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26 out of 30 people found the following comment useful :-
Whatever you do, don't watch this movie in the dark!, 29 November 2003
9/10
Author: Kristine (kristinedrama14@msn.com) from Chicago, Illinois

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Trilogy of Terror is one of those movies I used to watch as a child and scared the ever loving you know what out of me. If my parents wanted me to punish me, they would just show me the ending of the third story Amelia, chilling! So finally thinking after all these years, I could maybe buy the movie and watch it, the whole thing, beginning to end, without closing my eyes, and still to this day, I can't do it! These are three chilling tales that no horror fan should ever go without seeing.

The first story: Chad and Eddie are university students who admire their English teacher, Julie Eldrich. During one class, Chad is distracted by Julie's low cut shirt and begins to daydream about her. At home, Julie's housemate encourages Julie to get out and meet more people. The next day at university, Chad asks Julie out on a date, and after initially refusing, accepts Chad's offer. During the date at the drive-in, Chad spikes Julie's drink, rendering her unconscious. Chad drives to a motel where he checks in with Julie as husband and wife, where he photographs Julie in a variety of sexually provocative positions. Noticing Julie beginning to regain consciousness, he then takes her home, explaining that she fell asleep. After developing the photographs in his darkroom, Chad shows the pictures to Julie, who is furious and threatens to call the police. Chad blackmails Julie and she agrees to see Chad whenever he demands. But he may not realize that the joke is on him.

The Second Story: A tale of two sisters, one being the prudish Millicent with curly brown hair and large glasses, and the easy going Therese with long blonde hair. Millicent is determined that Therese is evil, and plants a voodoo device to kill her. When Millicent's friend Dr. Ramsey enters the house, he finds Therese dead on her bedroom floor with the doll next to her. After speaking with the family doctor, Dr. Ramsey reveals that it was Millicent acting in a blonde wig and make-up in a dual personality manner.

The Third Story: Amelia is living on her own in a high-rise apartment building. She arrives home after shopping and unwraps a Zuni hunting fetish, equipped with razor sharp teeth and a spear. A scroll accompanies the fetish, claiming that the doll contains the actual spirit of a Zuni hunter known as "He Who Kills", and that the gold chain adorning the doll keeps the spirit trapped within. As Amelia makes a call to her mother, we learn that she is slightly neurotic, suffering from her mother's overbearing behavior, she wants to cancel their plans for the evening because she has a date. The moment Amelia leaves the room, the Zuni doll's golden chain falls off without her knowing. Later, Amelia is preparing dinner, using a carving knife. She enters the darkened living room, and realizes the doll is not on the coffee table. A noise is heard in the kitchen and when investigated, the knife is missing. Lured back into the living room, she is suddenly attacked by the doll, bloodied and terrified, Amelia flees, and manages to get in her bedroom and calls the police, but the doll enters the room, prompting her to keep running, shutting the bathroom door behind her. She runs into the kitchen, and disarms it with a kick, and receives a nasty bite to the neck. She manages to hurl it into the oven and listens to it howling and screaming as it catches fire. Soon the screams die down and eventually stop. Wondering if her ordeal is over, she opens the oven and you have to see this scary as heck ending!

Trilogy of Terror has always scared the heck out of me, granted there are some incredible cheesy moments, I'm not going to lie, the last segment is just a bit too much to handle where this stupid woman has locked the creature in a suitcase and is cutting his way out of the top of the case and for some reason Amelia tries to grab the BLADE! What the heck? Not to mention she keeps tripping around in her own apartment when running away from the doll. A lot of people also forget the two first stories, granted that they're nothing special, but still pretty effective tales. I highly recommend this movie if you get the chance to see it, it's a lot of fun, just don't watch it in the dark.

