Trilogy of Terror II

Cult actress Karen Black was terrorized by an African Zuni fetish doll back in 1975 on the small screen in "Trilogy of Terror", a mostly forgettable collection of tales except for its final killer segment. The same goes for its sequel, one that had been in the planning stages since 1989. And in 1996, the follow-up called "Trilogy of Terror II" aired on the USA Network and disappeared into obscurity soon after.

Dan Curtis ("Dark Shadows", "Burnt Offerings") directed the original and returns to direct and co-write the 3 segments seen in "Trilogy of Terror II", now out on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber. And that knife-wielding doll is back and becomes the selling point in an otherwise passable anthology.

Lysette Anthony fills in for Karen Black this time, appearing as a different character in the 3 half-hour horror tales in "Trilogy of Terror II."

"The Graveyard Rats" concerns a cheating wife who schemes with her lover to bump off her overbearing husband. What the scandalous couple doesn't realize is that there's a pack of killer rats ready to devour them in a nearby graveyard.

A mourning mother conjures up the spirit of her recently drowned son in "Bobby." But Bobby doesn't come back to life quite the same as he did when he was alive.

"He Who Kills" is a direct sequel to "Amelia," the killer doll story that freaked viewers out in 1975. Things pick right up where they left off and the Zuni doll gets shipped to a local museum with murderous results. "He Who Kills" seems more of a remake and recreates exact sequences from "Amelia." Somehow it still works after all of these years.

A couple of special features can be watched on Kino Lorber's mostly enjoyable Blu-ray:

"My Days with Dan" – actress Lysette Anthony talks about her time with Dan Curtis, the director whom she worked with on both "Trilogy of Terror II" and the 1991 version of "Dark Shadows"

"Practical Magic" – a look at the special effects and creatures seen in the film

"Trilogy of Terror II"
Blu-ray
$29.99
www.kinolorber.com