User Reviews

Like its earlier companion feature "Blood Mania," 1971's "Point of Terror" was plainly a vanity piece for writer-producer-star Peter Carpenter, a Vegas hoofer whose death remains shrouded in mystery to this day, dates as varied as late 1970, late '71, even the late 70s-early 80s (this last posted by actress Leslie Simms). As an actor, he displays neither emotion nor charisma, and appears to be miming his three songs, all non hits from (believe it or not) Motown! ("Lifebeats" was actually recorded by The Supremes, minus Diana Ross). Imagine a singer so bad he has nightmares on the beach about his singing, and his apartment looks like his decorator was 'Bela Lugosi!' Another surprising name prominently featured in the opening credits is future Oscar winning editor Verna Fields, who earned her Academy Award for her work on Spielberg's "Jaws" just a few years later. The director is Alex Nicol, who at least had a genuine horror title on his slim resume behind the camera, 1958's "The Screaming Skull" (he had far more credits as an actor). Leslie Simms fondly recalls her working with Peter Carpenter, who may have been a likable fellow off camera, but insisted on playing lowdown sleazeballs in his own films. He juggles three different women in this picture, even flirting with the attractive Miss Simms, yet insists on rushing off to get married even after one girl announces she's pregnant! Dyanne Thorne (whom I first saw in STAR TREK's "A Piece of the Action") had already appeared with Carpenter in 1970's "Love Me Like I Do," here playing the man hungry wife of wheelchair bound record mogul Joel Marston, best remembered by genre buffs for 1957's "The Disembodied," plus his film debut in the 1949 Charlie Chan finale "The Sky Dragon" ("Blood Mania" had featured Jacqueline Dalya, from 1941's "Charlie Chan in Rio"). For all the wildly misleading ads depicting this as a horror film, the only scene that qualifies is Dyanne's bloody murder of Marston's first wife, just a brief flashback. Considering all her misdeeds, her character just isn't as maniacal as she should be, as one reviewer commented, the whole thing remains curiously tame, rather than outrageously lurid (it's never boring however). "Point of Terror," being part of Crown International's television package, debuted on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater on Feb 26 1977, paired with second feature "House of Horrors" (1946), broadcast twice more over the next 4 years ("Blood Mania" earlier debuted on Nov 27 1976, paired with 1972's "Gargoyles").

A woman cowering in fear. A masked madman brandishing a butcher knife. "Demons long locked in the depths of the mind come out to destroy the weak and believing!" Explore "the outer limits of fear". That's the poster. I don't think I've ever seen a movie so misrepresented by the advertising. Or happier about it. Not another tired, early 70s slasher film by any means, this riot is about a sleazy side-burned lounge singer (Peter Carpenter) picked up by a sleazier female record promoter (Dyanne Thorne) who sees something special in the guy. We can guess what it is, since most of the movie is shot at Carpenter's crotch level. Meanwhile, Thorne's jealous wheelchair-bound husband isn't going to take his wife's infidelity sitting down. Enter Thorne's kittenish daughter Lots of wonderfully bad faux 70s pop songs, over-heated dialogue and teeth-gnashing, and two outlandish murders. Dig it.

Wretched melodrama with softcore overtures has hip-grinding entertainer at a beachfront nightclub flirting his way into a recording contract, but the busty lady executive who discovered him--and who was apparently instrumental in the accident that paralyzed her husband!--could ruin his chances for stardom. Vanity project for B-movie actor Peter Carpenter, who co-produced and co-authored the original story for this, his final starring feature before his death. For aficionados of cinematic trash, the ridiculous final reel (starting with a man-woman tussle on the lawn, followed by a laughable tag) may be worth the abysmal rest. Carpenter, who had previously played a Mountie in a Russ Meyer flick, transparently emulates Meyer's penchant for bare breasts and behinds mixed with bloodshed, yet his plot is too ordinary (and his singing talents too minimal) to stir up much excitement. 'Terror'? Truly. * from ****

I got this at a dollar store several weeks ago. It's the EastWestDVD edition that pairs it with James Earl Jones' Blood Tide.

After reading the other reviews here, I feel the need to warn people away from dollar store versions of this film because the nudity has been completely edited out and this movie has nothing else going for it.

To give an example of just how shoddy a product the EastWestDVD print is, there's a section that's five or more minutes long that repeats in its entirety.

I don't know what annoys me more, that the print was mutilated, or that I'm going to have to track down a uncut version and suffer through it again. Why do I do this to myself?

Avoid!!!

