experiment in terror 1963

Experiment in Terror

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Cast & crew, blake edwards, stefanie powers, ross martin, photos & videos, technical specs.

Late one evening, San Francisco bank teller Kelly Sherwood is seized in the garage of her home by an asthmatic stranger who warns her that unless she steals $100,000 from the bank where she works, he will kill either her or her younger sister, Toby, or both of them. Terrified, Kelly communicates with FBI agent John Ripley, who advises her to pretend to cooperate with the stranger while he and the police investigate. Official inquiries identify the man as Red Lynch, an ex-convict wanted for murder. Ripley tries to enlist the help of Lynch's current girl friend, Lisa Soong, who refuses to cooperate, because Lynch has paid heavy medical expenses for her crippled son. By tracing the purchase of a toy Lynch bought for the child, Ripley is able to discover where Lynch is holding Toby prisoner. On the day arranged for the theft, Kelly steals the $100,000 and follows Lynch's instructions by carrying the money to Candlestick Park, where a baseball game is in progress. As the game ends and Lynch tries to grab the purse from Kelly, Ripley pounces on him. Although Lynch manages to break away and fight his way through the crowd to the deserted playing field, he is shot down by Ripley as hordes of police pour down the aisles.

Patricia Huston

Gilbert green, clifton james, william bryant, dick crockett, james lanphier, warren hsieh, sidney miller, clarence lung, frederic downs, sherry o'neil, harvey evans, william sharon, betty abbott, james m. crowe, lambert day, the gordons, philip lathrop, henry mancini, patrick mccormack, robert peterson, charles j. rice, photo collections.

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Experiment in Terror on Blu-ray

Filmed on location in San Francisco.

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in United States 2000

Released in United States Spring April 13, 1962

Completed shooting November 11, 1961.

An FBI agent is drawn into an extortion scheme in which a crazed psychopath holds a woman hostage in her garage in order to get her to withdraw money for him.

Released in United States 2000 (Shown in New York City (Film Forum) as part of program "Neo Noir" February 18 - April 6, 2000.)

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Experiment in Terror (1962)

Full cast & crew.

Directed by

Writing Credits

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script supervisor (as Betty Abbott)

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32 Facts About The Movie Experiment In Terror

Written by Raye Rowan

Modified & Updated: 01 Jun 2024

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

32-facts-about-the-movie-experiment-in-terror

Welcome to the world of suspense and mystery with “Experiment in Terror!” This classic movie, released in 1962, has captivated audiences with its thrilling storyline and remarkable performances. Directed by Blake Edwards, known for his mastery of both comedy and suspense genres, the film takes viewers on a gripping journey filled with tension and fear.

From its intriguing plot to its iconic characters, “Experiment in Terror” keeps viewers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. Starring Lee Remick and Glenn Ford, this gripping tale explores the dark world of a serial killer and the terrifying game of cat and mouse that ensues.

In this article, we will delve into 32 fascinating facts about “ Experiment in Terror,” including behind-the-scenes details, trivia, and the impact it has had on the suspense genre. So, get ready to uncover the secrets and explore the thrilling world of this timeless classic!

Key Takeaways:

“Experiment in Terror” is a thrilling movie from 1962 with a star-studded cast, gripping storyline, and haunting music. It’s a classic that still captivates audiences today!
This movie is a masterclass in suspense, with intense cat-and-mouse games, relatable characters, and a timeless appeal. It’s a must-watch for anyone who loves a good thriller!

Experiment in Terror was released in 1962

Experiment in Terror was a suspense thriller film that hit theaters in It was directed by Blake Edwards.

Based on a novel by Gordon and Mildred Gordon

The movie was based on the novel written by husband and wife duo, Gordon and Mildred Gordon. The novel was published in 1961.

Star-studded cast

The film featured a talented cast including Glenn Ford, Lee Remick, and Stefanie Powers .

A gripping storyline

The movie revolves around the story of a young bank teller who becomes the target of a sinister extortion plot.

Atmospheric cinematography

The film is known for its moody and atmospheric cinematography, which adds to the tension and suspense.

Film noir elements

Experiment in Terror incorporates elements of film noir, creating a dark and gritty atmosphere.

Critically acclaimed

The movie received positive reviews from critics for its gripping plot, strong performances, and suspenseful atmosphere.

