Enjoyment of this film will depend on two things. First how much you like the actors involved. The second is the understand that this film was pieced together from scraps of film shot by various directors to fit in with footage that had been shot of Karloff on left over sets after the original feature had been finished. If you can forgive your favorite actors anything and accept that this is a paste up job, then you'll have yourself an okay time at the movies.

Lets face it this film is a mess. The story of a French soldier following a mysterious woman to a castle is so disjointed that they actually shot a scene where Jack Nicholson grabs one of the characters and asks him whats going on, its at that point all of the loose ends are brought together in a tenuous grip.

Its the sort of movie that shouldn't work on any level but some how does.Its well acted considering that no one probably had any idea what they were starring in. Its also directed well enough that you don't realize that there were actually five directors other than Roger Corman behind the camera.

Currently floating around in the public domain (cheap video copies are to be had) this is a movie worth seeing if you want to see how Jack Nicholson started or how Boris Karloff ended up. Its a just okay thriller with a more interesting production history. Worth a bag of popcorn if you need another movie to fill out a night of Corman Poe movies.

In 1806, the French Lieutenant Andre Duvalier (Jack Nicholson) is lost from his regiment and riding near the coast very thirsty. Out of the blue, he sees a gorgeous woman that shows him a spring. Then she tells her name, Helene (Sandra Knight),and she walks with him and vanishes into the sea water. Andre tries to save her but is attacked by an eagle and faints. He awakes in the house of and old woman, Katrina (Dorothy Neumann),and sees the eagle that belongs to her. He learns that her servant Gustaf (Jonathan Haze) has saved him. When Andre asks for Helene, Katrina tells that she does not know her. Andre walks during the night seeking out Helene; when he meets her, she asks him to follow her and brings him to a spot with quick sand, but Andre is saved by Gustaf again. He tells to Andre that Helene is possessed and he would find the answers at the castle of the Baron Victor Frederick Von Leppe (Boris Karloff) where he should ask for Eric. On the next day, Andre leaves Katrina's house and heads to the castle. He is received by the Baron himself and sees the picture of Helene on the wall. However he leans that the woman is Ilsa, the Baroness Von Leppe, who has been dead for twenty years. Further, the Baron lives alone in the castle with his butler Stefan (Richard Miller). Later he learns that the Baron found Ilsa in the bed with a man named Eric and he killed her and Stephan killed Eric. But Andre saw the woman at the window when he arrived at the castle. What is the secret of Helene?

"The Terror" is an entertaining low-budget movie by Roger Corman with Jack Nicholson and Boris Karloff. The plot is interesting and it is curious to know that Corman used sets left over from "The Raven". Boris Karloff's scenes were shot in three days only. Unfortunately the Brazilian DVD has a blurred image and it is very difficult to distinguish the characters and locations. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Sombras do Terror" ("Shadows of the Terror")

Andre Duvalier,a young officer in Napoleon's army played by a young Jack Nicholson pursues a mysterious woman to the castle of an elderly Baron where he discovers that she is the pawn of an old witch bent on driving the Baron to suicide.At the ancient castle of Baron von Lepp,he notices the picture of the Baron's deceased wife looks a lot like the woman he keeps seeing.If only Andre could get the old woman to tell him the dark secrets of the Baron and his beloved Helene.Roger Corman's "The Terror" features a very old Boris Karloff,it also maintains a wonderfully gloomy atmosphere throughout,boasts some pretty decent special effects,and it actually contains a good story with some surprising twists and turns at the end.The soundtrack is quite eerie,unfortunately the pace is really slow.The film is not scary,but if you enjoy watching early 60's horror films you can give it a try.7 out of 10.