Trilogy of Terror II
Encyclopedia
Trilogy of Terror II is a 1996 theatrical sequel to the 1975 television film, Trilogy of Terror
. The film follows the formula of the original, with one female lead (Lysette Anthony
) playing parts in each of three segments. The film was given an R rating for horror violence.
) discovers his young wife Laura (Lysette Anthony
) having an affair with her cousin. Having video proof he threatens Laura to be faithful and honest or he will turn the video over to the news stations and cut her out of his multi-million dollar will. Meanwhile, her lover Ben (Geraint Wyn Davies
) comes up with the idea to murder Ansford and collect all his money. After Ansford is pushed down the stairs and killed, Laura and Ben are more than happy to collect their winnings, however all doesn't go as planned. Before dying, Ansford transferred all of his millions into an account in Zürich, and microfilmed the access codes, which were buried with him. Now, Laura and Ben have to dig up his grave, and Ben climbs into the opened coffin to retrieve the microfilm. Soon after, Laura shoots and kills Ben to claim all the money for herself. All of a sudden, the body of the dead millionaire is dragged through a hole in the side of the coffin by flesh-eating rats, and Laura is forced to crawl in after him through a network of underground graveyard tunnels. Eventually the advancing rats corner her into another buried coffin. Laura tries to keep the rats away by firing her gun at them but quickly the rats pour into the coffin and devour her, in the end the grave is revealed to be her own.
This first film is based on Henry Kuttner
's eponymous short story, albeit considerably altered. In Kuttner’s tale, the thief is a male cemetery caretaker intent on exterminating a colony of abnormally large rats.
" (in this case, a talisman rather than a book), she conjures dark forces to bring her son back. Before going to bed, a vicious thunder storm approaches the luxurious beach mansion. Hearing a knock, she opens the door to discover her son. After cleaning him up, she begins to make him feel at home again. However, all doesn't work out when Bobby goes completely mad and begins to terrorize his mother in the dark house with a sledgehammer and a butcher knife. The mother soon realizes that it isn't Bobby who returned to her, but a demon that had taken his place, as he says "Bobby hates you, Mommy, so he sent me instead," revealing his demon-like face and the screen blacks out.
After finding the double homicide of Amelia and her mother from the first movie with the doll at the scene, the local police drop off the doll to local Dr. Simpson (Lysette Anthony
). As she begins to examine the doll she learns that the doll comes to life when a gold chain is removed from his neck and that the doll has a desire for flesh. It also seems to regenerate (the idea itself initially laughable to both Dr. Simpson and her assistant) as when she chips away the charred wood, the doll seems to be brand new.
After a quick pizza break, she discovers the doll missing. One of the officers investigates the surrounding museum, only to be shot down by an arrow from one of the exhibits, courtesy of the doll. After minutes of looking, she finds the doll attacking and running towards her with a lab knife as a weapon. Now Dr. Simpson is all alone in a large museum with a tiny killer on the loose.
Much like the first movie, Dr. Simpson catches the doll in a brief case, giving her time to try to reach her keys. As the doll cuts through the case, Dr. Simpson tries twice to grab the knife, only to get cut as in the first film. The doll eventually breaks through, meeting the stabbing force of a screwdriver-like object from Dr. Simpson. Making the same mistake as the first movie's protagonist, Dr. Simpson opens the briefcase to be bitten ferociously by the doll. She eventually regains control, and tosses the doll into a large rectangular container of sulfuric acid. As the doll comes to a halt in its motion, Dr. Simpson goes to grab tongs in an attempt to remove the doll, only to be possessed by He Who Kills, the spirit inhabiting the doll. Later on she kills another investigator with the same axe she tried to use against the doll.
This is the first time we see Amelia's male friend as well as her mother, although her apartment is completely different. It is also interesting to note that the doll's clothing seems to differ from that of his garb from the first film.
Trilogy of Terror
Trilogy of Terror is a three-part made-for-television horror film, first aired as an ABC Movie of the Week on March 4, 1975...
. The film follows the formula of the original, with one female lead (Lysette Anthony
Lysette Anthony
Lysette Anthony is an English film, television, and theatre actress.-Early life:Anthony was born Lysette Chodzko in Fulham, London, the only daughter of actors Michael Anthony, and Bernadette Milnes....
) playing parts in each of three segments. The film was given an R rating for horror violence.
Story I: The Graveyard Rats
A wealthy man by the name of Ansford (Matt ClarkMatt Clark
Matthew or Matt Clark may refer to:* Mat Clark, American ice hockey defenceman* Matt Clark * Matt Clark * Matt Clark * Matt Clark *Matthew Clark*Matthew H. Clark...
