Experiment in Terror

Starring:Glenn Ford, Lee Remick, Stefanie Powers, Roy Poole, Ned Glass, Anita Loo, Patricia Huston, Gilbert Green, Clifton James, Al Avalon, William Bryant, Dick Crockett, James Lanphier, Ross Martin, Bob Carraher, Kelly McCormick, David Tomack, Mike Foran, Don Drysdale, Beal Wong
Director: Blake Edwards
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Experiment in Terror, a stylized noir thriller, was director Blake Edwards's second film in 1962, the first being a devastating portrait of alcoholism, Days of Wine and Roses. Neither film would seem standard fare for a filmmaker best known for his sophisticated slapstick comedies. For Experiment in Terror, Edwards perfected the stylish black-and-white cinematography he used to great effect in the 1950's TV series Peter Gunn. Glenn Ford plays a stalwart G-man out to thwart psychopathic extortionist Ross Martin's plans to force bank clerk Lee Remick to rob the bank where she works. San Francisco locations have never looked better or more ominous. One particularly chilling scene unfolds in the loft of an artisan who makes mannequins for a living ... though not for long. Blake Edwards's experiment in suspense grabs hold of you from the very beginning and doesn't let go until the final showdown at Candlestick Park. The film also features a near-legendary score by Henry Mancini. --Kristian St. Clair

Customer Reviews:

Experiment in Terror.......2007-06-27

Blake Edwards, best known for comedies, shows he can pull off thrillers with equal skill. Make no mistake: this one is lean, gritty and frightening. Remick is solid as a victim ripe for the plucking, and Ford appropriately stolid as the dedicated Ripley. And villain Martin (who'd go on to play Artemus Gordon on TV's "The Wild, Wild West") will make your skin crawl with that wheezing whisper. Be warned: not for the faint of heart.

Night And The Forboding City.......2006-12-12

While director Blake Edwards is not predominantly known for his thrillers, this 1962 noirish entry is gripping and frightening - particularly the first hour. Henry Mancini provides an unnerving "mod" score similar to the one he would for Stanley Donen's "Charade" a year later. Shot in black in white, restored to widescreen format on DVD, the San Francisco locations (including the Golden Gate Bridge and Candlestick Park) gives this film a interesting aura.

Lee Remick is a young bank teller named Kelly Sherwood, who lives with her teenage sister, Tobey (Stefanie Powers). One night she is accosted in her own garage by an asthmatic psychopath, "Red" Lynch (Ross Martin, menacingly frightening), who promises to kill her and her sister if she doesn't go along with his scheme to rob her bank. He informs her that he is aware of her every move and is not afraid to resort to violence if she does not go along with his scheme. The shaken young woman contacts FBI agent John Ripley (Glenn Ford) who does all that he can to protect the sisters and explore every angle he can to bring Lynch down. He soon discovers that this sadistic criminal has a penchant for women who can get him loot, and then leaves their battered corpses for all their effort. Nancy Ashton (Patricia Huston) is one such lady who contacts Ripley for help but her fate is already sealed (watch the eerie, voyeuristic sequence in her mannequin filled apartment - shiver).

It begins to drag a bit in the second hour, with the introduction of a Chinese woman, Lisa (Anita Loo) who is an unwitting file cabinet for Lynch - the evil killer is paying for her handicapped son's medical treatment. While this element may not have been needed, Ford's interaction with the boy is utterly touching, as is his concern for Kelly and her younger sibling. When Lynch is able to catch hold of Tobey for leverage, he debates whether to molest her or not (forcing her to undress), but for some reason, cannot go through with it. With Kelly in the crossfire, Ripley and his fellow agents close in on him in a memorable climax in Candlestick Park's baseball stadium.

Unlike the gratuitous violence and nudity often found in films today, "Experiment In Terror" relies on plot development, effective camera angles and concentrated performance in order to bring out fear in the viewer, and for the most part, it does it in spades. Ford's courageous, quiet embodiment, Remick's strong yet gentle performance and Stefanie Power's moving, sweet vulnerability give this taut movie all that it requires. And Ross Martin is the perfect villain - menacing, stalking, cold-blooded, manipulative, and deadly! And by all means, keep the lights on! The DVD features subtitles and two trailers, "The Big Heat" and "The Lady From Shanghai".

