User reviews

Since my exposure to Blake Edwards beyond his comedies has only been `Days of Wine and Roses', which is one of the most depressing films I've ever seen, I wasn't sure what to expect in the way of a thriller from a director who I largely respect. `Experiment in Terror' which stars Lee Remick and the always great Glenn Ford, turned out to be an outstanding and slick film which was thoroughly enjoyable.

While the story, about a bank teller who is threatened with the kidnapping of her younger sister if she doesn't steal 100K from her employer, and the FBI agent (Ford) who tries to both protect her and find out who the extortionist is, does not rely on cheap thrills in order to create suspense. Rather, the black and white film and noir-like shadows help build the tension while not taking away from the story. The cinematography is extremely crisp, and, like many well-made noir films of the 40's-mid 60's, you can almost imagine each frame as a beautiful photograph.

While I'd never heard of this film until coming across it on one of the movie channels, it is well worth looking for.

--Shelly

Although it's two hours long and there is nothing much resembling today's blood and guts-action-a-minute thrillers, this 1960s crime story still entertains, thanks to an interesting cast.

Sure, they could have chopped off 15 minutes of this to make it a bit tighter but watching Glenn Ford, Lee Remick, Stefanie Powers and Ross Martin isn't all bad, especially Remick, a gorgeous woman with one of the sweetest, softest voices I've ever heard. Powers, 19 when she filmed this, was easy on the eyes, too. Martin is effectively creepy as the asthmatic killer and Ford is good as the no-nonsense FBI man after him. I look at Ford as one of the better and underrated actors of his generation.

The DVD also shows off some nice film noir-type photography to its best. The clothing, cars and hairstyles might be a little out-of-date but the dialog isn't, and it's refreshing to watch a crime film without today's profanity laced through it.

Overall, it''s solid film-making.

There are so many things to praise about this frightening little picture. The performances are uniformly excellent. San Francisco is captured in a 40 year old time capsule yet the fear and terror are as vivid in 2002 as they must have been in 1962. Ross Martin is an able and elusive villain with some ability to engender loyalty in friends. As has been noted, the terror visited on Lee Remick's character Kelly Sherwood, is real and intense and persistent. In an age that equates terror with fanaticism and major special effects, all that this little noir required was poor breathing, a telephone, skilled camera work, great performances and a slam-bang script. Bravo.

This thrilling movie deals with two sisters threatened , a killer and a FBI agent who pursues him . Coming home late one night Kelly (Lee Remick) is attacked in her garage by an asthmatic nasty named Red Lynch (Ross Martin) who convinces her he knows of all her daily life , particularly her employment at the bank where she works as bank teller. He terrorizes her into agreeing to help him rob the office a lot of money or he says he will murder her and also the teenager sister Toby Sherwood (Stefanie Powers) who lives with her . Then Kelly agrees but out of threat calls the FBI and speaks with Agent Ripley , a stalwart G-man (Glenn Ford), but the lines goes dead when the psychopathic extortionist comes into the house and attacks Kelly again . The FBI agent is hot on the trail of sadistic murderous , fighting the clock .

This stylish picture is packed with intrigue , nail-biting suspense, thrills , chills and formidable interpretations with acting uniformly magnificent. Taut noir thriller has an asthmatic psycho killer excellently played by Ross Martin who steals the show and gives an unnerving portrait of evil . Gorgeous Lee Remick as accosted woman , an effective Glenn Ford as obstinate Inspector and a likable and very young Stefanie Powers . Classic musical score by Henry Mancini , Blake Edwards's usual . Evocative cinematography in black and white with ominous atmosphere by Philip Lathrop , reflecting splendidly the San Francisco locations. The motion picture is stunningly produced and directed by Blake Edwards . After successful drama as ¨Days of wine and roses¨ and directly following ¨Breakfast at Tiffanys¨ , Blake launched himself in a new direction with this suspenseful movie . Edwards went on filmmaking sophisticated slapstick comedies as ¨Pink Panther¨, ¨ A shot in the dark¨ and ¨The great race¨ and another thriller as ¨The Carey treatment¨ . Rating : Better than average . Worthwhile watching . The tension grabs hold of you from the start to the end and maintains you on the edge of your seat .

