar opposite twins.

****SPOILERS***** One of the best made for TV horror movie ever made with Actress Karen Black shining in all three episodes of the mad macabre and murderous. Episode #1. Julie: Mousy college English teacher Julie Eldridge is no knock out to look at but for some reason handsome college student Chad is infatuated with her to the point where he gets her to go out one night with him to a drive-in movie and unknowingly slips her a drug in her root beer that knocks her out.

Chad takes Julie to a motel and undresses her and takes a number of photos of her in her birthday clothes and uses those photos to blackmail poor Julie to have an affair with him. You wonder why Chad is so struck by Miss. Eldridge? He can have any pretty girl on the campus just by asking her to go out with him so why does he want Julie so much where he can be arrested for blackmail abduction as well as possibly rape? What Chad doesn't know is that it's Julie not him who's pulling all the strings in this strange affair and it's her who's the spider and Chad is the fly. Not only that Chad isn't the first fly caught in Julie's spider web and will be far from the last.

Episode #2. Millicent & Therese. With Millie Larrymore's father dead she's now terrified to live alone with her evil sister Therese. Millie feels Therese will kill her like she killed her mother by poisoning her milk and her father by breaking his heart from the guilt she put on him by inducing him to have an affair with her at the age of 16. Desperately calling the family doctor Dr. Ramsey for help he's stopped at the door of Larrymore Estate by Theresa who tries to seduce him. After a few moments with the obviously sex starved Theresa he leaves felling that discretion is the better part of valor in this obscene situation.

Millie now alone by herself finally finds a way to combat her evil sister with the very power that she used to get her way all these years: Black Magic. Stealing nail clips from Theresa's fingernails and hair from her brush plus buttons from her dress Millie makes a voodoo doll of her sister and sticks it with a pin to kill her. Millie's plan worked to perfection but what she didn't know about her sister is that she was a lot closer to her then she ever thought possible.

Episode #3. Amelia. After leaving her mother to live by herself Amelia fell in love with her new boyfriend Arthur which made her mother more and more fearful that she lost her daughter forever. Amelia buys Arthur a Zuni fetish warrior doll for Arthurs birthday which happens to fall on a Friday the day of the week that she goes to see her mother.

Not knowing what to do, see her mother or her boyfriend, Amelia in the confusion loses the gold chain that's around the Zuni warrior neck which brings the cute little devil to life. With the determination and ferocity of a big wild jungle cat the Zuni warrior attacks poor Amelia over and over again with a stake knife it grabbed from her kitchen table. The rampaging Zuni warrior literally drives her insane with both fear and exhaustion from fighting the thing off. Amelia finally gets the Zuni warrior trapped inside the oven and turns on the heat burning it to a cinder.

With the danger over of being killed by the Zuni warrior Amelia calmly goes to the phone and calls her mother to come over for the night at her place so she won't be alone. Amelia is planing to cook dinner for her mom and is also planing to make a sharp and deep impression on her mom with her new found culinary skills.

Ask anyone who has seen 70s TV anthology Trilogy of Terror and they'll no doubt mention the evil Zuni Fetish Doll that goes on a bloodthirsty rampage in the last of the three stories: with his beady little eyes, rows of savage teeth and wild black hair, he certainly is an unforgettable character. Sadly, there is nothing else about Trilogy of Terror that is anywhere near as memorable.

The problem lies primarily with the stories, which are surprisingly weak considering that they come from the pen of Richard Matheson, best known for classic sci-fi novel I Am Legend and his work for The Twilight Zone. Tales one and two are extremely mediocre, devoid of either chills or thrills and saddled with extremely lame 'twist' endings that neither shock nor surprise. Story number three is also has a pretty feeble narrative (one which amounts to little more than an extended chase/battle in an apartment) but at least it has that wicked little Zuni doll to liven things up a bit.

Star Karen Black puts in some decent performances throughout, ably playing a total of four very different roles, and there is adequate direction from Dan Curtis, but this film simply isn't as good as some seem to recall.

In a cinematic landscape replete with horror anthologies, "Trilogy of Terror" (1975) bashes through the banal with a fervor akin to a deranged maestro at a sacrilegious symphony. At the helm of this terror vessel is the indomitable Karen Black, embodying not one, not two, but four tormented souls, each ensnared in a web of fear, each tale a grim note in this dissonant melody of horror.

1. The Curtain Rises with "Julie"

Our entry into the grotesque is through "Julie," where Black morphs into a stern, lonely English professor. The academic sanctity shatters when a student's sinister scheme unfolds post a reluctant date. It's the horror of the mundane turned menacing, yet seasoned with a dose of humor, as the duo finds themselves amidst a faux French vampire film, a wry nod to Curtis and Matheson's 1972 endeavor.

2. The Duality of Dread in "Millicent and Therese

The narrative darkens as we tread into the sinister sibling rivalry of "Millicent and Therese." Here, Black exhibits a schizoid artistry, portraying the contrasting moral compass of the two sisters bound by hatred. This segment, despite its attempt at a twist, may fall short of captivating the audience due to its predictable trajectory.

3. A Doll's House of Horrors in "Amelia'

As the curtains draw to a close, "Amelia" unveils a nightmarish reality where a Zuni hunting doll becomes the harbinger of terror. Black's portrayal of a young woman entrapped in her apartment with the malevolent doll has etched a haunting image in the annals of horror. The eerie silence of the apartment juxtaposed against the doll's sinister antics accentuates the encroaching dread [oai_citation:4,Karen Black's Horror Tour de Force.

Karen Black, the maestra of macabre, orchestrates a performance that transcends the screen, her characters resonating with the eerie echoes of the unknown. Each tale, though disparate, harmonizes in a chorus of dread, epitomizing the quintessence of 70s horror. Her metamorphosis across the tales exemplifies a seasoned actor's voyage into the abyss, rendering the grotesque with a touch of melancholy, a dash of humor, and a hefty dose of horror.

It's a grotesque tapestry where Karen Black's performances are the crimson threads binding the narrative into a sinister whole. The film descends into the abyss of fear, each tale a deeper plunge, each character a darker reflection of the psyche. The trio of tales, though may have their highs and lows, are bound by Black's unnerving portrayal of characters on the precipice of terror, rendering a cinematic experience that's as disturbing as it is unforgettable. "Trilogy of Terror" is a dark ode to the everyday horrors, veiled in the mundane, waiting to unravel at the slightest touch of the unknown.