Terror (1978)

Continuing the Norman J Warren theme from yesterday, here's the trailer for the late director's 1978 horror film Terror.  Taking its inspiration from Argento's recently released Suspiria, it is a sort of supernatural-themed giallo.  I recall that this one, along with Satan's Slave and Inseminoid, has even had an outing on the BBC, which was, I think, the last time that I saw it.  Very slick looking and, for such a low budget film, pretty stylishly put together, it packs a lot into its eighty four minute running time.  While there are times when it looks like a series of only tangentially related horrific/suspenseful vignettes loosely strung together, it all sort of makes sense in the end.  It kicks off in vigourous fashion  with a witch burning and all sorts of supernatural shenanigans, which is then revealed to be the climax of a film directed by the descendant of the witch burner in chief, immediately disorientating the viewer.  The rest of the film rushes us through a series of bizarre and often gory murders, with  the supernatural elements becoming ever more prevalent as the witch's curse upon the descendants of her persecutors takes effect.

Scripted by David McGillivray - who had also scripted Warren's Satan's Slave, along with a whole host of assorted sex films and Pete Walker pictures - Terror includes a film studio sequence (always a good budget-saver) featuring a typical British sex film shoot.  It all culminates with the director being crushed to death by a falling lamp, while another character is attacked by film props, strangled by some reels of film and finally decapitated by a sheet of glass.  There's more sleazy action centering on a strip club and a possessed police car.  The effects work depicting the poltergeist-style activity is actually pretty well done, while various familiar British TV faces, including William Russell, Glynis Barber, Michael Craze and even Peter 'Chewbacca' Mayhew put in appearances.  Like all of Warren's films, Terror is a lot of fun while it is on - there's nothing especially original or ground-breaking about it, but it is all very nicely done.