Experiment In Terror, (1962), Directed by Blake Edwards
Grade: A
I'm going to stray from the norm here, and admit that this is not really a horror movie. It's a Hitchcockian, noir-driven suspense tale. However, within the context of it all, it exudes everything that can be great about any horror film, which is manipulating you to the point of fear. This rarely seen film is an exceptional example of that.
This blogger saw this one about fifteen years ago on the TNT channel of all places. As typical for us no-lifers, it was a Friday night, everyone had gone to bed, it was about two in the morning and I was flipping channels. Then I came across this black-and-white movie with this eerie opening scene with an asthmatic psychopath taking the beautiful Lee Remick hostage inside her garage. This struck a cord and immediately grabbed my attention. The scene played out for about three to four minutes in one continuous unbroken shot, with the psycho holding Remick's neck and whispering in her ear, all the while his identity is being hidden within the shadows.
What's amazing about the movie is the director. It's none other than Blake Edwards, who gave us all the original Pink Panther films, The Party, and The Great Race. So it seems quite awkward that a director known for such classic slapstick can make a turn and journey into Hitchcock-like territory, but he does. And it works.
The film involves the asthmatic psychopath (played to the hilt by the awesome Ross Martin) threatening a bank teller played by Remick, as he plans to steal $100,000 from her bank with her cooperation, or he will kidnap her younger sister. Remick manages to contact the police and Superman's dad (Glenn Ford, who plays an investigator here.)
The rest of the movie is the setup for the investigation, and all the twists and turns that the police must wade through, as Ross Martin continues to stay one step ahead of them. Edwards gives us so many set pieces that are so strange and bizarre, you would think that this could've been an early David Lynch film back before he went insane and wore straight-jackets to the office. Yeah, I'm dogging on my favorite film director, but who cares? Everybody else does, and I'm sure he doesn't care. He's probably too busy filming a guy jogging in a rabbit suit, so I'm sure he's got better things to do than listen to me.
As the movie progresses we begin to see just how evil Ross Martin's character "Red Lynch" is. ("Lynch"! There you go.) In my opinion, his portrayal is one of the creepiest in film history, and it's such a shame that not more people have seen the movie to appreciate it.
Henry Mancini's jazzy, yet spooky score adds to the fun, and fits just as well as any Hitchcock-Bernard Herrmann collaboration. It's a great soundtrack, but this blogger was disappointed in the actual CD release as lots of tracks were left off of the disc, in particular the downright chilling growl of music over the Columbia Pictures logo as shown here. (And look closely for an uncanny Lynchian coincidence that is 28 years ahead of its time.)
The climax of the film might be seen by some as a cop-out (Nope. No pun.) But really, it's a satisfying ending. Getting to the end is what the movie is all about. And when the ending surfaces and the credits roll, you know that sometimes in Hollywood, directors can surprise us with something you would never expect of them. Good job, Mr. Edwards. May you rest in peace.
But I still can't forgive you for Son Of The Pink Panther.
The most chilling scene in Experiment In Terror. (Spoilers, of course.)
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