Irredeemably bad & cheesy 70's horror (if you can call it horror...) that trickily lured me in renting it because it stars Dyanne Thorne, a couple of years before her "Ilsa" breakthrough. Exactly as it was the case with "Blood Sabbath", this turned out a painful rookie mistake. "Point of Terror" is unendurably boring trash with a completely uninteresting plot (about a lousy pop-singer trying to screw together a record contract), bleak characters, absolutely no tension and the most redundant and overlong flashback sequence in the history of horror cinema! Thorne stars as the spoiled wife of a record company owner who's not afraid to kill every person that gets in the way of her getting what she wants. I fell asleep twice during this movie, each time for a good ten minutes, and still nothing had happened by the times I woke up again. No matter how much I appreciate independent low-budget horror productions, there's nothing even remotely recommendable about "Point of Terror". The story becomes even more inept halfway through the film, with the introduction of totally new characters but, if you're smart enough, you'll never reach this point (...of terror)

Point of Terror huh? I don't think so. Maybe Point of No Return or Pointlessness, or even Point Blank - but Terror - NO WAY! This is one of those cheesy, sleazy seventies offerings that are known for real bad acting, virtually little plot, and lots of skin. Point of Terror has all that, and it has so much more. I knew what this film was going to be like right from the beginning when Pete Carpenter, the male lead, dances in the foreground of a ridiculous bright red background ala a poor man's Tom Jones in red attire from head to toe. Things then move to Carpenter, perhaps having one of the biggest self-inflated egos I have seen in any film, play with a girl who loves him but can not offer him any career advancement. Carpenter then lies on a beach, finds an older but beautiful woman(the lovely, buxom Dyanne Thorne), realizes she happens to be married to the man in charge of a recording company that could give him his big break, and you can imagine where things go from there. The story is not overly inventive at all, the acting is quite pedestrian with Carpenter doing a less than workmanlike job parading shirtless and wearing pants made for adolescents. Carpenter, who is credited with writing this as well, even feels compelled to show his backside and then act - with his "skill" and the script - like he is doing all of womanhood a huge favour. One big Yikes! and Yawn. Despite all of this film's problems - and they are legion, Point of Terror is easily very watchable, laughable, and fun in a so bad its good way. And as an extra bonus, there is a scene, probably the best in the film, where Ms. Thorne disrobes and show us why she was in so much demand during those years. Her attributes easily overshadow her unconvincing yet somewhat credible acting style. As for the rest of the thespians, everyone does an OK job. None of the actors are real good nor real bad. The story, although obvious from the beginning, is also at least handled with some flair from the director Alex Nichol. Terror surely was misused in the title as there is virtually no horror at all in this film - a couple of rather tame deaths, though one is with a man in a wheelchair being goaded like a bull with "Ole" into a pool. You will only find something like that in the seventies for sure!

This starts with man with "jazz hands," a red fringe jacket, and tight red pants. I'm scared already! Intercut with his song and dance is what appears to be a woman's death (we'll see the actual scene towards the end of the movie). He wakes up screaming. He meets a woman who's a record producer's wife.

Though this is in a box set called "Horrible Horrors," it's barely a horror movie. We see a flashback to the death of the record producer's first wife. We see a death by drowning, and another by falling, and another by gunshot. Essentially, this is more the story of a small-time lounge singer who's willing to do anything to rise to the top.

The last scene of the movie involves someone waking up screaming. Was everything we watched a dream, or a premonition? Easier just to call it bad writing, a "horrible horror," and a waste of time.

The movie itself is quite bad but i love peter carpenter, was rather interested that he either died in 71 or 96. The story is predictable, its been done before but whatever he's got such a hot bod and i usually don't think much of men's bodies but he has nice everything; hands, neck; even lazy soft eyes. The songs he sings, yeah whatever he doesn't have to do anything, just stand there and look good. I had this movie for years and didn't even know it. I always liked blood mania with Peter. His he is on here and blood mania makes you wonder if he wasn't murdered. His death is shrouded by such mystery that's not nice for someone like me who wants to know everything.