Successful at the box office

Experiment in Terror performed well at the box office, becoming a financial success for Columbia Pictures.

Collaboration between Blake Edwards and Henry Mancini

The film marked another collaboration between director Blake Edwards and composer Henry Mancini , who worked together on several iconic movies.

Memorable musical score

The movie features a haunting and memorable musical score composed by Henry Mancini, which adds to the suspenseful atmosphere.

Nominated for an Academy Award

The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound, recognizing its excellent sound design.

Influential in the thriller genre

Experiment in Terror is considered influential in the thriller genre, inspiring other filmmakers in creating suspenseful and atmospheric movies.

Accentuates psychological suspense

The movie emphasizes psychological suspense , delving into the psychological state of the characters and their fears.

Iconic poster design

The movie’s poster, featuring a mysterious silhouette lurking in the shadows, has become iconic in the world of film posters.

Set in San Francisco

The story is set in San Francisco, utilizing the city’s unique atmosphere and landmarks to enhance the storytelling.

Tense and nail-biting sequences

The movie is known for its tense and nail-biting sequences, keeping audiences on the edge of their seats.

A cat-and-mouse game

The film portrays a thrilling cat-and-mouse game between the protagonist and the mysterious villain.

Realistic and relatable characters

The characters in Experiment in Terror are well-developed, making them relatable and believable.

A balance of suspense and romance

The movie strikes a balance between suspense and romance, adding depth to the storyline.

Engrossing plot twists

Experiment in Terror is filled with unexpected plot twists and turns, keeping the audience guessing until the end.

Intense on-screen chemistry

The chemistry between the lead actors, Glenn Ford and Lee Remick, adds to the intensity of the film.

Timeless appeal

Despite being released decades ago, Experiment in Terror still captivates audiences with its timeless appeal.

Influential director

Experiment in Terror was directed by Blake Edwards, known for his contributions to various genres in the film industry.

Unforgettable climax

The movie builds up towards an unforgettable climax that leaves viewers on the edge of their seats.

Expertly crafted suspense

The film demonstrates masterful suspense-building techniques, keeping viewers engrossed throughout.

Dark and atmospheric lighting

The movie’s lighting techniques add to its dark and atmospheric quality, heightening the sense of unease.

A cat-and-mouse game between the characters

The movie showcases a complex cat-and-mouse dynamic between the protagonist and the antagonist.

Engages both the mind and the emotions

Experiment in Terror not only engages viewers intellectually but also tugs at their heartstrings.

Cinematic portrayal of fear

The movie effectively captures the feelings of fear and anticipation, drawing audiences into its suspenseful world.

High production values

The movie’s production values are top-notch, enhancing the overall quality of the film.

Classic thriller elements

Experiment in Terror incorporates classic thriller elements such as suspense, mystery, and danger.

Enduring legacy

The movie continues to be celebrated for its enduring legacy and impact on the thriller genre.

In conclusion, Experiment in Terror is a thrilling and suspenseful movie that has captivated audiences for decades. With its gripping storyline, brilliant performances, and iconic direction by Blake Edwards, it has solidified its place as a classic in the suspense genre. The movie’s unique blend of crime drama and psychological thriller elements keeps viewers on the edge of their seats from start to finish.Experiment in Terror has also left a lasting impact on cinema, influencing future filmmakers and serving as a benchmark for suspenseful storytelling. Its atmospheric cinematography, haunting soundtrack, and tense pacing contribute to its enduring appeal.Whether you’re a fan of suspense movies or simply looking to experience a gripping and thrilling story, Experiment in Terror is a must-watch. Prepare to be captivated by its suspenseful plot, unforgettable characters, and masterful direction. Get ready to embark on a cinematic journey into the depths of fear and intrigue.

1. Who directed Experiment in Terror?

Experiment in Terror was directed by the legendary filmmaker Blake Edwards.

2. When was Experiment in Terror released?

The movie was released on April 13, 1962.

3. What is the genre of Experiment in Terror?

Experiment in Terror is classified as a crime drama and psychological thriller.

4. Who are the main actors in Experiment in Terror?

The main actors in the movie are Lee Remick, Glenn Ford, and Ross Martin.

5. Is Experiment in Terror based on a novel?

Yes, Experiment in Terror is based on the novel “Operation Terror” by Gordon and Mildred Gordon.