) discovers his young wife Laura (Lysette Anthony
Lysette Anthony
Lysette Anthony is an English film, television, and theatre actress.-Early life:Anthony was born Lysette Chodzko in Fulham, London, the only daughter of actors Michael Anthony, and Bernadette Milnes....
) having an affair with her cousin. Having video proof he threatens Laura to be faithful and honest or he will turn the video over to the news stations and cut her out of his multi-million dollar will. Meanwhile, her lover Ben (Geraint Wyn Davies
Geraint Wyn Davies
Geraint Wyn Davies is a British-Canadian-American actor.He was born on 20 April 1957 in Britain, at Swansea. He was the son of a Congregationalist preacher...
) comes up with the idea to murder Ansford and collect all his money. After Ansford is pushed down the stairs and killed, Laura and Ben are more than happy to collect their winnings, however all doesn't go as planned. Before dying, Ansford transferred all of his millions into an account in Zürich, and microfilmed the access codes, which were buried with him. Now, Laura and Ben have to dig up his grave, and Ben climbs into the opened coffin to retrieve the microfilm. Soon after, Laura shoots and kills Ben to claim all the money for herself. All of a sudden, the body of the dead millionaire is dragged through a hole in the side of the coffin by flesh-eating rats, and Laura is forced to crawl in after him through a network of underground graveyard tunnels. Eventually the advancing rats corner her into another buried coffin. Laura tries to keep the rats away by firing her gun at them but quickly the rats pour into the coffin and devour her, in the end the grave is revealed to be her own.
This first film is based on Henry Kuttner
Henry Kuttner
Henry Kuttner was an American author of science fiction, fantasy and horror.-Early life:Henry Kuttner was born in Los Angeles, California in 1915...
's eponymous short story, albeit considerably altered. In Kuttner’s tale, the thief is a male cemetery caretaker intent on exterminating a colony of abnormally large rats.
Story II: Bobby
It has been some time since Bobby "accidentally" drowned, leaving his mother Alma (Lysette Anthony) depressed and guilty. However, while her husband is away on business, she determines to raise her son from the dead. Armed with a magic book and a "Key of SolomonKey of Solomon
The Key of Solomon , is a grimoire, or book on magic incorrectly attributed to King Solomon. It probably dates back to the 14th or 15th century Italian Renaissance...
" (in this case, a talisman rather than a book), she conjures dark forces to bring her son back. Before going to bed, a vicious thunder storm approaches the luxurious beach mansion. Hearing a knock, she opens the door to discover her son. After cleaning him up, she begins to make him feel at home again. However, all doesn't work out when Bobby goes completely mad and begins to terrorize his mother in the dark house with a sledgehammer and a butcher knife. The mother soon realizes that it isn't Bobby who returned to her, but a demon that had taken his place, as he says "Bobby hates you, Mommy, so he sent me instead," revealing his demon-like face and the screen blacks out.
Story III: He Who Kills
This segment, about the Zuni fetish doll "He Who Kills", is a sequel to the third segment of the original Trilogy of Terror, "Amelia".After finding the double homicide of Amelia and her mother from the first movie with the doll at the scene, the local police drop off the doll to local Dr. Simpson (Lysette Anthony
Lysette Anthony
Lysette Anthony is an English film, television, and theatre actress.-Early life:Anthony was born Lysette Chodzko in Fulham, London, the only daughter of actors Michael Anthony, and Bernadette Milnes....
). As she begins to examine the doll she learns that the doll comes to life when a gold chain is removed from his neck and that the doll has a desire for flesh. It also seems to regenerate (the idea itself initially laughable to both Dr. Simpson and her assistant) as when she chips away the charred wood, the doll seems to be brand new.
After a quick pizza break, she discovers the doll missing. One of the officers investigates the surrounding museum, only to be shot down by an arrow from one of the exhibits, courtesy of the doll. After minutes of looking, she finds the doll attacking and running towards her with a lab knife as a weapon. Now Dr. Simpson is all alone in a large museum with a tiny killer on the loose.
Much like the first movie, Dr. Simpson catches the doll in a brief case, giving her time to try to reach her keys. As the doll cuts through the case, Dr. Simpson tries twice to grab the knife, only to get cut as in the first film. The doll eventually breaks through, meeting the stabbing force of a screwdriver-like object from Dr. Simpson. Making the same mistake as the first movie's protagonist, Dr. Simpson opens the briefcase to be bitten ferociously by the doll. She eventually regains control, and tosses the doll into a large rectangular container of sulfuric acid. As the doll comes to a halt in its motion, Dr. Simpson goes to grab tongs in an attempt to remove the doll, only to be possessed by He Who Kills, the spirit inhabiting the doll. Later on she kills another investigator with the same axe she tried to use against the doll.
