Movie Review: The Terror

The Terror
Starring: Boris Karloff, Jack Nicholson, Sandra Knight, Dick Miller, Jonathan Haze, Dorothy Neumann
Director: Roger Corman, Francis Ford Coppola, Monte Hellman, Jack Hill, Jack Nicholson 

The Filmgroup, American International Pictures, USA, 1963. 

Also this movie is part of Horror Movie 50 movie pack box published by Mill Creek Entertainment. 

In 1806 French soldier named Andre Duvalier (Jack Nicholson) is lost and travels on a beach. He sees a mysterious woman Helene (Sandra Knight) and asks for road to Coldon. They spend some time together. Then Helene walks into the sea and disappears. Hawk attacks Andre. He awakes in a cabin where an old woman (Dorothy Neumann) gives him medicine. The hawk's name is Helene and old woman says there is no girl. 

Andre is lost

Mysterious Helene appears

Witch Katrina gives medicine to Andre

At night Helene appears to Andre and almost lures him into quicksand. The old woman's servant Gustav  (Jonathan Haze) says the girl is possessed. To save her, Gustav suggests him to go to the castle of Baron von Leppe (Boris Karloff) and find Eric. Andre travels to the castle and meets the Baron and his servant, Stefan (Dick Miller).

Baron von Leppe

Andre enters the castle

Baron with his servant Stefan

Baron shows a picture of his dead wife, Ilsa, who looks just like Helene. Baron tells that Ilsa was cheating him so he killed her and her lover, Eric. The old woman is a witch named Katrina and she is mother of Eric. She uses Helene for vengeance against Baron. So Helene is the ghost of Ilsa and the old woman uses her to make the Baron kill himself.

Gustav knows too much

Old woman uses the hawk to kill Gustav who spoke too much. Andre is in love with Helene, and thinks she is a mortal woman with mental problems. He tries to get her leave with her but Helene can not do it. There are some plot twists and then the movie ends with a gruesome finale.

Hawk attacks Gustav

Andre tries to get Helene to leave with him

Andre in foggy cemetery

The movie is suspenseful ghost tale with nice gothic atmosphere. Included are old castle, eerie crypt and foggy cemetery. The movie was made when Corman filmed movies based on Edgar Allan Poe's stories, so the style is similar. Karloff and Nicholson do good performances. The soundtrack by Ronald Stein is haunting and spooky. The picture quality is quite faded and image is cropped.

Castle of Baron von Leppe

Rating: Good