9/10

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18 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
When Karen was Queen..., 21 January 2001
7/10
Author: moonspinner55 from redlands, ca

I long for the days when an odd, slightly exotic/slightly zonked actress like Karen Black can make it in Hollywood. There was a time in the mid-'70s when--every time you turned around--Karen Black was in a new movie. I'm still discovering early movies she starred or co-starred in that I never knew about ("Cisco Pike", "Portnoy's Complaint", "The Pyx"). She and director Dan Curtis were quite a pair, here masterfully zipping through three short creep-outs in which Karen plays four fascinating women. The last segment, "Prey", has incredible point-of-view camera-work, seamlessly swooping around corners, which rivals even "The Shining". Karen is very much attuned to the eccentricities of character (in fact, when she played a 'normal' woman, like the lead in "Day Of The Locust", she came off almost colorless), but Dan Curtis winds this toy up and Karen runs with it. The first two segments are psychological suspense studies of ruined-women-turned-triumphant, the third story turns the tables and makes woman the victim. It's a terrific feat, worth talking about even after 26 years.

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12 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
Karen Black Falls Prey, 31 July 2001
Author: BaronBl00d (baronbl00d@aol.com) from NC

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.

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10 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
Karen Black - B-Movie Goddess!!, 17 April 2006
9/10
Author: Putzberger from Chicago IL

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.

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10 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
Voted 9 on the Doll alone!, 31 July 2005
9/10
Author: ablair001 from Brampton, Ontario, Canada

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.

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7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Zuni Fetish Dolls rule...!, 31 August 2006
8/10
Author: TheatreX from Louisville, KY

This creepy little made-for-TV movie from Dan Curtis (creator of Dark Shadows) features Karen Black in 4 different roles. The first two segments are rather low-key but creepy, but of course the standout is the last one featuring everybody's favorite, the nasty little Zuni Fetish Doll that runs amok after it's little gold chain falls off and chases Black through her apartment with teeth gnashing. There were many "made for TV" movies made in the 70's but anyone that was growing up then probably remembers this (and perhaps "Gargoyles") best. It's an entertaining film but not much in the way of scares by today's standards, but I still like it a lot. The DVD has been out of print until just recently and I just got my hands on the new print this week and it's great. Recommended for fans of Karen Black AND anthology horror. 8 out of 10.

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6 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the best horror films ever made for network TV., 30 December 2003
7/10
Author: capkronos (capkronos00@hotmail.com) from Ohio, USA

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

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6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
three is definitely company here (and you'd better believe that #3 is the charm), 14 August 2006
10/10
Author: Lee Eisenberg (eisenberg.lee@gmail.com) from Portland, Oregon, USA

I've read about how the '70s saw several TV movies (e.g., "Brian's Song" and "Sybil"). It seems that when people make the list, they often forget about "Trilogy of Terror". This one has three vignettes, each featuring Karen Black in the midst of something horrific. What's really fascinating is how they manage to make it so scary without having gore or special effects (actually, maybe that's why it's so scary; gore and special effects would make it silly).

In the first segment, Black plays a literature teacher forced to have an affair with a lecherous student (Robert Burton)...but boy, does she have a surprise for him! In the second segment, she plays two sisters - one laid-back nebbish and one evil floozy - and the nebbish wants to get rid of the floozy...however, there's another side to the whole predicament. The third segment is no doubt the most famous, where she gets terrorized by the killer Zuni fetish...and wait until you see what ends up happening! Anyway, this just goes to show what you can accomplish with simple horror. I certainly didn't see any of those endings coming. But also, "Trilogy of Terror" shows that Karen Black is a better actress than we give her credit for. Truly worth seeing.

And remember, be careful with those chemicals!

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6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Great 70s TV Horror, 5 October 2001
Author: kagf36 from Ohio

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.

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6 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
This thing is creepy!, 20 February 2006
10/10
Author: cobrompton from United States

I saw this movie as a kid and it is the one horror film that haunts my dreams to this day. No other movie in the world could scare me like this one does, I don't know why... It's a really crappy movie that I absolutely love. I don't know if it's a cult classic, but it should be, because everyone I know acknowledges that it's a crappy, low-budget piece of work, but it still managed to scare the pants off them. Whenever someone sees this movie, the one thing they remember is the scream of that doll; I sware on the graves of all who are holy that you will not forget the scream of that doll until the day that you die! I do not exaggerate. Please see this movie so that you may also understand the phenomenon of being scared by a crappy movie in a way that I don't think was even intended by the director. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, NO CHILDREN!

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