By CRYSTAL GUILLORY

First off, I have to say I am amazed that so many of my readers (the both of them) have their minds in the gutter.

I read snickering comments about my boyfriend not filling my Easter basket as a result of the movie I covered here last month.  You see, we got so aggravated we could not concentrate on chocolate bunnies, pecan eggs and other pastel treats. Now, don't you all feel silly? Do you really think I am going to talk about such private matters in this e-zine? What do you all think my Livejournal account  is for?

Ah well…enough about me and onto this month's feature movie, Roger Corman's The Terror from 1963.

Now, when Renfield had assigned this movie to me I had to ask him two or three times to make sure I understood it right. I was amazed! After watching some obscure oddities over the past few months I was finally getting to see a mainstream film. I vaguely remember
watching the movie on one of a local channel many years ago. Actually it’s the chilling ending that I remember the most, mainly because it terrified me so.

Well, I'm an adult now so I should be able to handle such a scene now right?   Perhaps I shouldn't ask such a question of my readers.

I decided to do some background research on this movie, because we all know how a little trivia can brighten our lives. The story begins when the filming of The Raven was wrapping up. Corman was looking at all the gothic sets thinking that it was a shame to
let them all go to waste. The wheels in the director's mind were spinning out of control about what to do with that creepy castle set. Then the idea struck him about filming on that set for two days, and that should be enough for a movie!

However, he needed a script so he called Leo Gordon (who wrote the script for Corman’s The Wasp Woman) in for a brainstorming session. Eventually Gordon came up with a script good for two days of filming. Now all that Corman needed was actors for this quickie of a movie, so he got Boris Karloff (who could only work for two days) and Jack Nicholson to play the leads. Nicholson, in the meanwhile, recommended his young wife Sandra Knight to play the love interest, Helene.

To say the two-day shoot was a challenge to everyone involved is an understatement. The actors were not sure of their character's motivations due to the roughed out story line, so nobody knew what was going to happen to them. Corman kept shooting through those two days on that castle set not even bothering to slate some of the shots or cut the camera. However, he eventually came to the realization that he needed more of a movie.

So Corman hired an up-and-coming director by the name of Francis Ford Coppola to shoot some scenes around Big Sur for a few days, but turned out to be eleven days.  Coppola then had another job offer from Ray Stark's company so Corman had to find someone else. At Coppola's suggestion, he tried Dennis Jakob who was fresh out of film school. Jakob filmed some shots that would be used at the film’s finish. Jakob did film the required shots and then used Corman's equipment to film a Civil War movie for his thesis.

After that, Corman got Monte Hellman to shoot some scenes on the cliffs in Palos Verdes, changing some things in the script along the way. However, Hellman got another job, so Corman brought in Jack Hill to film some scenes to bring the movie together--but Hill left
before the last day of filming. By then, Nicholson had requested to direct part of the film and Corman granted his wish.

Gee, so much for an easy and quick movie, eh? Here we have a hodgepodge of directors and their different interpretations of the script in this movie. Somehow something had to be done to make some sort of sense to it, so a plot twist was created (which I will mention
later).

Okay, somehow finding out all this background information on the movie doesn't make me too enthusiastic about seeing it again.  Then I thought to myself: How bad can it be? A shiver goes down my spine when I remember how many of my reviews started with that thought.

The movie starts with Boris walking around. After a minute or so of walking, he opens a door and "Mrs. Bates" (Psycho) makes a cameo appearance. I wonder if this will have anything to do with the rest of the movie?

Then we see the title credits with the very cool paintings as the creepy orchestral score is played. After the credits we see a young soldier, Lt. Andre Duvalier riding along on his horse along the Baltic (yeah, right) coast. Judging by the way he sits on his horse we can tell he's no "Easy Rider". In fact he falls off of his horse.