Get a group together to witness POINT OF TERROR which, as others will have noted, is not a horror movie (but *is* pretty horrible!). The film is, rather, a sexploitation melodrama about a ruthless, ladder-climbing lounge singer, Tony Trelos (Peter Carpenter) who gets involved both intimately and professionally with Andrea (Dyanne Thorne), the sex-starved, alcoholic wife of a wheelchair-bound music industry mogul. Everything about this film is a howler: script, acting, production values (tin-foil sets), and the music...the music...oh, those songs! On top of everything else we have a protagonist who likes to "drop trou" and show off his humpy bod (and there ain't nuthin' wrong with that!). Peter Carpenter must have an ego the size of Mount Rushmore to flash us a lingering butt-shot when he emerges from a shower as well as a fully nude side-angle shot where his leg just barely hides the family jewels from view. WOOF!!! Did he ever do a Playgirl spread? It certainly would have been up his alley... Tempestuous blonde bombshell co-star Dyanne Thorne is a force to be reckoned with (and how!) with a rack that won't quit, and her buoyant topless scene in a swimming pool is one of the film's highlights (along with her many excursions into overacting). Watch for scenes with Joel Marston as the wheelchair-bound husband who can't seem to sit still (although he's supposed to be utterly incapacitated from the waist down), and in one poolside scene catches himself just before crossing his legs! Leslie Simms in a supporting role as one of Andrea's lush friends is a scene stealer, while Paula Mitchell as Sally turns in a tragically robotic performance. It just keeps getting better and better...! The film's cinematography is often laughably blurry when "focusing" on Carpenter during his lounge act at The Lobster House (yes, The Lobster House, I kid you not), or else it's bizarrely "creative" (as happens during a moonlit, beach-side sex scene involving select points of view shown in split-screen). Oh, and the wardrobe...and hair!!! Look, if you're not a fan of "bad cinema", don't bother with this title since you won't even be able to appreciate the astonishing epic quality of this carefully crafted bomb. But if you're like me, and get sick chuckles out of films that tried really hard but totally missed the mark, then rent this one immediately or buy it (Rhino DVD released POINT OF TERROR as part of a multi-film set titled HORRIBLE HORRORS in October of 2004). This one gets a whopping 8 out of 10 just because its so terribly awful that it's engagingly entertaining in repeat viewings (and how cool is that!?!) -- how often does a "bad" film come along that still yields new stuff to ridicule on repeat viewings? POINT OF TERROR is a winner! And speaking of winners, what EVER happened to a talent like Peter Carpenter??? Enquiring Minds Want To Know!!!

The previous reviewer (weho90069) summed up the this film quite succinctly, but did he stress the title's musical contribution enough? Only by seeing it would you be able to know just how eye-rolling a production number can actually be. A horrendous musical intro kicks off the film as the opening credits roll, with the lead character Tony Trelos aping about on stage in a blazing, red suede suit with waterfall fringe. The 'live' performances go from bad to worse, as we soon see the actor singing to the rafters in his regular venue, The Lobster House (that is, after a quick shag before curtain). It is in this setting we see Andrea shopping him with her eyes, adding him up as he performs seemingly only for her. Andrea's cool, calculating gaze tells us that it's more than stage talent she's wanting to sign.

Lyrically speaking, the theme song "Lifebeats" (which is repeated throughout) is the narrative that clues us in on the inner world of Sir Trelos. It is this song that he cuts for his first record that proves to be too much for his new rep Andrea, as she abruptly halts the recording session with a dash of her hand, barking out a "FROM the TOP!" It was either ending too soon for her, or else she just couldn't sign off on the vocal at that point. Either way, it gives us another chance to hear it some more. The singer does have his moments vocally-speaking, but we all do when we play American Idol Home Edition. The draw for Trelos' fans is obviously not in his throat.

I recommend you watch POT, but better still, really listen--

"Lifebeats turning into Lovebeats... Lovebeats turning into Lifebeats, moving in and taking over me...".

Wow, man.

Peter Carpenter's display of himself. He was one of the writers, the lead actor and singer for the film. He basically showcased himself in this film.

The movie is cheesy but a bit fun to watch. The opening of the film is a real hoot - I found myself laughing out loud as Peter sang and danced with the opening credits rolling. I thought to myself "is this guy trying to imitate Tom Jones?" LOL. It made for a fun and funny opening scene.

The rest of the film isn't all that bad, it's watchable, but it's not a good horror film. If you want see a really good Carpenter horror movie then find one by John Carpenter not Peter Carpenter. If you want a laugh then you might like 'Point of Terror'.

4/10

It's fair to say that a LOT of cheesy horror films were made in America in the 1970s, and this is one of them. It's a so-bad-it's-good piece of entertainment for sure, and not even a horror film really despite the title and plotting; a guy has weird dreams, but the on-screen horror element is kept to a bare minimum.

Instead this feels more like a softcore thriller, with a bizarre lead role for Peter Carpenter, who seems to be channelling the spirit of Tom Jones (or he wishes to, at least) for the most part. Carpenter plays a nightclub singer (the musical scenes are excruciating) who hooks up with a femme fatale, played by the frequently topless Dyanne Thorne. Thorne, of course, is notorious for her role as ILSA, SHE-WOLF OF THE SS, and she proves to be a statuesque and arresting presence in every scene here.

POINT OF TERROR has much in common with the psycho-thriller genre that flourished in the wake of Hitchcock's PSYCHO. I was particularly reminded of the excellent Hammer film, A TASTE OF TEAR. However, the execution is so cheap and cheesy that it's impossible not to laugh at the thing, despite the best intentions; that twist ending in particular is a real hoot. B-movie lovers will delight in it.

