Experiment in Terror (1962)

A very pleasant surprise from Blake Edwards, 12 April 2006

Before watching Experiment in Terror, like most people, I associated Blake Edwards with films like The Pink Panther, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and S.O.B. And while those are all fine films, they share a common thread in that they are all fairly "light" entertainment. That's not the case with Edwards' Experiment in Terror. In contrast to the other films I've mentioned, Experiment in Terror is an entertaining thriller with some nice, tense moments and at least one "edge of your seat" scene. The whole thing was a very unexpected surprise.

The opening scene is amazing. A woman arrives home at night and parks in her garage. As she gets out of her car, the garage door closes on its own (remember, this was before garage door openers). As frightened as the woman initially appears, its nothing compared to what happens next. Out of the dark, a pair of hands grabs her from behind. A threatening voice tells her that she is being watched and followed and if she doesn't do as instructed, she and her sister will be killed. The voice tells her that she is to rob a bank. She's further instructed not to contact the police as that will mean a certain death.

In addition to the moments such as I've described, the movie has a noirish quality to it that I thoroughly enjoyed. Experiment in Terror, for lack of a real description, looks great. Filmed in black and white, it's a throwback of sorts to the thrillers of the previous decade. Edwards' direction is spot on and he takes full advantage of most of the sets, lighting, and cast at his disposal. Technically, the film is near flawless. All of the actors do a more than adequate job with their performances. Overall, it's a quality little thriller that deserves a wider audience.

However good or much I enjoyed Experiment in Terror, it does have one glaring weakness. The film runs a little long and there are several scenes and subplots that could have been edited out altogether without hurting the plot. The best examples I can think of are the scenes dealing with the Asian woman and her sick son. While these scenes don't necessarily feel like padding, the film would have been just as good and a little tighter without them.

8/10