Terror in the Aisles (Time for Terror) (1984)

50% of critics liked it
(6 reviews)
48% of users liked it
(789 ratings)

Director Andrew Kuehn has excerpted brief segments of terror and suspense in a wide variety of horror movies and strung them together with added commentary, as well as some enacted narrative, to create a compilation of cinematic, fright-inducing effects. Donald Pleasance and Nancy Allen provide the… More Director Andrew Kuehn has excerpted brief segments of terror and suspense in a wide variety of horror movies and strung them together with added commentary, as well as some enacted narrative, to create a compilation of cinematic, fright-inducing effects. Donald Pleasance and Nancy Allen provide the commentary on topics such as "sex and terror" (Dressed to Kill), loathsome villains (Nighthawks, Vice Squad), and the occult (Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist). Alfred Hitchcock presents his concepts of how to create suspense in a clip from Alfred Hitchcock: The Men Who Made the Movies, in one of the better segments of this anthology. Horror film buffs may chafe at the selection criteria, the truncated clips, and other scholarly points -- non-specialists will still get an overview of aspects of the genre. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 24 min.
Directed By: Andrew J. Kuehn, Andrew Kuehn
Written By: Margery Doppelt
Genres: Documentary, Horror, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Jul 1, 1984 Wide
Studio: MCA Universal Home Video

Critic Reviews

Scott Weinberg, FEARnet
A forgotten little treasure for old-school horror fans.
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)
Before there was DVD, people actually paid money to watch these slapped-together clip jobs.
Jon Niccum, Lawrence Journal-World
Pointless project of horror movie clips taken out of context
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Jokey, generally flat documentary on slasher/horror films wears out its welcome.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Lafe F

They missed many important horror films in this collection; and included many which I do not consider horror. I got tired of seeing scenes from "The Marathon Man". They had the second Friday the 13th film, but none of the others. A poor collection. Obviously they… More
They missed many important horror films in this collection; and included many which I do not consider horror. I got tired of seeing scenes from "The Marathon Man". They had the second Friday the 13th film, but none of the others. A poor collection. Obviously they couldn't get the rights to all the greats. It's hard getting scared just by looking at clips; terror needs to be built effectively, by immersing the audience in a situation; and a clip-fest just isn't the way to achieve it. The Nancy Allen and Donald Pleasence segments were a bit goofy. I remember trying to see this at the theatre, and us not being allowed in because we were only 16. When I watched it on video soon enough, it was nothing special.
Donna D

This was an awesome compilation of great horror movies as well as some other added clips from sci-fi's and thrillers. Another dvd I need to add to my horror library. ;)
Anthony V

A good sampler.
Christopher B

I remember this sweet baby from when I was a kid. It was constantly advertised on Super Channel and seemed like the holy grail of horror films. I would hate this today (much like I hated the compilation Boogeymen, a lot of horror doesn't work unless it's given time to… More
I remember this sweet baby from when I was a kid. It was constantly advertised on Super Channel and seemed like the holy grail of horror films. I would hate this today (much like I hated the compilation Boogeymen, a lot of horror doesn't work unless it's given time to develop, not just show random clips!) but at the time it was like a greatest hits album where I would then seek out my favourites.