A good scare and a great score........2006-06-21

The first thing you hear is the well written soundtrack by Henry Mancini. It sets the pace and continues on to embellish every scene. Glenn Ford, as the FBI guy, has the ability to bring realism to any role he plays and here he holds the whole thing together. Ross Martin gives us a villain that literally sends chills up your spine.
Many have categorized this as Film Noir or at least an attempt at it and that's fine. Where it strays is in the dialogue given the two sisters played by the georgeous Lee Remick and the very young Stephanie Powers. There is no viable difference between the older and younger sister and there should be. It's not their fault. You can't project with inferior scripting.
There are many little gem segments including Popcorn, the pickup, and the final at Candlestick. And yes, there's the mannequins. A sroke of genius. Now that's Noir.

Solid Crime Story With Nice Cast.......2006-04-30

Although it's two hours long and there is nothing much resembling today's blood and guts-action-a-minute thrillers, this 1960s crime story still entertains, thanks to an interesting cast.

Sure, they could have chopped off 15 minutes of this to make it a bit tighter but watching Glenn Ford, Lee Remick, Stefanie Powers and Ross Martin isn't all bad, especially Remick, a gorgeous woman with one of the sweetest, softest voices I've ever heard. Powers, 19 when she filmed this, was easy on the eyes, too. Martin is effectively creepy as the asthmatic killer and Ford is good as the no-nonsense FBI man after him. I look at Ford as one of the better and underrated actors of his generation.

The DVD also shows off some nice film noir-type photography to its best. The clothing, cars and hairstyles might be a little out-of-date but the dialog isn't, and it's refreshing to watch a crime film without today's profanity laced through it.

Overall, it''s solid film-making.

"Next Time, Kelly, I'll Kill You For Sure!".......2005-11-14

The calendar year of 1962 sure was a fantastic year for movies! Just look at this impressive lineup of cinematic gems released in '62 ---

"Lawrence Of Arabia", "To Kill A Mockingbird", "The Longest Day", "The Music Man", "Mutiny On The Bounty", "The Miracle Worker", "Cape Fear", "Days Of Wine And Roses", "The Manchurian Candidate", "How The West Was Won", "What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?", "Advise & Consent", "Birdman Of Alcatraz", "Requiem For A Heavyweight", "Lonely Are The Brave", "Long Day's Journey Into Night", "Knife In The Water", "Dr. No", and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance".

Holy smoke! What a great year for moving pictures it was. (The first five films I listed above were the five nominees for "Best Picture" at the Academy Awards, with "Lawrence", starring Peter O'Toole, taking home first prize.)

And -- in addition to that grand laundry list of goodies above -- there is also the 1962 film contained on this exceptional DVD -- "Experiment In Terror" -- which is one of my top '62 favorites.

"Experiment In Terror" was produced and directed by 39-year-old Blake Edwards, who also directed one of those other memorable '62 flicks on my list above ("Days Of Wine And Roses", which co-starred Jack Lemmon and "Experiment" star Lee Remick). Both Lemmon and Remick were nominated for Oscars for "Wine And Roses". The trophies, however, were won by Gregory Peck and Anne Bancroft.

"Experiment In Terror" is a brilliant and compelling black-and-white thriller. It makes you squirm in your seat from the extraordinarily-eerie beginning right through to its climax, which takes place on the pitcher's mound at San Francisco's "Candlestick Park". (Glenn Ford was firing bullets alright, but not the kind of "bullets" you might expect to see fired from Candlestick's pitching rubber.)

This underrated gem of a flick runs for a tad more than two hours and is methodically slow-paced, which is a good thing here IMO. It gives you time to absorb each scene and think about what's coming next.

The city of San Francisco, California, has been used as a backdrop to many a motion picture over the years, and "Experiment In Terror" is one of the best for showcasing that beautiful western U.S. city. Lots of outdoor footage is used in the film -- from cable car close-ups to Coit Tower to Lombard Street to Candlestick.

26-year-old Lee Remick is superb (and stunning as all get out) as the terrorized "Kelly Sherwood"; while Glenn Ford is rock-solid as the FBI agent ("John Ripley") attempting to crack the case; and Ross Martin is completely convincing as "Red Lynch", the wheezing bad guy.