"Experiment in Terror" is a superb example of how to scare the hell out of you without a trace of gore, blood or gratuitous violence. For all intents and purposes this is a police procedural where the aim is to track down a stalker/blackmailer/murderer. Filmed in black and white the film revels in darkness and uses it to create its more unsettling moments. Imagining what we are barely seeing in the dark and letting our imaginations run wild is scarier than seeing a graphic depiction. Ford and Remmick turn in excellent performances under Blake Edwards' deft direction. Best of all is Ross Martin as the world champion heavy breather. Martin is generally known for more lighter roles but his rather sinister turn here is very fine. Stark photography, often at night, and a subtle yet unsettling score by Henry Mancini are icing on the cake. To be watched with the lights out.

When the bank clerk Kelly Sherwood (Lee Remick) arrives home after hours, she is intimidated by a stranger that knows her routine habit. He threatens Kelly and her sister Toby (Stefanie Powers) to force her to heist $100,000 from her bank; otherwise he will kill her. Kelly does not see his face but notes he is asthmatic. Kelly succeeds to lure the criminal and contacts the FBI agent John 'Rip' Ripley (Glenn Ford) that advises Kelly how to behave and assigns a group of agents to keep Kelly and Toby under surveillance. But when Toby is abducted by the stranger, Kelly tries to stay calm to help the FBI to catch the criminal.

"Experiment in Terror" is an above average thriller from the early 60's in a noir style directed by Blake Edwards and with Glenn Ford, Lee Remick (whom we all miss so dearly) and Stefanie Powers on the lead roles. The story has flaws but the storyline is excellent and Ross Martin performs a great villain. When Lee Remick's character Kelly is attacked for the first time, her eyes are impressive even in a black- and-white film. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Escravas do Medo" ("Slaves of the Fear")

Just saw this movie for the first time and the DVD transfer just released is fine.

From the moment this film opens, I couldn't help but wonder how many times Lynch has seen this movie. Those of you who've seen Experiment should know what I mean.

The score, the angles, the subdued dialogue all help to create one heck of a moody, brooding piece of work. I couldn't agree more with some of the other IMDB comments here...this is a great piece of film noir, if not the last great piece of film noir for a particular generation!

What I so admire about classic film-making from years past is how directors, like Blake in this instance, don't or couldn't resort to gratuitous blood and nudity to creat atmosphere. Unlike Lynch, who exploits graphic gore and nudity, Blake thrills with mere thoughts of sexual deviency and violence.

The opening scene to Experiment is one I shall not forget soon! As our villain forces himself on Remick and proceeds to dirty her ears with the filth of what he could do to her is just simply incredible film-making. It reminded me of the scene from Lynch's Wild at Heart where Dafoe's character has Dern's character in his filthy clutches. Except in Experiment, I think it works even better...why? Because there were no profane words or over-the-top characterizations, just simple text and superb acting that later matches a villain who seems quite normal as he strolls the streets of San Fran. I really believed the characters in this film...Blake puts everyone in context.

Congrats to Blake Edwards on his only serious movie...I wish you had done more! And, Mancini is as sly as ever on the score. I could go on and on. Suffice it to say, I really enjoyed this movie and am happy to have it as part of my DVD collection. Although, I'd love to see Criterion get a hold of this one...I'd love to learn more about the history of this film.

When I saw that this was directed by Blake Edwards and with music by Henri Mancini, I was a bit worried but things turned out OK. Edwards works wholly within the established conventions of the film noir genre and he is very competently supported by camera and lighting work. There is no brilliant innovation but everyone definitely knows what they are doing. Mancini's music is completely appropriate and as good as one could ask for.

Thus, if you are studying film noir and how to produce such films, this is a good representative technical example. In 1962, the elements, however well executed must have been very familiar to its audience. However, if you are coming to it without having seen many others, it will grab you.

In fact, the opening scene will grab anyone. The various elements work very well and the viewer is pulled right in. However, the strength of that opening scene is one of the reasons the film falls short of a top rating. Great suspense and sense of threat is created there but it cannot be sustained. Instead of building to a crescendo, we are dropped solidly into the deep water but allowed to meander our way to the shallows until we emerged relatively relaxed at the end. The film does throw in twists and turns that keep you guessing at times but the level of tension ebbs away. The contrast with other films of this type that succeed in genuinely having you on pins-and-needles toward the end is strong.

