The Three Investigators and the Secret of Terror Castle

This was my absolute favorite of the Alfred Hitchcock and the 3 investigators series - the book is a fantastic, I actually picked up a used copy a few years ago just to re-read one of my childhood favorites.

The movie does not do justice to the book - While I thought the character actors/actresses were great, the acting of the sheriff left something to be desired -

I also hated to see the movie re-written to have the destruction of this terrific castle at the end - but the sets were great - I loved seeing the way the castle was designed.

Hopefully we will see more of the 3 investigators series, with better writing, and more attention to the other minor roles, with better acting and lines.

Jupiter has a surprise birthday party given by his relatives at his junkyard meeting place of the boys who investigate, Jupiter the leader, Pete and Bob.

The relatives bring a cake, he does not like this. His parents died around his birthday years ago in an accident. A clown that no one invited grabs a video, drops it in liquid and runs out. The tape is partially destroyed but Jupiter sees his mother and father on the tape. They were investigators. He did not know that and they died 2 days after that tape was made. They give clues about a man they were investigating Steven Terrill. Jupiter intends to find out what happened.

The 3 investigators travel to land near where his parents talked about on the tape. They were investigating Steven Terrill and this was his "terror" castle. The kids find Terrill was skilled at what he did. There are amazing things the movie creators made work in this movie.

The owner used steam heat to run the things he created. A elevator, lights, fireplace, moving shelves and more. The story is very scary at times. The kids go into Terror Castle and meet Caroline who thinks she is psychic and believes in ghosts. The boys don't know what to make of her. The girl's father is a Sheriff and does not like these kids. Later Caroline helps them.

A couple of things I did not like about this movie was the inflation of physic stuff, ghost and curses. Also the scary scene with running, darkness and background stuff in the dark just lasted too long.

In the end the the belief in ghost in the goings on in the castle are put to rest until they hear a suspicious noise at their meeting place but you might say the psychic stuff and the ghost end up dead and buried.

The story has a nice ending.

I watched this movie yesterday, it was aired by an Italian network. As an ancient reader of Three Investigators novels...what to say ? Something didn't work, in my opinion. What ? Chiefly the depiction of Pete and Bob characters. In the movie the authors made them muddlers, goofy and for what concerns Pete in particular, too much frightful. In a word, the movie shows comical personas...you don't find anything similar in books, where the humour is 'between the lines' and almost completely limited to Jupe's meetings with Hitchcock. Speaking of Jupe, I don't know, maybe it's just me, but reading novels I never imagined him always so frowned and pensive. Besides these considerations, the movie is not bad at all and can be viewed, but surely it will be enjoyed, as it was already remarked, more by young viewers than old readers.

As a child I read many of the three investigators books, being my favourite series. Discovering that a film had been made about the characters I had grown to love was wonderful, but would it live up to my expectations? Sadly, it was a little disappointing. There was good action, and Im sure children will find it entertaining, but I feel much of the treasures in the book are missing. The exciting headquarters, hidden in the midst of a junk yard, only accessible by several mysterious tunnels is reduced to a caravan out in the open. Jupiter Jones, a brilliant mind, full of sharp remarks and the lead role in the book is barely intelligent and just dull and grey. The dialogue was also put together without giving much sense of feeling. Its not a big Hollywood production, so hats of for what they achieved, and I'm glad for the chance to have watched the books come to life.

Reading earlier reviews I deduce that "T3I and the Secret of Terror Castle" does not meet their expectation. We easily understood that because this movie is really targeted to adolescent and below. If I was that age I would probably truly enjoy the movie but only if I haven't read the book yet. Kids would easily enjoy this movie because it's cool enough, such as the castle.

I was afraid to watch this movie for the reason that it would tarnish my good memory of Three Investigators and it prove to be true. When I was reading the book I always feel fascinated, the location, the characters it seems just magical. Watching the movie, it seems that it is a different world from the one in the book.

As I said that it would entertain many kids which just watching it now and never had reading the book before, we adults that enticed to watch it in which we demand something else than those kids will be disappointed. We adults hope to see interesting and eccentric characters and dialogs, that cool accents from Jupiter Jones, more peculiar music soundtrack, and more magical-feel but normal-looking towns would not get what we want. We won't even entertained by the case which is the one most interesting thing why we want to read the next novel.

For young men don't miss this one for it is really rare this kind of movie around: Kids Detective that investigate peculiar case without an element of Action in which nowadays detective movie would always combined.