Very atmospheric television horror almanac. Classical concept: three stories of varying degrees of tininess, demonstrated from three different angles - criminal, psychopathological and occult-mystical. This case was directed by the well-known among fans of the genre director of the 70s, who actively worked on TV and there also staked a niche for the master of the action-packed detective and horror film - Dan Curtis.
(For those in the subject: Burnt Offerings (1976) - one of the style-forming paintings in the category of plots about cursed houses - is also his handiwork.)
In the main role - Karen Black: played by Hitchcock and Schlesinger, and in general the goddess.
In The Horror Trilogy, the actress has the role of the first violin - the scatter of characters is impressive, given that Hollywood characters on female characters in thrash horrors traditionally rest. There is a licentious Karen, a crazy Karen, Karen-blue stocking ... the final frame is the quintessence of Karen, she could not play anywhere else - this one would be enough to enter the history of cinema and be ranked as a saint. It is very organic, in keeping with the spirit of the film. Which, apparently, in the future and led to typecasting - fans of horror and fiction could see more than once and not two Karen in genre cinema.
Here it should be noted that the "Trilogy of horror" - differs from hit contemporaries, like "The Exorcist" or "Now do not look", because it is made according to the laws and traditions of television cinema, which is manifested in the choice of cinema, drama and editing.
Total retro. Bad? No.
TV-shoe tightness of the space goes to hand - adds both charm and some urgency; lack of gloss and varnishing, which in the case of such a seven-costal entertainment is surprisingly appropriate, because... Karen Black fights with a wooden doll Zuni on knives, hell!
In general, the movie is made with dignity, conquers the diabolical dynamics and mobility of the camera in episode number three – “Amelia”. This episode is most often remembered in connection with the presented rarity, because it is the most vivid and bloody (surprising, given its television nature). The first two segments - about the sexual relationship of a teacher and a student, as well as two sisters with one secret - are a classic example of not the most original plot, warming up. And that's what Amelia is shooting. Amelia makes Karen Black the scream queen. Doll Zuni waving a knife runs up to the groaning on the floor Karen and cuts the thighs into the blood, and you realize that you do not need any more Chucky. That's just not all.
Add graces nuances, where without them. The clearly painful relationship between Amelia and her overtone mother permeates the third novella, in which Amelia - a completely modern woman - does not and cannot have full power over her life. The final can be seen as symbolic.
And you can not read, but just enjoy treshak, where a woman fights on knives with a wooden doll.
Karen Black fans, if any, should not ignore this movie. I also advise fans of various horror, thrash and not only. It's a software thing they've probably already looked at, but if not, it's urgent. I can't guarantee anything, though.
When you give in to the fear of terror, you begin to feel the terror of fear. – Pierre Beaumarchet
I decided to include this film in my list because I had never seen it before. Well, the acquaintance came out lumpy, boring and left a very unpleasant residue. Although I love almanac films consisting of several different stories, but I quickly gave up, trying to find something positive in the film.
First story. The student photographer takes an interest in his teacher. He is not driven by a bright feeling of love, but by lust. Having reached a date with her, he begins to play against the rules. But this is where the story begins.
This novel turned out a little protracted, but in general it was average. At first, a sensible thought slipped somewhere, but already closer to the middle everything rolled into complete nonsense. Although it was interesting how all this confusion will end, there was a failure. I didn’t get the ending, or at least some completeness. Stupid, confused, weird. From such a plot template, something more interesting could be dispersed. In terms of horror, you will not find anything for yourself in this novel either.
Second story. The plot tells about two sisters who in life are complete opposites. Both in appearance and character. One, being a modest, gray mouse, constantly conflicts with a more loose and sexually liberated sister.
But this novella surprised me. It's hard to baffle me with the ending, and only Alfred Hitchcock has managed to do that before. For the first time in years, I felt the shock of the finale. This is probably the brightest moment of the whole movie. The novel itself proceeds a little sluggishly, but it is very interesting to observe, and the denouement of the story will be more unexpected than one could imagine.