One of the reasons for that could be that we see Ford and his FBI colleagues so numerous and well mobilized on the case. Much of the film consists of their earnest investigations and support of the intended victims. We thereby get the sense that they will inevitably prevail. We also see Ross Martin's villain as multifaceted and not as all-threatening as he might be despite the very convincing start up.

The acting as noted by others is good from top to bottom and in the case of Martin, top notch. If we could only get that more often today!!

I have to agree with another review which wondered why ROSS MARTIN didn't just rob a bank himself if he wanted that $100,000 so badly, instead of terrorizing a young bank clerk (LEE REMICK) and her not too bright sister (STEPHANIE POWERS). Her sister walks right into the robber's den, completely unaware that his phone call is a hoax.

Otherwise, Blake Edwards has directed this taut yarn with skill--a yarn which would have been even tighter if the suspense hadn't been dragged out to interminable length. Many stretches of film go on too long before the key point is made, as for example with the woman who has an unusual occupation.

There are several edge of the seat moments, but this could have had even more impact if the pace were quickened rather than slowed down in spots toward the segment of the film that deals with the sister's kidnapping. At that point, it loses some of its credibility.

Good performances help sustain whatever suspense there is, especially from LEE REMICK, GLENN FORD, ROSS MARTIN and NED GLASS.

Skillfully directed but needed a tighter script.

The top-notch score by Mancini can do little to lift this thriller above the norm. Solid script, effective if unoriginal photography and directing. But shouldn't somebody have told Blake Edwards that loud ringing noises cease to startle an audience after the first couple of uses? In fact, I noticed a movie audience not unnerved but just annoyed by this early 30s cheap thrill effect.

The first scene, with Remick trapped in her garage by a man who tells her she must rob $100,000 for him from the bank where she works or he will "do something" to her or her younger sister, is a stunner, but it gives away any surprises (and thus the possibility of real suspense) the rest of the film might have had to offer. Even the conclusion, with Glenn Ford and the other FBI men tracking the killer through a crowd (looks murky, you can't even tell what's happening) and onto the center of the baseball field, is contrived and generates no suspense. I mean, what's less suspenseful than a bunch of cops shooting a guy down in the middle of a field?

One of the worst Blake Edwards movies I've seen (and I'm a fan, I LIKE his movies..... when they're good).

Asthmatic psychotic terrorizes pretty San Francisco bank teller and her kid sister after hatching a plan to get the working girl to steal $100K from her job. Written by the Gordons via their book "Operation Terror", this crime-drama from director Blake Edwards has a sterling black-and-white look, a fine Henry Mancini score, and good performances by a first-rate cast. Unfortunately, the script feels half-finished, with details and subplots never made clear. A great deal of time is spent examining the psycho's relationship with an (innocent?) Oriental woman and her ailing son (there's also a tie-in to the case with the murder of a local woman who painted mannequins, yet the sequence appears to be included solely to feature her corpse hanging amongst the fake limbs and torsos--stylish but distracting). There's a lot of chatter amongst Glenn Ford and his G-men about whose money victimized Lee Remick will actually be removing from the bank, yet when the time comes she seems to be acting all alone (with suspicious eyes on her). Edwards paces the film carefully, steadily, though in the beginning this slow build works against the scenario's effectiveness (this may lose some restless viewers before the movie even gets cooking). The locale is wonderful, and Remick and Ford have a nice rapport, even if nothing is built upon their obvious attraction. When the big finish comes, it's unsatisfying; we're left pondering all the empty bases the screenplay failed to cover. **1/2 from ****

This movie is one of the few that I remembered from childhood! I watched it on TV and was stunned by the presentation of the characters and the direction of it. The scenes were just creepy, and intense and I just loved it! I was SCARY GOOD, and when I saw it on a late night movie thrill fest I just had to watch it again, since I hadn't seen it since I was a kid. And it made me shiver just like it did the first time. For anyone who is a fan of the film noir genre this is one to watch and enjoy. Turn down the lights, get a glass of wine or your favorite tea, and make sure the doors are locked because this will give you that "Who's there?" feeling.

