Point of Terror
Point of Terror
R | 01 October 1971 (USA)
Point of Terror Trailers

A nightclub singer has nightmares about being involved in adultery and murder, only to wake up and find that they may not be nightmares.

Reviews
FieCrier

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.

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modspell

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.

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weho90069

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!!!

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callanvass

This movie is downright terrible, however it does have some entertainment value, and it never bored me. Still that does not mean it's a good movie in fact it's god awful, with laughable acting,and an amusing, but confusing ending. I got this on another 8 movie 2 horror disc set. The Chemistry between all of the actors is lousy,but however as i said never once did it bother me, with it's terrible,but amusing dialog, an interesting but stupid story, and laughable acting all around, it made it at times fun to watch. The Direction is awful. Alex Nicol, does a terrible job here, with no neat camera tricks what so ever, only good thing about it was the pace was solid. There is hardly any blood at all, except a few bloody stabbings, and a bloody fall victim (ATF). The Acting is god awful, but amusing at times. Peter Carpenter gives a lousy but amusing performance here, he has charisma, and was likable, but his performance is terrible, and the script does not help matters much,still i liked him, he had a lot of charisma. Dyanne Thorne, is extremely laughable, she's decent looking, but her performance is god awful, and she cracked me up in a lot of scenes. Lory Hansen, is also decent looking, but her performance is rather terrible as well, and she had no chemistry with Peter Carpenter. Paula Mitchell, is laughable and unconvincing as well. Leslie Simms, is annoying here, with laughable dialog, like "i know my Chickie" and her laughable performance as a drunk. Joel Martson, is okay, as the jealous husband. Overall not recommended, however do check it out, if your looking for some laughs. *1/2 out of 5

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