THE 31 DAYS OF HORROR-WEEN: PRIME EVIL: TRILOGY OF TERROR (1975) ***

In the mid-‘70s, there was no hotter name in TV horror than Dan Curtis.  After a string of successes that included Dark Shadows, The Night Stalker, and Dracula, he teamed up with frequent Twilight Zone scribe Richard Matheson and Logan’s Run novelist William F. Nolan for this trio of horrific tales.  As a fan of anthology horror movies, I’m almost ashamed to admit I’ve never seen this one.  Oh well, we all have blind spots.  It’s time to rectify that.

I’m also a big fan of Karen Black, which is another reason why I can’t believe I haven’t seen this sooner.  There may be only three stories, but Black gets to play FOUR different characters.  That’s a lot of Black for your buck.  

In “Julie” (****), Black plays a mousy professor.  A lothario student gets infatuated with her and continually pesters her to go on a date.  Finally, she acquiesces, and in return, he drugs and rapes her.  He also blackmails her into doing more unspeakable acts until she eventually plots her revenge. 

This sequence must’ve been quite shocking for primetime TV at the time.  Although nothing is ever shown, A LOT is implied, which also sort of makes it even more icky.  It’s (unfortunately) even more timely now than when it first aired, but that is kind of what makes it so powerful.  It’s anchored by a great performance by Black, her first of many in the film.  

Black gets to play both “Millicent and Therese” (**) in the next segment.  After the death of her father, the prudish Millicent suspects her sister Therese is responsible.  She eventually comes to believe Therese is a witch and takes to using her own black magic against her.

It’s fun seeing Black as two such disparate characters as she goes from playing spinster Millicent to the vivacious sexpot Therese.  That’s about where the fun stops I’m afraid.  Unlike the other tales in the anthology, this one is sluggishly paced.  There’s really not much of a payoff either and on top of that, the twist ending is predictable.  I did like seeing Police Academy’s George Gaynes as Black’s doctor though. 

“Amelia” (****) is the third and most famous story. She comes home to her apartment and finds a Zuni fetish doll waiting for her in the mail.  When its mystical chain is accidentally removed, the doll comes to life and stalks Amelia. 

Amelia is one of the most highly influential anthology horror stories of all time and has been ripped off many times in the past few decades.  It’s hard to imagine Child’s Play or Tales from the Hood without it.  It starts slow and features a long phone conversation that acts as an exposition dump to set up the “rules”.  Stick with it though because Curtis is just getting warmed up.  Once it starts kicking ass, it never lets up.  Curtis gets a lot of mileage out of just the one character and location, creating lots of tension and suspense, culminating in a memorable final shot.  All in all, it’s one of the greatest TV horror segments of all time. 

AKA:  Tales of Terror.  AKA:  Terror of the Doll.