Experiment in Terror seems to live up to the title in more ways than one. Director Blake Edwards appears to be trying to bring back 40's noir on steroids as he leverages the script with good performances from Glen Ford and Lee Remick. Blake and cinematographer Phil Lanthrop go for the dramatic in staging what seems like every other scene to be of eye-dropping caliber in both composition and dynamic range within the black and white medium. Mostly it adds so if they go a bit over I like to look at it like a Hitchcock homage thing.

The story...it's well done if not entirely an original premise. Even with location shots this is purposely claustrophobic and menacing. In other words the drama is set early and the pressure is kept palpable. As you can likely glen from the above this is worthy late period noir. Not everything works and it is charitable to even tolerate the informant stooley "Popcorn" character. Besides the two principal actors ( Ford & Remick) one must mention the evil presence of our criminal element in the character of Red Lynch played by Ross Martin. Like me you may remember him more for his sidekick role in the TV series entitled "The Wild Wild West". Here he's a soulless dark killer with an asthmatic labored inhale/exhale pronounced audible element (did George Lucas use this for his Darth Vader character years later?). The breathing is elemental in inserting the idea of a monster who has a chip on the shoulder. A fair bit of this menace is squandered in the slightly clumsy ending. However by that ending the viewer has fully invested so perhaps going for drama over substance is not a deal killer. Overall a solid 6.5/

Before Ross Martin became the amiable Artemus Gordon on "The Wild, Wild West," and before Blake Edwards began making those Pink Panther movies, they joined up for this complex, thoroughly convincing story of a sadistic thief who terrorizes bank teller Lee Remick to gain her complicity in a heist. Edwards makes effective use of the San Francisco locations, of Glenn Ford's portrayal of a tough FBI agent, and of Henry Mancini's jazzy score to weave this taut, psychological suspense tale.

Experiment in Terror is directed by Blake Edwards and adapted to screenplay by Mildred and Gordon Gordon from their own novel called Operation Terror. It stars Glenn Ford, Lee Remick, Stefanie Powers and Ross Martin. Music is by Henry Mancini and cinematography by Philip H. Lathrop.

Film begins with bank teller Kelly Sherwood (Remick) driving home through night time San Francisco, over head shots capturing the cityscape for backdrop purpose. Henry Mancini's haunting soundtrack hovers over Kelly's car in spectral fashion, until she arrives home in Twin Peaks and enters her garage, things fall silent as she gets out the car. She senses she's not alone, and she's right. A man whose face is obscured grabs her and puts one hand over her mouth, he tells her in his asthmatic voice that he knows everything about her and her young sister, and that if she doesn't do as she is told then pain, misery and death awaits them. She's to steal $100,000 from the bank where she works, he will even cut her in for 20%, what a swell fella eh?

It's a brilliant opening, stylish film making meets a thematic atmosphere full of fear, tension and sexual menace. What follows is a superbly crafted movie, a bona fide thriller that is concerned with characterisations, concerned with wringing out maximum amounts of suspense by way of suggestions and conversations, there is no need to spill blood here, the threat and the fear is palpable throughout. The police procedural aspects of the story, headed by Ford's trusty and stoic detective, are played out with intelligence and always hold fascination appeal. Especially as the little snatches of time we spend with the villain leaves us in no doubt about how cruel and vile he can be.

Edwards takes his time to build the story, stopping every once in a while to unfurl a special scene to reinforce the drama. Stand outs include a classic sequence in a room of mannequins and a genuinely chilling piece where our villain dresses in drag. Then there is the justifiably lauded finale played out at Candlestick Park during the culmination of a major league baseball game, thrilling in its execution and a fitting closure to the screw tightening approach favoured by Edwards. All the while Mancini's musical accompaniments act as a foreboding presence, dovetailing with the themes and characterisations at work in the play.

Visually it's also impressive, filmed in gritty black and white, Edwards uses intense close-ups to ramp up the tension, dallies with angles to enforce emotional turmoil, while Lathrop always keeps the lenses stark, the contrasts rich and the use of angled shadows is most striking. Cast are superb, Remick makes for a strong heroine in spite of the constant peril she faces, Ford is a bastion of strength and virtue and Powers exudes youthful vulnerability without appearing as a whiny adolescent. Then there is Martin, turning in one of the most menacing villain turns of the 60s, it's a lesson in how to play evil without actually being extremely physical. As the character shifts from being a murdering predator to a man of heart who cares for a girlfriend's child, Martin convinces enough to make it a frightening proposition.

