Movie Review: The Terror (1963)

The Terror (1963) produced and directed by Roger Corman

Lieutenant Andre (Jack Nicholson) is separated from his regiment in 1800s coastal France. He sees a strange young woman (Sandra Knight) who lures him to a castle owned by Baron von Von Leppe (Boris Karloff).  The baron is a recluse who is not very welcoming to visitors and denies that there is a young woman living at the castle. He shows Andre a portrait of his late wife and the woman is so similar that Andre is convinced she is the same woman, though the wife died twenty years earlier. A slow game of revelation plays out as Andre tries to find the truth and the baron struggles with his grasp on reality.

The story moves along at a slow pace as Andre wanders through a few adventures that seem haphazard. As the twists start coming, what appear to be random elements start fitting together. One big twist is revealed at the end. Unfortunately, this twist does not make immediate sense. Upon reflection, it is more plausible but still not convincing, which takes a lot of the drama and horror out of the story in the moment and in subsequent pondering. Karloff as always is dependable to provide a solid character. This performance is one of Nicholson's earliest works and he does not have the polish and precision of his later work. The story and pacing do not hold together, even with the modest 80-minute run time. The movie does have a lot of atmosphere but does not have the visual flair of Corman's Poe films.

Mildly recommended--if you a fan of Karloff or Corman, it's okay.