The Terror (The Haunting) (The Castle of Terror) (1963)

22% of critics liked it
(9 reviews)
24% of users liked it
(3,410 ratings)

In this horror chiller, an intriguing, beautiful woman (Sandra Knight) keeps re-appearing to early 19th-century Lt. Duvalier (Jack Nicholson), and he is led to a castle where he finds an imposter of Baron Von Leppe (Boris Karloff). He becomes trapped in the ancient castle and tries to make sense of… More In this horror chiller, an intriguing, beautiful woman (Sandra Knight) keeps re-appearing to early 19th-century Lt. Duvalier (Jack Nicholson), and he is led to a castle where he finds an imposter of Baron Von Leppe (Boris Karloff). He becomes trapped in the ancient castle and tries to make sense of the eerie situation. Director Roger Corman (with the help of a few other directors, including Francis Ford Coppola) shot most of this within a few days after finishing The Raven--utilizing the same set. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 21 min.
Directed By: Monte Hellman, Roger Corman
Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Jun 17, 1963 Wide
On DVD: Sep 15, 1998
Studio: American Pop Classics

Critic Reviews

Phil Hall, Film Threat
Nicholson gave the best analysis of the film in a later-career interview: "It was incredibly bad."
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Scene by scene, it's a delightful Ovidian creature
Daniel Eagan, Film Journal International
Moody, not-quite-coherent suspense
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Tepid, shoddy stuff despite its pedigree.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The Terror is more boring than it is scary.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Featured Audience Ratings

Tim S

I love seeing Boris Karloff, Jack Nicholson, and Dick Miller all in the same movie together, but the material just isn't all that great. It's the typical haunted house mystery...not even the actors have anything really that good to work with. I just love having this group… More
I love seeing Boris Karloff, Jack Nicholson, and Dick Miller all in the same movie together, but the material just isn't all that great. It's the typical haunted house mystery...not even the actors have anything really that good to work with. I just love having this group of people assembled and for me that makes me like it, not because it's that good of a movie.
AJ V

I really like this movie, it has some great stars, and the story is really cool. This is a spooky horror movie, and I enjoyed it.
Kyle F

Whoa! This movie is boring. It's not exciting or interesting, it doesn't even try to offer thrills, and it's not even funny in a fun old horror flick type way, it's just sad.
Robert C

What the? I believe this was one of Jacks first films and it was an opportunity to work with Karlofff, who wouldn't say YES? And it was towards the end of Karloff's career, so really what else did he have to do? Not that I expect GREAT things from Roger Corman...but… More
What the? I believe this was one of Jacks first films and it was an opportunity to work with Karlofff, who wouldn't say YES? And it was towards the end of Karloff's career, so really what else did he have to do? Not that I expect GREAT things from Roger Corman...but this film is just a mess. I won't even begin to start a list of all of the issues that I have with it. I gave it one star out of respect for Mr. Karloff.
Chris W

Strange but interesting gothic horror yarn from Roger Corman. It's fun watching an old Boris Karloff interact with a young Jack Nicholson.
nefnie l

A gothic horror story featuring the great Boris Karloff and a young Jack Nicholson. Yes, the special effects are somewhat cheesy, but this was in the 60s; and I think that added to the charm of the film. A twisted tale of love, revenge, and isolation. Oh, did I mention it has… More
A gothic horror story featuring the great Boris Karloff and a young Jack Nicholson. Yes, the special effects are somewhat cheesy, but this was in the 60s; and I think that added to the charm of the film. A twisted tale of love, revenge, and isolation. Oh, did I mention it has Karloff?
Emily B

Shot in four days, with five different directors, with left over sets...and it shows. Films like this are usually good for a bit of fun now and again, only downside here being that the story is so muddled by the end of it you don't know what's going on. Nice to see a young… More
Shot in four days, with five different directors, with left over sets...and it shows. Films like this are usually good for a bit of fun now and again, only downside here being that the story is so muddled by the end of it you don't know what's going on. Nice to see a young Jack Nicholson though (who also directed some of the footage).