6. What is the runtime of Experiment in Terror?

The movie has a runtime of approximately 2 hours and 3 minutes.

7. Did Experiment in Terror receive any awards or nominations?

Yes, the movie was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Film from any Source in 1963.

8. Where can I watch Experiment in Terror?

You can watch Experiment in Terror on various streaming platforms or check your local movie rental store.

9. Is Experiment in Terror a black and white or color movie?

Experiment in Terror is a black and white movie.

10. What is the basic plot of Experiment in Terror?

The movie follows the story of Kelly Sherwood, a bank teller who becomes a target of a mysterious killer and is forced to assist the FBI. The suspense escalates as Kelly fights to save her life and catch the criminal behind it all.

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Our commitment to delivering trustworthy and engaging content is at the heart of what we do. Each fact on our site is contributed by real users like you, bringing a wealth of diverse insights and information. To ensure the highest standards of accuracy and reliability, our dedicated editors meticulously review each submission. This process guarantees that the facts we share are not only fascinating but also credible. Trust in our commitment to quality and authenticity as you explore and learn with us.

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Experiment in Terror

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Patricia Huston
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"Credit the film’s modest virtues to Edwards’s undeniable verve as a visual stylist. Still, with a running time slightly over two hours, Experiment in Terror is a bit too protracted to count as an unqualified success." Budd Wilkins : Slant
"With 'Experiment in Terror', Edwards, working in the familiar genre of criminal depravity, does something that may well be, for Hollywood, unprecedented: he makes a virtual piece of film criticism in movie form." Richard Brody : The New Yorker
"It takes more than two hours to come to a solution of the problem in this film. They would do it in one hour on TV, and it would probably be every bit as good." Bosley Crowther : The New York Times
"Edwards' direction is effective, although he relies too heavily on overhead and boom shots to show his action scenes." TV Guide
"The film treatment embraces a number of unnecessary character bits that merely extend the plot and, despite their striking individual reaction, deter from the suspense buildup." Variety Staff : Variety
"After Carpenter and De Palma, it may seem a little dated; yet Edwards' classical feel for pure cinema remains unalloyed." Time Out

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Experiment in terror.

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From acclaimed director Blake Edwards (The Pink Panther, Breakfast at Tiffany’s) comes this shocking tale of suspense. Kelly Sherwood (Academy Award® nominee Lee Remick, 1962, Best Actress, Days of Wine and Roses) works as a bank teller in 1960s San Francisco when she is threatened by a shadowy, asthmatic man (Ross Martin, TV’s “The Wild Wild West”), who demands that she steal $100,000 from her bank. When the man threatens the lives of Kelly and her sister, FBI Agent John Ripley (Glenn Ford, 3:10 to Yuma) is put on the case. The investigation sends Ripley on a wild goose chase through the streets of San Francisco, leading to a thrilling climax during a baseball game at Candlestick Park, featuring actual members of the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. Newly remastered.

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Experiment in terror.

Directed by Blake Edwards

Terror... Tension... Almost More Than The Heart Can Bear

A man with an asthmatic voice telephones and assaults clerk Kelly Sherwood at home and coerces her into helping him steal a large sum from her bank.

Glenn Ford Lee Remick Stefanie Powers Roy Poole Ned Glass Anita Loo Patricia Huston Gilbert Green Clifton James Al Avalon William Bryant Dick Crockett James Lanphier Ross Martin Joanne Bahris James T. Callahan Bob Carraher Mario Cimino Fred Coby Barbara Collentine George DeNormand Frederic Downs Don Drysdale Harvey Evans Dennis Falt Harold Goodwin Claire Griswold Warren Hsieh Judee Morton Show All… Helen Jay

Director Director

Blake Edwards

Producers Producers

Blake Edwards Don Peters

Writers Writers

Gordon Gordon Mildred Gordon

Original Writers Original Writers

Editor editor.

Patrick McCormack

Cinematography Cinematography

Philip H. Lathrop

Assistant Director Asst. Director

Art direction art direction.

Robert Peterson

Set Decoration Set Decoration

James Crowe

Composer Composer

Henry Mancini

Sound Sound

Charles J. Rice Lambert E. Day

Makeup Makeup

Geoffrey-Kate Productions Columbia Pictures

Releases by Date

12 apr 1962, 09 jun 1962, 01 aug 1962, 06 sep 1962, 07 sep 1962, 25 jan 1963, 01 jul 1971, releases by country.

