EXPERIMENT IN TERROR (1962)
Label: Sony
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 123 Minutes 20 Seconds
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1, 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Blake Edward's
Cast: Glenn Ford, Lee Remick, Stefanie Powers
In director Blake Edwards (The Pink Panther) noir-tinged psychological thriller Experiment in Terror (1962) San Francisco bank teller Kelly Sherwood (Lee Remick, The Omen) arrives home and is attached by a mysterious wheezing black-gloved madman (Ross Martin, The Colossus of New York) in her car garage, he threatens her life and that of her younger sister Toby (Stefanie Powers, Fanatic) if she doesn't help him steal $100,000 from the bank she works at. Scared witless she attempts to call the FBI right away, making contact with FBI Agent John Ripley (Glenn Ford, The Big Heat), but the madman comes back to check on her and throws her to the ground, putting his shoe against the back of her, warning her not to play anymore games or her and her sister are both gonna get hurt. Despite the warning Kelly continues to work with Rip, who puts his all into the case, but the mysterious wheezer is a hard man to identify and track down. At one point a young woman comes forward to Red and says she has valuable information, but before she can spill the beans the wheezer strangles her to death at her apartment. He also proves quite resourceful in communicating with Kelly and even dresses in drag to corner her in a restaurant bathroom, proving he can get to her and her sister quite easily, increasing the threat level.
This was a first time watch for me, and coming from Blake Edwards who I mostly know from comedies, I was rather stunned how cruel and dark it was. A neo-noir without any humor or light-hearted reprieve, just tension on tension, steeped in suspense, with a wild finale that takes place at a baseball game at Candlestick Park! The cast is terrific, Remick is gorgeous and plays terrified quite well, her expressive, vulnerable eyes light up the screen, and Ross Martin as the wheezing madman is absolutely terrifying in the role, his voice gave me goosebumps, he's largely not fully seen early on, obscured by shadows, but the performance is something quite special.
Audio/Video: Experiment in Terror (1962) gets a Blu-ray from Sony Pictures, presented in 1080p HD widescreen (1.85:1), likely sourced from the same 4K restoration utilized by Imprint Films for their region-free Blu-ray from eight years ago. It's a wonderful black and white presentation, the source looks immaculate, grain looks well-defined and lush, fine texture and detail abound in faces and period wardrobe, and we gets excellent contrast, deep blacks and fine-tuned grayscale. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 dual-mono or 5.1 surround. I preferred the original mono mux myself, but the autoharp rich score by Henry Mancini (Wait Until dark) certainly does benefit from the extra channels! Dialogue is crisp and clean, no age related audio defects were detectable during my viewings, a terrific track.
The only extra is the 3-min Theatrical Trailer. This has also been previously issued on region-free Blu-ray from Imprint Films with a commentary, 2017 interview with Stephanie Powers, and an isolated score, so if you don't mind spending a bit more I would recommend it, but if you just want the movie at a good price this Blu-ray from Sony looks and sounds terrific. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork.
Special Features:
- Theatrical Trailer (2:48)
Screenshots from the Sony Blu-ray:
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