When he recovers, he looks around and sees this lovely girl off in the distance and there is one thing on his mind, his thirst. She leads him to a spring of fresh water, and then walks away. Duvalier is not one to take a hint, so he starts chatting up the girl, who then offers to show him something.

Imagine his confusion (and ours) when she leads him to a goldfish pond and then through the rest of the forest. Along the way, we find out her name is Helene and we are treated to some moments of them walking. Just then they are back on the coast and she is walking into the water as if she has no will of her own. Our young hero is perplexed and confused by this action (as is the audience) but does not take the hint to go away. Just then Andre is attacked by a bird and he collapses yet again.

He awakens in a strange house which houses one of the former "Witches of Eastwick", her "mute" manservant, Gustaf, and her bird "Helene". The young man asks her about the girl but the crone denies that there is a girl. (Yeah, like he's gonna believe some crazy old witch.) So later on that night the soldier wakes up and decides to take a walk in the woods. Sometime later he spots the lovely (and human) Helene walking in the woods and tries to reconnect with her. The embrace is short as she walks off into the forest again.  Duvalier tries to follow her but is stopped by Gustaf, and he discovers why, for he was about to walk through quicksand!

Well, Gustaf tells Duvalier that Helene's will is not her own, and that he must help her. (Wait a minute! Gustaf can talk?) Gustaf tells him to go to Castle Von Leppe and look for Erik who will help him. So Duvalier sets off for the castle, despite the crone telling him not to go. Well, he doesn't listen to her and sets off for the mysterious castle hoping to get some answers.

He arrives at the infamous castle (why does this castle look so familiar to me readers?) and walks on the grounds. To his surprise, he sees his lovely Helene from one of the windows, but she says nothing. Surprised by this, he knocks on the massive door, and
Baron Von Leppe (Karloff) opens it. Duvalier talks the Baron into letting him stay for the night, so the Baron agrees to it. The two gentlemen have a pleasant conversation about the French. Then Duvalier brings up the subject of Helene, only to be scoffed at by
the Baron. It is just then the Baron shows a portrait to Duvalier and it is the exact likeness of Helene!

The only problem is, the girl in this painting has been dead for twenty years and her name was Ilsa.

Later on that night, Duvalier explores the grounds for some clues, providing necessary filler time. The next morning, we see the Baron and Stefan, his manservant, having a discussion about the young officer. They both agree that he has to go soon. Meanwhile Duvalier changed clothes and is investigating the entrance of Ilsa's crypt when Stefan confronts him. The two have a rather cryptic conversation about things and Stefan acts odd when he mentions Eric.

Well, Duvalier is about to leave, but discovers that his horse is missing. (Gee, didn't the Baron want him to leave? Why would he mess with his horse?) Duvalier angrily confronts the Baron about the horse and all the secrets being kept around him. He demands the truth out of his host, but the Baron doesn't think he could "handle the truth.: Duvalier then promises that he will go back to his regiment and get "a few good men" to tear the castle down and look for the elusive girl. It is then we get the heartbreaking tale from Von Leppe concerning his late bride and how he killed her and her lover when he caught them using "carnal knowledge". The Baron now fears that Ilsa is haunting him now.

Meanwhile we see the "mute" Gustaf talk to Ilsa/ Helene on the cliff. The two share a cryptic
conversation about how the old crone is using her for evil. (What is with all these cryptic conversations?) Just then the crone's bird flies overhead and Helene/Ilsa tells Gustaf that he should mind his own business. Gee, so Helene/Ilsa (I'm gonna call her Hilsa from now on to save my typing) can understand bird cries?

Meanwhile, Stefan does some investigating on his own and discovers the crone's "little shop of horrors" where she is hypnotizing the lovely girl Helene (who looks like the late Ilsa) to lure the Baron to his death. After that Stefan confronts the crone and orders her to leave the Baron's land.