This is the first time we see Amelia's male friend as well as her mother, although her apartment is completely different. It is also interesting to note that the doll's clothing seems to differ from that of his garb from the first film.
Cast
- Lysette AnthonyLysette AnthonyLysette Anthony is an English film, television, and theatre actress.-Early life:Anthony was born Lysette Chodzko in Fulham, London, the only daughter of actors Michael Anthony, and Bernadette Milnes....
as Laura, Bobby's Mom, Dr. Simpson - Geraint Wyn DaviesGeraint Wyn DaviesGeraint Wyn Davies is a British-Canadian-American actor.He was born on 20 April 1957 in Britain, at Swansea. He was the son of a Congregationalist preacher...
as Ben - Matt ClarkMatt ClarkMatthew or Matt Clark may refer to:* Mat Clark, American ice hockey defenceman* Matt Clark * Matt Clark * Matt Clark * Matt Clark *Matthew Clark*Matthew H. Clark...
as Ansford - Geoffrey LewisGeoffrey LewisGeoffrey Lewis is an American character actor.His filmography includes television shows such as Law & Order: Criminal Intent and My Name is Earl, as well as films such as Down in the Valley, alongside Edward Norton, The Butcher, alongside Eric Roberts, Maverick, alongside Mel Gibson, and When...
as Stubbs - Blake HeronBlake HeronBlake Heron is an American screen actor. He starred as Marty Preston in the 1996 film Shiloh.-Biography:Heron was born in Sherman Oaks, California...
as Bobby - Richard FitzpatrickRichard FitzPatrickGeneral Richard FitzPatrick , styled The Honourable from birth, was an Anglo-Irish soldier, wit, poet, Whig politician and ‘sworn brother’ of the illustrious statesman of Charles James Fox...
as Jerry O'Farrell - Thomas MitchellThomas MitchellMajor Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell , surveyor and explorer of south-eastern Australia, was born at Grangemouth in Stirlingshire, Scotland. In 1827 he took up an appointment as Assistant Surveyor General of New South Wales. The following year he became Surveyor General and remained in this...
as Lew - Gerry QuigleyGerry QuigleyGerry Quigley was a trade unionist and political activist in Northern Ireland.Quigley grew up in the Donegall Pass area of Belfast. He studied at St Joseph's Training College before working as a primary school teacher.Quigley was appointed Northern Secretary of the Irish National Teachers'...
as Akers - Dennis O'ConnorDennis O'ConnorDennis O'Connor may refer to:* Dennis O'Connor * J. Dennis O'Connor, Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh* Dennis O'Connor * Dennis O'Connor in The Park Is Mine -See also:...
as Brig - John McMahonJohn McMahonColonel Sir John McMahon, 1st Baronet was a Irish-born politician and Private Secretary to the Sovereign 1811–1817.- Biography :...
as Taylor - Alan Bridle as The Minister
- Brittaney Bennett as The Waitress
- Norm SpencerNorm SpencerNorman "Norm" Spencer is a Canadian voice actor, most notable for being the English voice of the X-Men character Cyclops throughout many incarnations of the character in the 1990s, including the X-Men cartoon show, several X-Men video games, and as the character in crossover episodes for other...
as Officer #1 - Bruce McFee as Officer #2
- Joe Gieb as The Dwarf Bobby
- Alex CarterAlex CarterAlex Carter may refer to:*Alex Carter , Canadian television and film actor*Alex Carter , appears in soap opera Hollyoaks; and appeared in Emmerdale*Alexander Carter, Canadian bishop...
as Breslow - Philip WilliamsPhilip WilliamsPhillip Williams was a decorated Captain of the United States Navy and one-time military Governor of the United States Virgin Islands....
as Pete - Tom Melissis as Rothstein
- Aron TagerAron TagerAron Tager is an American actor and artist.- Background :As an artist, Tager has had numerous exhibitions of his work and has sculptures installed at the following locations: Mount Anthony Union High School, Bennington, VT; Shaftsbury Elementary School, VT; Delaware County Community College,...
as Steve - Durward Allen as Spaulding
- Peter KeleghanPeter KeleghanPeter Keleghan is a Canadian television actor, who has played roles in several popular Canadian comedy series.Keleghan's best-known roles have been film industry CEO Alan Roy on Made in Canada, low-IQ news anchor Jim Walcott on The Newsroom, and Ranger Gord on The Red Green Show...
as Dennis
Trivia
- In the episode "He Who Kills", one of the museum security guards is reading a Dark Shadows comic book, and enthuses about how he used to rush home from school to watch it. Dan Curtis created the TV series Dark ShadowsDark ShadowsDark Shadows is a gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971. The show was created by Dan Curtis. The story bible, which was written by Art Wallace, does not mention any supernatural elements...
in 1966.