And I certainly don't want to forget about the sensational Henry Mancini music score, which is fabulously creepy from beginning to end. Mr. Mancini's very fitting theme that is played as the Main Titles roll is truly chill-inducing, especially that very first elongated note, which (from its timbre) lets all viewers know right off the bat that what they're about to see isn't going to be a Walt Disney-like, laugh-a-minute cartoon-fest. It's an ominous and downright spooky-sounding opening theme that sets the tone for what's to come.

"Experiment In Terror" debuted in movie theaters on April 13, 1962, and was just Miss Remick's 8th film; but she had already appeared in some excellent movies by the time "Experiment" hit movie screens -- such as her very first motion picture, 1957's "A Face In The Crowd" (opposite Andy Griffith) and 1959's "Anatomy Of A Murder", in which she couldn't have been any sexier if she tried (co-starring with the great James Stewart).

Stefanie Powers, age 19, has a very good supporting role in "Experiment", playing Remick's victimized sister, "Toby". Stefanie, like the rest of this top-notch cast, is outstanding in her part here. This was Powers' fifth film role.

Moviegoers in the United Kingdom might also recognize this film by its alternate U.K. title -- "The Grip Of Fear".

This DVD version of "Experiment In Terror" became available for purchase on June 10, 2003 (from Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment), and it exhibits virtually perfect picture quality. The DVD's Anamorphically-enhanced Widescreen transfer is so clear and free of "noise" and all other video blemishes that this black-and-white film actually takes on a "multiple tone" quality from the depth of the B&W imagery that can be seen here. Excellent "PQ" indeed! You can distinctly discern between the different "shadings" of gray, black, and white throughout the movie (which is something that I've always considered to be indicative of a very well-done transfer of any B&W material to DVD).

The cinematography that can be found within "Terror" is one of the superb features of the film. It is a movie that is well-suited for black-and-white, with its nerve-racking, shadow-filled opening sequence providing a prime example of the admirable photography composed for the film.

The DVD displays the film in the originally-seen Widescreen Aspect Ratio of 1.85:1. Audio is English only (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono).

Special Features are very minimal here (three Theatrical Trailers and three different Subtitling options for the feature film), but the movie itself is certainly "special" enough for this DVD release. And it's a treat being able to see this flick in its intended "Widescreen" format; and, as I gushed previously (but it's worth repeating) -- Man, it looks good here!

The Trailers on the disc include one for "Experiment In Terror" itself (with a running time of 2:48), plus "Bonus Trailers" for two other movies, "The Big Heat" (from 1953) and 1947's "The Lady From Shanghai".

Other information about this DVD:

>> Feature Running Time -- 2 hours, 3 minutes.
>> Subtitles -- English, Japanese, and French.
>> Scene Selections? -- Yes (28 Chapter Stops included).
>> Menus -- All "static"; No animations; No music.
>> Paper Insert Included? -- Yes (A one-sheet / two-sided Chapter Guide).

-------------

"Experiment In Terror" has everything a great suspense thriller needs -- A fine cast of characters, great actors to portray them, a first-class script which builds mounting tension and drama, superb on-location scenery, and a goose-bump-raising musical score from one of the best composers ever. And the film is made all the better via this winning DVD presentation.

Friendly warning -- You might not wish to watch this movie's opening scene alone! It's very realistic .... and scary.

Average customer rating:

Dementia - An Experiment In Terror

Manufacturer: CustomFlix
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Description

Before SAW and before HOSTEl, there was DEMENTIA: AN EXPERIMENT IN TERROR. In the summer of 2004, two men were kidnapped and held captive for three weeks. The freakish assailants recorded the events with 28 separate cameras. This is the story told by those cameras.

Product Description

Before SAW or HOSTEL, there was Dementia: An Experiment in Terror. In the summer of 2004, two men were kidnapped, tortured and held captive for weeks. This is their story ... horror strikes indiscriminately. The result was a torturous experience filled with blood soaked trauma and tragedy. After inspecting the crime scene, police investigators uncovered an underground chamber ... a basement dungeon. The two assailants had 28 cameras on the premises recording the events as they unfolded. DEMENTIA is the story told by those cameras.

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