Back in another movie, our hero is exploring the castle grounds trying to find clues or perhaps Hilsa. Maybe he thinks he could solve this mystery in "five easy pieces"? Just then he hears her voice and tries to find out where it came from and he winds up following the Baron and barges into his room. The Baron is usually a gracious host, but to have his guest snooping around is a little too much for him to handle. So he tells Duvalier to leave once he gets a new horse from Stefan.

While getting the new horse from Stefan, Duvalier finds out that the aforementioned Erik (remember him?) was the illicit lover of the Baroness. So Duvalier is riding along when he sees his old buddy and favorite so-called mute, Gustaf. He thinks that Gustaf is waving to him but he is really fighting Helene the bird. Alas, Gustaf takes a tumble but lands in Duvalier's path. With his dying breath Gustaf tells Duvalier to rescue Hilsa, and that she loves him.

So, with that knowledge he returns to Castle Von Leppe where he has a passionate encounter with Hilsa. The two share "terms of endearment" and make plans to run away together but she disappears again.

Is anyone else confused right now? Good, I'm not the only one!

So, once again, we are treated to more shots of people walking through gothic corridors while trying to figure this movie out. The Baron is having a visit from the "ghost" of his late wife Ilsa, who tells him to flood the crypt and kill himself so that they will be rejoined. The Baron is not too crazy about this idea for he does not have flood insurance.

Just then their conversation is rudely interrupted by Duvalier who wants to know what kind of woman she is. Guess what, we are trying to figure that out, too! The Baron collapses and the good Lieutenant decides that this is a good time to check out that mysterious chapel. However, they notice that the light in the Baroness' room is on, so they decide to investigate. They have no key, so Duvalier breaks down the door where they see a cradle. They are wondering if she had a child when the Baron appears and forces Stefan to remove Duvalier by gunpoint.

It is then that Duvalier decides to break a can of whoop-ass on Stefan while the crone appears. Duvalier is getting a little peeved at everything and forces the old woman to come clean, to the relief of the confused viewers. The old woman reveals her plans that she is using the girl to drive Von Leppe to suicide, so she could avenge her son Erik's death! Then Duvalier decides that "something's got to give" as he confronts Stefan about the truth.  Not to long after we get the big revelation that Erik was not killed by Stefan  (as revealed earlier in the movie) but rather Erik killed the Baron. Erik then took over the Baron's place and convinced himself that he was the Baron. How's that for a twist?

So now the crone has to face the cruel fact that she caused her son's death, unless they try to stop the deluge. Duvalier tries to force the crone to join him in the chapel but she won't walk into a holy place. She is so upset about that she gets downright burnt up over it! (Well, okay being stricken by a lightning bolt while holding a iron fence doesn't help the mood.) Meanwhile the Baron/Erik is having a heart to heart talk with his beloved Ilsa while he is getting ready to flood the crypt. He begins to have second thoughts when he sees Ilsa's rotting corpse and struggles with the "ghost".

Now, this being a Corman gothic castle picture, one would expect a big huge fire, right? Wrong! To be different, Roger ended this movie with a flood! Duvalier finds Hilsa (Helene/Ilsa remember?) and rescues her while the deluge is going on. Duvalier brings his ladylove up to the surface, thinking they are safe and will live happily ever after. It is then Andre' plants a kiss on her that would make any girl melt, and by golly she does!

Yep, the girl turns into a corpse in front of his horrified eyes making us all scream "What the hell?"

Of course, that's not the only thing that makes us say that--for there were many confusing things. What about the cradle in Ilsa's room? Why did "mute" Gustaf speak? Why did the crone wait so long to have her revenge? Why did Mrs. Bates make a cameo in the start of the movie? Why did Renfield assign this movie to me? (Well, I should know the answer to that last question by now, shouldn't I, readers?)

In this movie's favor, I have to say that it looks great but it doesn't have a coherent plot. Then again, how many movies these days are guilty of the same thing? Anyway, as my future assignments go, why do I have a feeling that this movie is "as good as it gets"?