Experiment in Terror

Released Apr 13, 1962

2 hr. 3 min.

Crime

Drama

List

100%

8 Reviews

Tomatometer

78%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Kelly Sherwood (Lee Remick) is a bank teller who is terrorized by murderer "Red" Lynch (Ross Martin). Red, whose asthmatic voice is heard through his many terrifying phone calls, threatens to kill Kelly if she doesn't steal a large sum of money from the bank. In an attempt to ensure her compliance, Red begins to threaten those closest to Kelly. Despite her terror, Kelly involves the F.B.I., including Agent Ripley (Glenn Ford), who works to capture Red before the villain can get to Kelly.

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Aino K

Hyvä elokuva. Jännittävä ja ajoittain pelottavakin. Hieno tunnelma, hyvä äänimaailma, tarina piti otteessaan. Loppukliimaksi ei lunastanut odotuksia/oli vähän lässähdys hienosti rakennetun tunnelman päätteeksi.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/16/23

Full Review

kevin w

Glenn Ford and Lee Remick competently star in this Blake Edwards not-so-subtle take on a Alfred Hitchcock style thriller about a deranged criminal lowlife type threatening a bank teller unless she robs a bank for him. While the cinematic execution is well done (with memorable musical accompaniment by Henry Mancini's spooky score) it's Ross Martin's nutso psycho killer who steals the work and who you root for.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

If I taught a filming class I'd have Experiment In Terror in the syllabus under "Opening Scenes," as director Blake Edwards does a phenomenal job of establishing suspense, mood, and detailing the movie's premise in the first ten minutes. Credit goes to Henry Mancini's memorable score and Lee Remick's woman-in-danger lead role.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

steve d

Dulled over time but it still works.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The first thing that struck me about Experiment in Terror was Lee Remick. Not only does she look great on screen, but she is amazing at displaying fear. I suppose those bright blue eyes shown in black and white help because they make her look even more wide-eyed and scared. I loved everything she brought to this film, and I almost wish the movie had been a bit more focused on her outsmarting the villain rather than Glenn Ford and the FBI. That’s not to suggest that Glenn Ford was bad in the film, because he was solid as a straightlaced detective who would do what it takes to catch his target. He was the one who kept getting a few steps ahead of the criminal, but it’s hard to complain because that’s probably the way an investigation like this should be handled (leave it to the professionals.) I think the setup of Experiment in Terror is presented well. We see the beginnings of the plot, and that the villain is willing to do anything to make it happen. It felt a bit far-fetched that he would trust that she wouldn’t get the police involved, considering he couldn’t monitor what she was saying 24 hours a day, but I was willing to let that go. If this same story was made in modern times it would be different because you would expect the killer could more easily track her comings-and-goings and watch everything she says and does with modern technology (which would change the story considerably.) But back in the 1960s, it’s fair to say he would have to rely on the fact that he scared her enough to keep her in line. And I appreciated that he established enough leverage that you could believe our heroine might be convinced to do anything. Experiment in Terror fell a bit short of its potential, though, in the payoff. It was made a bit worse by the fact that Glenn Ford kept hammering home the idea that this guy must have a truly brilliant idea, and he wouldn’t start this if he didn’t have a genius method of convincing her to steal the money. It raised my expectations that they were going to truly blow me away with this finale, when it was not all that interesting. In fact, the entire movie kind of fizzled out at the end, and left me wishing they had thought of something better. There was definitely tension, and I was excited to see if the FBI would catch him, but how we got there didn’t wow me in any way. There was also a minor pet peeve of mine in the final scene, but I won’t talk about that because it’s kind of a spoiler. Experiment in Terror is a solid film, and worth watching. But with a little more imagination on a rewrite I feel like it could have been great.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/19/20

Full Review

Audience Member

Between 2.5 and 3 stars. It starts good, but (at least for me, maybe it's my fault) it loses strength at the end.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

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Blake Edwards

Director

Glenn Ford

John "Rip" Ripley

Lee Remick

Kelly Sherwood

Stefanie Powers

Toby Sherwood

Roy Poole

Brad

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Adam Nayman

The Ringer

The mix of methodical investigative protocol and aberrant psychology against a twisty San Francisco backdrop (including a climax at Candlestick Park during a Giants game) anticipates Bay City thrillers from Dirty Harry to Zodiac.

Apr 15, 2019

Full Review

Chris Wicking

Time Out

After Carpenter and De Palma, it may seem a little dated; yet Edwards' classical feel for pure cinema remains unalloyed.

Jan 26, 2006

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...erratic yet mostly satisfying...

Rated: 3/4

Oct 9, 2022

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Aptly grants a satisfyingly original murder-mystery experience.

Rated: 8/10

Aug 24, 2020

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

This stylish noir thriller is one of Blak Edwards' best films and one of the genre's highlights, well acted by Lee Remick, exquisitely shot by Philip Lathrop, and moodily composed by Henry Mancini, who contributes a great jazz score

Rated: A-

Dec 14, 2010

Full Review

Steve Crum

Video-Reviewmaster.com

One of director Blake Edwards' best w/terrific Mancini score.

Rated: 5/5

Jan 1, 2008

Full Review

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Synopsis

Kelly Sherwood (Lee Remick) is a bank teller who is terrorized by murderer "Red" Lynch (Ross Martin). Red, whose asthmatic voice is heard through his many terrifying phone calls, threatens to kill Kelly if she doesn't steal a large sum of money from the bank. In an attempt to ensure her compliance, Red begins to threaten those closest to Kelly. Despite her terror, Kelly involves the F.B.I., including Agent Ripley (Glenn Ford), who works to capture Red before the villain can get to Kelly.

Director: Blake Edwards
Production Co: Geoffrey-Kate Productions
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 13, 1962, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 27, 2010

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