THE TERROR On Blu-ray From Film Masters

 

Film Masters has been doing a series of Blu-ray releases involving low-budget horror/sci-fi films from the late 1950s and early 1960s. One of these releases is a two-disc set featuring a couple of films from Roger Corman that are among the most famous public domain titles of all time: THE TERROR and THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. This post will cover the disc containing THE TERROR. 

THE TERROR (1963) is more notable for its production history than for whatever quality it may have as a film. It started out as a way for Roger Corman to use Boris Karloff and the leftover sets from THE RAVEN for a couple days as the basis for a different project. That basis grew into a convoluted shoot involving several months and other directors (including such names as Francis Ford Coppola, Monte Hellman, and Jack Hill). Corman even wound up using the sets for THE HAUNTED PALACE to shoot some scenes. 

The result is a hodgepodge of a story that feels more like an imitation of a Roger Corman Poe tale than the real thing. There's plenty of Corman/Poe elements on display, such as a hermit-like aristocrat who shuts himself up in a creepy castle and broods over a dead wife. But the story never really comes together, and the last-minute "explanation" of the plot just confuses the viewer even more. Much of the movie consists of Jack Nicholson (miscast as a Napoleonic soldier) and Boris Karloff (as the hermit-like aristocrat) wandering around. It might have been better for Karloff if he hadn't worked for Corman those two extra days--he isn't used to his best advantage here, and being immersed in waist-deep in water during the climax certainly didn't do the frail and elderly actor any favors. 

Because of its public domain status and the name value of Nicholson, Karloff, and Corman, dozens and dozens of fly-by-night video companies put THE TERROR out on VHS and DVD--I bet the total amount of home video releases of this title number into the hundreds. Needless to say, the general quality of them is sorely lacking. Film Masters states that their release is a new HD restoration from original 35mm elements. This Blu-ray is miles above any other version of the film. The color is much bolder and the picture, for the most part, is much sharper. There are still more than a few scenes that are soft and faded, but this is probably the best that one can expect THE TERROR to look. The sound quality is much better as well, giving heft to Ronald Stein's excellent music score (one of the best things about the movie). The movie is presented in a 1.85:1 widescreen format, and the disc is Region Free. 

The extras for this disc of THE TERROR include a long visual essay entitled GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE: ART & ARTIFICE IN ROGER CORMAN'S CELLULOID CASTLE by Howard S. Berger and Kevin Marr. The essay takes a deep, deep analytical dive into the film, proposing that it has all sorts of themes and meanings to it, with a portentous narration by Berger. There's also a brand new audio commentary by C. Courtney Joyner and Steve Haberman. It's a lively discussion, as the two talk about the film's unusual production, the Corman/Poe series, and Boris Karloff's work with American-International Pictures. A 22-page booklet is included with this release, and it has two articles: one by C. Courtney Joyner on the long association that Boris Karloff had with the work of Edgar Allan Poe, and the other has Mark McGee delving into the making of THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. 

I have to say that I'm still not all that impressed with THE TERROR as a film, but I am impressed with this Film Masters release, and the extras that are included on it. Roger Corman and Boris Karloff fans will at least appreciate a proper home video release for this title. I'll be covering THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS disc, and the extras on that, for a future blog post.