strange horror tale of Napoleonic soldier being lured to a castle by a strange mysterious lady. It's all a bit silly really but worth watching for Karloff/Nicholson combo

Historical horror movie from the famous Roger Corman. The story is quite good. The final twist (who is actually Erich?) is a plus. Furthermore it contains the necessary ingredients of costume horror (ghost figures, creepy castle, strange old inhabita... (read more) Historical horror movie from the famous Roger Corman. The story is quite good. The final twist (who is actually Erich?) is a plus. Furthermore it contains the necessary ingredients of costume horror (ghost figures, creepy castle, strange old inhabitant, shady butler, old woman/witch living in the forest, secret from the past that stranger is trying to figure out). Corman also did his usual shock effect just before the end credits. Nothing wrong so far. Some of the effects are a bit clumsy, however, especially the acting. It's clear that Jack Nicholson is still in his warming up phase as an actor. Boris Karloff is good, though. I was impressed, but this is not the best of Corman's works. The Vincent Price movies are usually better.

The Terror is a clumsy, sometimes ubearably grainy acid horror. It's mostly laughable with an almost Ed Wood quality, but Corman's expertise in horror and Karloff's intense emotionality makes it genuinely frightening at times. The plot is thin and si... (read more) The Terror is a clumsy, sometimes ubearably grainy acid horror. It's mostly laughable with an almost Ed Wood quality, but Corman's expertise in horror and Karloff's intense emotionality makes it genuinely frightening at times. The plot is thin and silly, but pleasurable enough to marvel at Nicholson's underutilized youth. The sets and locations are rich and dimensional but bleached out by the horrendous cinematography. Cheap visual effects, atrocious sound, nearly every aspect of the film is dreadfully faulted, but knowing that principal photography was completed in four days makes its craft somewhat more noteworthy. It's an abnormal little gem, but worth enduring for its uniqueness alone.

A pre-historic gem!!

The history of this film is actually more interesting than the film itself.

Good cast, just missing that certain je ne sais quoi that makes a good old campy horror flick.

Jack Nicholson’s dialogue (or maybe he himself) are annoying, the story is rather dull and convoluted, and time would have been better spent focusing more on the interactions between the lieutenant and the baron than the story of the baron’s late... (read more) Jack Nicholson’s dialogue (or maybe he himself) are annoying, the story is rather dull and convoluted, and time would have been better spent focusing more on the interactions between the lieutenant and the baron than the story of the baron’s late wife. Probably the only good about the movie is an older Boris Karloff.