Tony Trelos is a club singer at a seaside bar. Wanting more out of his career, he is approached by a woman on a beach who owns a record label with her crippled husband. Tony's involvement and exploits with her are more dangerous than he's aware of, however, as she's guilty of a murder, and capable of another.

The second piece of celluloid sleaze that Peter Carpenter wrote and starred in after the atmospheric (and underrated) "Blood Mania," "Point of Terror" is a significantly less thrilling picture—far more talky and significantly less moody. It also seems to be cribbing elements of "Blood Mania" in a lot of ways, as it follows borderline identical plot arcs that have been minutely tweaked: Man becomes involved with wealthy woman. Woman is unstable and a murderess. Family member enters the picture and complicates matters further. Same formula, different canvas.

The film is peppered with some of the most ridiculously "seventies" musical numbers you'll ever see, and also boasts a significant amount of skin from a buxom Dyanne Thorne and the hunky Carpenter. There is a nice doubled-over twist at the end of the film that is clever but rather cheap, and the general impression I got after it was over was that Carpenter seemed to have wanted to do-over "Blood Mania," but this time invoke as much of Jess Franco's "Succubus" as he could.

All in all, "Point of Terror" is a middling thriller that, while mildly amusing, is more or less a rehash of Carpenter's prior (and better) film. It is, like "Blood Mania," relatively well-shot, but it lacks the performances and moodiness that made the former so watchable. For a piece of grindhouse sleaze, "Point of Terror" is watchable, but it's lacking both in spirit and inventiveness. 5/10.

Crown International Pictures + Peter Carpenter = match made in trash heaven!

The legendary Peter Carpenter started his film career starring in a Russ Meyer film, VIXEN. He then made three other films before disappearing from the face of the earth. And what films they were. BLOOD MANIA and this one, POINT OF TERROR (I haven't seen "LOVE ME LIKE I DO" but with such a great title, I'm dying to see it). Carpenter stars as a lounge singer who sounds/looks like Tom Jones. The story is totally inconsequential. It's about people scheming to murder other people who murdered other people, etc. Basically, people using people because of money and greed kinda of story.

With better production values than BLOOD MANIA, POINT OF TERROR sometimes looks/sounds like a Russ Meyer film, without the extreme excess that's usually found in Russ Meyer's films. But the rest is still there: sex, trash, hopelessly dated dialogue, violence, buxom babes, beefcake, greed, 1970s gaudiness, did I say trash? It's Russ Meyer-lite.

I love everything in POINT OF TERROR: the music (did Carpenter really sing those songs?), the fashion, the sudden sporadic bursts of violence, the focus on sex, sex, sex. The swingers dialogue: "Hey, Chickie". The acting. The tackiness of it all. Though not as memorably over-the-top as BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, POINT OF TERROR is, IMO, much more entertaining than the over-baked BTVOTD.

Favorite scenes: the opening credits, with Carpenter singing/dancing in a red fringe get-up. The beginning on the beach (Dyanne Thorne's bikini is definitely not sexy). The musical bits. The sex scenes (the triptych one is cool). The scene around the swimming pool when the husband confronts Thorne. Ole! The "surprise" ending. But nothing beats the scene with Leslie Simms, as Fran, in that purple hat. Fran is such a badass! Arf.

Michael J. Weldon, of Psychotronic Films fame, wrote in his books that he hates Peter Carpenter films, which surprises me because Peter Carpenter films are so perfectly Psychotronic: entertainingly bad. The main reason Weldon (and other fan boys) dislikes POT and BLOOD MANIA is probably because the focus is mainly on hunky Peter Carpenter (both films were produced by Carpenter himself...ah, narcissism). But for me, this obvious difference is what makes these trashy movies unique/one of a kind.

Long live Peter Carpenter.

I gave this film a 6 and is that ever generous. The reason I gave it that much is simply because of Dyanne Thorne. Without her, this movie would have totally tanked and there'd be no legitimate reason to ever see it. The problem with this mediocre film is that it doesn't go far enough. There should have been more nudity instead of those god awful songs. The singing isn't so bad but oh those lyrics just make my brain hurt thinking about 'em! The sexploitation elements are all there alright but they are very underused, which basically was the trouble with a lot of these kinds of films made in the 70's: they just didn't go far enough. Had they pressed a hard R rating instead of a very soft R, this movie probably would have been a lot more watchable than it is.

Great soundtrack. Great songs. Good acting. Great plot and story. Love the early nineteen seventies feel with the soundtrack's synthesizer instrument sounds and artistry of the camera angles and wardrobe. Definately an A+ movie in my viewing and listening fan opinion. The Blu Ray DVD version also includes the making of Point Of Terror and some biographical mention of Peter Carpenter.