TRILOGY OF TERROR (1975) Blu-ray
Director: Dan Curtis
Kino Lorber Studio Classics

In the late 1960s, producer Dan Curtis reinvented terror on television with the landmark supernatural soap opera, “Dark Shadows.” It ran from 1966 to 1971 and spawned two theatrical films, but Curtis still remained one of the prime providers of small screen shocks for the decade to follow. His productions of THE NIGHT STALKER and THE NIGHT STRANGLER (both starring Darren McGavin as Carl Kolchak) proved to be trendy ratings winners, eventually leading to a number of other telefilms, including the highly memorable TRILOGY OF TERROR, which he also directed. Scaring the bejesus out of the many tykes who originally witnessed its final episode on prime time, TRILOGY OF TERROR is being re-released as a special edition Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber (it's also being re-released on DVD).

TRILOGY OF TERROR gathers three short stories by legendary writer Richard Matheson; the first two were adopted for the film by William F. Nolan (LOGAN’S RUN, BURNT OFFERINGS), while Matheson himself adopted the third one. During her peak as a Hollywood leading lady, actress Karen Black (NASHVILLE, THE DAY OF THE LOCUST) was brought in to play the primary roles in all three stories, and pretty much holds the whole show together. In "Julie," Black plays an uptight college professor who reluctantly goes out on a date with conniving student Chad (Robert Burton, Black’s real-life husband at the time). At a drive-in movie (where a black & white print of THE NIGHT STALKER doubles for a French language vampire film), he drugs her root beer, takes some very incriminating photos of her, and blackmails her. In "Millicent and Therese," Black plays two very different sisters, one a repressed spinster and the other, well a blond tramp, both who use witchcraft to outfox one another. Lastly in "Amelia," Black is a woman who purchases a Zuni fetish doll to give to her new boyfriend as a present. A scroll included with the doll states that it embodies the spirit of an ancient hunter, and if the gold chain it wears is removed, the doll will come to life. Of course, the chain falls off and the wicked little bastard goes on a rampage, assaulting the unsuspecting Amelia in her lonely apartment. All three stories have twist endings.

Employing a well-known movie actress who (at the time) didn’t do much television proved to be a good idea, and Black does an impressive, if sometimes campy job of portraying the various central characters and giving them each their own identity. Curtis, an underrated genre director if there ever was one, does a proficient job of sustaining a tense 72 minutes, even though the first two stories are somewhat ordinary and overshadowed by the third, almost being played out as an extended warm-up to leading up to it. It’s the repulsive, noisy, toothy, unstoppable Zuni doll that has kept this film in the public eye all these years. The rather graphic depiction (especially for a 1975 made-for TV piece) of it biting and stabbing Amelia as she fights back is brilliantly edited (despite the limited special effects of the time), complemented by ingenious ground-level point-of-view shots of it in action, along with a very clever finale which makes this one of the most flawless yarns in any anthology movie.

Although it is Black that really carries the film (in "Amelia," she is the sole cast member, interacting only with the dreadful doll and several others over the phone) with her thoughtful characterizations, there’s still a good supporting cast on hand. Also appearing are John Karlen (of “Dark Shadows” and DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS fame), George Gaynes (THE BOY WHO CRIED WEREWOLF and the “Police Academy” series), Jim Storm (NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS), Gregory Harrison (“Trapper John MD”), Orin Cannon and Kathryn Reynolds. Dan Curtis’ youngest daughter Tracy appears in the "Millicent and Therese” episode, as does Curtis himself as an ambulance driver. Walker Edmiston, known for his character work on numerous “Sid & Marty Krofft” Saturday morning shows (such as SIGMUND AND THE SEA MONSTERS and THE LAND OF THE LOST), voiced the disturbing utterances of the Zuni doll, uncredited.

Previously available on DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment and then from MPI’s Dark Sky Films, Kino Lorber now releases TRILOGY OF TERROR on Blu-ray from a new 4K restoration. Presented in its original 1.33:1 television aspect ratio in 1080p HD, detail levels are strong, and film grain is healthy and consistent. Colors are rich and black levels are deep and accurate throughout, giving the overall image a great sense of depth. Speckling and other anomalies are almost nonexistent, resulting in a clean and handsome transfer of this small-screen screamer. Audio is provided in an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track, which is as clear and crisp as it can be in its rendering of the dialogue, music and sound effects. Optional English subtitles are included.

The extras from the 2006 Dark Sky Films/MPI DVD have been carried over to this Blu-ray including the running commentary with writer William F. Nolan and the late Karen Black. Black describes how she approached the different characters, while Nolan makes note of some of the touches he added to the Matheson stories he adapted. There is no moderator, but Nolan and Black get on well together, often asking each other questions concerning the project. Nolan signs off before the third story "Amelia" (since he had nothing to with it), giving Black the opportunity to go into detail about everyone’s favorite episode. She talks about how she rewrote much of her character’s phone conversations with her mother, the difficulties with the Zuni doll, how some of the effects were conceived, coming up with the idea for the final shot and much more. Black is also interviewed for a featurette entitled “Three Colors of Black” (16:53). Here, she talks about her early days on the stage, a bit about EASY RIDER and FIVE EASY PIECES, and how her agent had to convince her to accept TRILOGY OF TERROR, which she was very reluctant to do at first. She then goes into a lot of interesting details about making it and how people have reacted to it over the years. “Richard Matheson: Terror Scribe” (10:57) is an interview with the late, great writer, as he discusses various films and television in his career, meeting and collaborating with Dan Curtis, his three stories for TRILOGY OF TERROR, and deciding to adapt his “Prey” (the original short tale for which “Amelia” is based on) himself.

New to this release is “Notes of Terror” (8:38), an interview with composer Bob Cobert. He starts by laughingly expressing that he has no love for horror films, and then recalls how he got into music, coming from a musical family background. He scrutinizes his score for TRILOGY OF TERROR and humorously describes working with producer Curtis on the project, and that he had a great admiration for him even when there was a conflict. Also new to this Blu-ray is an audio commentary with film historian Richard Harland Smith, who now has a greater appreciation of the first two stories than when he first saw the film as a child. Smith is able to pinpoint some of the actual shooting locations in the movie, and keeps the conversation busy with observations, trivia and various connections and comparisons between this and other film and television works (at times, the dialogue and music in the film drown out Smith’s talk, so be prepared to boost up the volume). Also included is a trailer for BURNT OFFERINGS (available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber), a booklet with an essay by Simon Abrams, and newly commissioned cover art by Jacob Phillips (it’s also included on the accompanying slipcover). (George R. Reis)

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