Third story. Deciding to give her beloved an ancient doll of Indian origin, Amelia does not even suspect that the evil spirit of Zuni is imprisoned in the figure. Once alive, the doll tries to kill the girl.
Well, it's simple and typical. Although, we can say that this novel is, if not a pioneer in the genre of Creepy Dolls, then one of the prototypes of later stories about killer dolls.
A distinctive feature of the film is the cast. Or rather, one actress is Karen Black, who plays the title roles in all three novels. The others are kind of in the background. Well, I'd like to say, she did great. All the characters she played are very diverse, which did not prevent her from showing an excellent level of acting.
Well, in conclusion, I would like to evaluate the film in the category “Horror”. In terms of fear, he does not even reach three. It is more interesting to watch the plot twists and endings. For comparison, the television series “Tales from the crypt” is perfect, in many episodes often compensating for the lack of horrors with non-banal and fascinating plots.
When you give in to the fear of terror, you begin to feel the terror of fear. – Pierre Beaumarchet
I decided to include this film in my list because I had never seen it before. Well, the acquaintance came out lumpy, boring and left a very unpleasant residue. Although I love almanac films consisting of several different stories, but I quickly gave up, trying to find something positive in the film.
First story. The student photographer takes an interest in his teacher. He is not driven by a bright feeling of love, but by lust. Having reached a date with her, he begins to play against the rules. But this is where the story begins.
This novel turned out a little protracted, but in general it was average. At first, a sensible thought slipped somewhere, but already closer to the middle everything rolled into complete nonsense. Although it was interesting how all this confusion will end, there was a failure. I didn’t get the ending, or at least some completeness. Stupid, confused, weird. From such a plot template, something more interesting could be dispersed. In terms of horror, you will not find anything for yourself in this novel either.
Second story. The plot tells about two sisters who in life are complete opposites. Both in appearance and character. One, being a modest, gray mouse, constantly conflicts with a more loose and sexually liberated sister.
But this novella surprised me. It's hard to baffle me with the ending, and only Alfred Hitchcock has managed to do that before. For the first time in years, I felt the shock of the finale. This is probably the brightest moment of the whole movie. The novel itself proceeds a little sluggishly, but it is very interesting to observe, and the denouement of the story will be more unexpected than one could imagine.
Third story. Deciding to give her beloved an ancient doll of Indian origin, Amelia does not even suspect that the evil spirit of Zuni is imprisoned in the figure. Once alive, the doll tries to kill the girl.
Well, it's simple and typical. Although, we can say that this novel is, if not a pioneer in the genre of Creepy Dolls, then one of the prototypes of later stories about killer dolls.
A distinctive feature of the film is the cast. Or rather, one actress is Karen Black, who plays the title roles in all three novels. The others are kind of in the background. Well, I'd like to say, she did great. All the characters she played are very diverse, which did not prevent her from showing an excellent level of acting.
Well, in conclusion, I would like to evaluate the film in the category “Horror”. In terms of fear, he does not even reach three. It is more interesting to watch the plot twists and endings. For comparison, the television series “Tales from the crypt” is perfect, in many episodes often compensating for the lack of horrors with non-banal and fascinating plots.
When you give in to the fear of terror, you begin to feel the terror of fear. – Pierre Beaumarchet
I decided to include this film in my list because I had never seen it before. Well, the acquaintance came out lumpy, boring and left a very unpleasant residue. Although I love almanac films consisting of several different stories, but I quickly gave up, trying to find something positive in the film.
First story. The student photographer takes an interest in his teacher. He is not driven by a bright feeling of love, but by lust. Having reached a date with her, he begins to play against the rules. But this is where the story begins.
This novel turned out a little protracted, but in general it was average. At first, a sensible thought slipped somewhere, but already closer to the middle everything rolled into complete nonsense. Although it was interesting how all this confusion will end, there was a failure. I didn’t get the ending, or at least some completeness. Stupid, confused, weird. From such a plot template, something more interesting could be dispersed. In terms of horror, you will not find anything for yourself in this novel either.