Highly recommended. 8/10

Glossy thriller concerning pretty bank teller Kelly Sherwood(Lee Remick)who's coerced into embezzling $100,000 by a unseen asthmatic killer who will threaten to kill her young sister Toby(Stephanie Powers)unless she agree's to the demands,F.B.I agent John Ripley(Glenn Ford)is assigned to protect them & foil the blackmailer.Atmoshphic tension build's through out the film as the bank teller is under scrutiny by the assailant at all times & watching her every move & a game of cat & mouse is played out.which heighten the suspense right to the nerve-racking conclusion.Blake Edwards bird eye camera view direction add to the paranoia.

No need to recap the plot. Director Edwards had a good feel for the bizarre, starting with his seminal TV series Peter Gunn (1958-61), which featured a number of bizarre characters unusual for 50's TV. Here, that flair shows up, for example, with the proto-human manikin scene and with Red Lynch in scary drag. In my book, Edwards was a more innovative force in Hollywood than he's been credited with.

This is a decent thriller, a big hit on first release. But seeing it now, it seems much of that initial drawing power came from the many bizarre little touches novel to audiences of the time. Because, as a thriller, the movie is stretched too long and paced too deliberately to be really effective. Add to that a couple of dangling sub-plots—the unexplained manikin lady and the extraneous Asian mother and son—and you may wonder what went on in the writers' room. And, of course, there are those puzzling aspects to the crime, well enumerated by other reviewers.

I suspect another reason the film's over-stretched was to accommodate big name Glenn Ford, then at the height of his popularity. He does a good job here as the relentless FBI agent. But truth be told, those sequences could have been profitably shortened with a lesser-known actor since the role is basically a routine cop one.

All in all, this is a movie of fascinating touches and parts rather than a tightly sustained whole. Thus, it's still worth seeing. But for good, sharp impact, there are some better ones from that same period still around, e.g. Narrow Margin (1952); Beware, My Lovely (1952); The Killer Is Loose (1956). So catch up with them if you haven't already.

Experiment in Terror is an OK movie, but it really doesn't rise much above the level of your basic TV movie-of-the-week. I guess I could nitpick on all the plot details that I just didn't get. Why would Lee Remick's first impulse be to call the FBI as opposed to the local police? It is San Francisco, after all, not some jerkwater small town operation. Why was she sneaking the $100,000 into her purse if the whole thing had been set up previously with Glenn Ford and her boss to take the money anyway? Why does Glenn Ford say, "Well, it's too bad about Popcorn" after Ford shoots that middleman who comes to answer the phone which is clearly not Popcorn (as the camera moves away, we see Popcorn, looking solemnly at the dead body with his bag of popcorn in hand)? At Candlestick Park, why doesn't Ross Martin have two seats together for himself and Remick, so he can just take the money and leave? Instead, he grabs her violently in the middle of an exiting crowd of about 50,000. Why does Martin gesture like he wants to rape Stefanie Powers, then, after she whimpers a little, he gives something like an 'Aw, shucks' reaction and just forgets the whole thing? What a sweetheart! And that story Martin tells Powers to get her to come running to him in the first place was just about the cheesiest ever.

The biggest problem with the movie is that, at no time in the picture did I think Lee Remick was in any kind of danger. Ford's G-man is on the case within the first 10 minutes of the film. The subplot involving the Asian woman and her son added nothing to the story. It's a complete throwaway. On the positive side, Ford, Remick, Martin, Ned Glass, and the guy who played Ford's sidekick are all very very good. Henry Mancini's score is terrific, as it nearly always is. The location shots in and around San Francisco of Fisherman's Wharf, Candlestick Park, etc. are gorgeous, and the opening tracking shot of Lee Remick driving over the Bay Bridge at night is absolutely spectacular. One more thing- toward the end, in the Candlestick Park sequence, the Giants are playing the Dodgers, and Vin Scully's voice is heard on the soundtrack briefly giving the Dodger radio call of the game. Those thirty seconds almost redeem the entire film.