Trilogy of Terror is a horror film anthology produced for television in 1975, directed by Dan Curtis and starring actress Karen Black in the lead role. The film consists of three segments, each based on unrelated short stories by Richard Matheson. Among them, the most haunting is the third segment, which revolves around a woman being terrorized by a doll in her own apartment.
The creepy doll that causes terror in the horror anthology Trilogy of Terror. Image: ABC.
The film segment titled Amelia focuses on the character Amelia (Karen Black). She lives in a high-rise apartment and has a boyfriend who is an archaeology student.
The story opens with Amelia preparing for her boyfriend’s birthday celebration. She purchases a doll, a Zuni fetish doll, which is designed to look like a warrior but has a frightening face with sharp teeth and a menacing expression. The instruction manual reveals its intended purpose is to serve as a vessel for the spirit of Zuni, named “He Who Kills.” The ugly doll quickly becomes a source of dread for Amelia, prompting her to exclaim, “With a face like that, even my mother wouldn’t love you.”
In a moment of panic, Amelia accidentally knocks the doll to the ground, causing the string to come loose. After that, she notices the doll is no longer where she placed it. Hearing strange noises in her kitchen, she discovers a knife is missing. Returning to the living room, Amelia is attacked by the doll, which comes to life, crawling toward her and causing chaos in her apartment. She tries various methods to destroy the doll, including drowning it in a tub and attempting to trap it in a suitcase, but it keeps escaping, relentlessly pursuing her. As the sound of its laughter fills the room, she opens the door to find the doll waiting, resulting in a horrifying scream.
At the end of the segment, Amelia is seen calling for help, her demeanor becoming increasingly frantic. In a shocking twist, she is revealed to be holding a large knife, suggesting that the spirit of the doll has possessed her.
A scene where the doll uses a knife to attack Amelia, leaving viewers in suspense. Image: ABC.
Robert Singer, the producer of Trilogy of Terror, commented in The New York Post: “The segment featuring the doll is incredibly intense. It was fantastic when it aired in the third time slot because it truly was a captivating film. Dan Curtis is remarkable. He knows how to create terror.”
Although the film was made nearly 48 years ago, its impact on the horror genre remains significant. The production had to rely on practical effects to convey the terror of the doll as it moved across the screen.
“In a traditional horror film of that era, there were many challenges in making the scenes feel realistic. Today, one can achieve this with CGI (computer-generated imagery), but that was an arduous task almost 50 years ago,” Singer shared.
Another challenge for the production was the doll’s intricate mechanics. When Amelia throws the doll into the oven, its response is to scream and thrash about, which posed a challenge for the effects team to ensure it didn’t appear too awkward or cartoonish. This effort made the portrayal of the doll’s actions all the more terrifying.
Despite the difficulties, the final segment remains a classic, leaving a deep impression on audiences and overshadowing the earlier segments.
Singer notes that Amelia has become a symbol of the horror genre, with Karen Black’s contribution being unforgettable. She passed away in 2013 at the age of 74.
“Karen was truly dedicated. The role was not easy to portray, but she delivered an outstanding performance,” he praised.
According to NY Post