Second story. The plot tells about two sisters who in life are complete opposites. Both in appearance and character. One, being a modest, gray mouse, constantly conflicts with a more loose and sexually liberated sister.
But this novella surprised me. It's hard to baffle me with the ending, and only Alfred Hitchcock has managed to do that before. For the first time in years, I felt the shock of the finale. This is probably the brightest moment of the whole movie. The novel itself proceeds a little sluggishly, but it is very interesting to observe, and the denouement of the story will be more unexpected than one could imagine.
Third story. Deciding to give her beloved an ancient doll of Indian origin, Amelia does not even suspect that the evil spirit of Zuni is imprisoned in the figure. Once alive, the doll tries to kill the girl.
Well, it's simple and typical. Although, we can say that this novel is, if not a pioneer in the genre of Creepy Dolls, then one of the prototypes of later stories about killer dolls.
A distinctive feature of the film is the cast. Or rather, one actress is Karen Black, who plays the title roles in all three novels. The others are kind of in the background. Well, I'd like to say, she did great. All the characters she played are very diverse, which did not prevent her from showing an excellent level of acting.
Well, in conclusion, I would like to evaluate the film in the category “Horror”. In terms of fear, he does not even reach three. It is more interesting to watch the plot twists and endings. For comparison, the television series “Tales from the crypt” is perfect, in many episodes often compensating for the lack of horrors with non-banal and fascinating plots.
Wonderful horror "Trilogy of Horrors" is an almanac of scary stories, shot not as it usually happens several different directors, but one. All these stories, however, are quite different - with different handwriting and different plots. They have only one thing in common - the participation of the stunning actress Karen Blair - a cult figure for the horror genre, who made an invaluable contribution to its development.
The first novel is called “Julia” and is a film adaptation of the story of the famous science fiction writer Richard Matheson. Nothing fantastic, but it's not here. In the center of the plot is a lonely young teacher, behind whom one of her students begins to cling. At first avoiding his company, she still agrees to go on a date with him, which turns into a nightmare for him, because the discreet “teacher” is not at all as innocent as it seems at first glance.
There is something Hitchcockian in this story – the characters are not what they seem, and the plot of the usual plot in the style of “someone is watching me” by the end turns into something else. Karen Black shines as a teacher, and in general the whole film is her benefit as a talented actress.
The second novel, Melissa and Teresa, is the weakest in the series. Almost all of it is a dialogue of two sisters and other characters, and at the end we are waiting for a kind of “plot twist”, which, however, you can guess already knowing the plot.
One can only praise this novel, again, for playing Karen Black. Of all the three stories, from a purely acting point of view, she did the best. But this is also due to the fact that in the first she is relatively wordless, and in the third she appears in the form of a kind of “scream queen” pursued by a killer doll.
And finally, the third novel "Zuni" - the most chic and amazing of all! The heroine Karen Black brings home a mascot doll of an ancient Indian tribe. This is an expensive gift for her young man. However, soon the doll comes to life and begins to chase the heroine around the apartment, trying to kill her. The fight of a woman with an evil spirit imprisoned inside Zuni leads to a very unexpected and creepy ending.
“Zuni” is a kind of mini-horror about a killer doll, which makes it possible to bring it into the pantheon of other paintings on this topic, along with “Children’s Game”, “Lord of Dolls”, “Dolls” and many others. The character Zuni turned out to be very colorful and perfectly depicted from the point of view of animatronics, and a movie was made, for a second, in 1975. It is not without reason that the authors of the “Trilogy of Horrors” moved this character to the second part, which was released much later.
In general, the “Trilogy of Horrors” is three chic action-packed novels, with a beautiful idea, execution and a wonderful Karen Black. All fans of her talent as well as fans of doll-horror – watch it! Among the drawbacks of the film is only a relatively sluggish second plot, but there are also its advantages. Interesting and original horror and one of the most unusual horror films of the time!
8 out of 10