Theatrical 12
Theatrical 16
Theatrical G
Theatrical 18

123 mins More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Rafael "Parker!!" Jovine ★★★★ 4

For some reason, this film made me dislike Edwards’ The Pink Panther even more, probably because it's clear the director knows how to shoot and direct some really thrilling scenes and sustain the suspense throughout. Although this film’s running time does make the tension fluctuate mostly for certain scenes that feel rather redundant and drag the movie down. Nonetheless, it doesn’t take much, as scenes like the big finale or the opening make it up, especially the former with its incredible lighting work that evokes the best of film noirs as our villain hides behind the shadows, becoming a dark figure that torments our poor lead. The closeup we see Remick’s incredible expressive work as she conveys the horror through…

Review by Joe ★★★★★ 6

"I don't want to hurt you, I just want to talk to you."

Blake Edwards was a genius, but he was not a disciplined one. Even his best, most iconic movies have a meandering, free-form quality that probably kept them from being focus group or studio exec darlings even on the (rare) occasions when they ended up huge commercial smashes. Here, though, he's on his extra-special best behavior, and even though this is over 2 hours there's not an ounce of fat on it - no romantic subplot, no comic relief, no bullshit of any kind (Edwards does find room for some archival Keystone Kop action in a movie house though, just so you don't get confused and think you're…

Review by 🇵🇱 Steve G 🇵🇸 ★★★★ 8

Ahh films, my old friends. Nice to be reacquainted.

The very late 1950s and early 1960s were a fascinating little period for cinema. They were a strange sort of no man's land between the Hays Code restricted decades that had gone before them, and the less censorship happy decades that would lie ahead. You had lots of films that dallied a little bit with being more adult in their content, language and tone, but very few that would really go for it.

The presence of Lee Remick in Experiment In Terror reminded me of another film she was in from roughly around this time, namely the marvellous Anatomy Of A Murder . That was another film that tested the waters for…

Review by 📀 Cammmalot 📀 ★★★½

Cinematic Time Capsule 1962 Marathon - Film #41

”She lives in Twin Peaks… the street’s a dead end”

… and this immediately became the coolest film that the 16-year-old David Lynch had ever seen.

Seriously, this Blake Edwards experiment in Hitchcockian noir contains more Lynchian breadcrumbs than the floor of a Double R Diner's pie eating contest.

When an asthmatic killer named, ‘Red’ Lynch terrorizes a bank teller and coerces her into robbing a bank it’s up to Agent John "Rip" Ripley to put the pieces together and catch the killer before he kills again.

”I’ve already killed twice so I won’t hesitate to do it again”

Cinematic Time Capsule - 1962 Ranked

Review by pirateneckbeard ★★★ 8

So Blake Edwards really throws a lot of noir tricks on the screen in making this a stylish San Francisco 60's thriller plus Lee Remick(Kelly Sherwood) does a solid job conveying the fear to sell the tension and Henry "The Man"cini brings in a solid score but I don't know if I got the killers modus operandi. I mean he is very conflated of both evil and good. I kind of wish Kelly didn't have to rely on men to help her and did something defiant on her own to take back the reins of control in her life. We did get a final sequence in Candlestick Park that was pretty cool though. All in all it was serviceable but I don't know if the experiment was a complete success.

Review by Slig001 ★★★½

Experiment in Terror is an oddly surreal slice of post noir. A great start - which includes the beautiful hauntingly plodding theme tune - leads us onto a tense sequence in which a young woman is accosted by an unseen asthmatic assailant who apparently wants her to help him rob the bank she works at. The plot then expands to include the FBI and other threads and it morphs into a police procedural; retaining some interest but losing most of the tension in the process. The middle section in particular meanders badly - it's a shame too because the base plot and characters are fascinating. A surprisingly grisled looking Glenn Ford is the standout of the cast and he plays…

Review by theriverjordan ★★★★½ 2

“Experiment in Terror” feels so formative to David Lynch’s work, it’s like the Rosetta Stone to all his major noir influences. For any of his fans, it’s a must-watch that feels as much of a treat as seeing a movie of his that has been just-unearthed.

“Experiment” could be considered the style-peak of the noir genre, until Lynch would come along some years later and use it as inspiration to his own tonal ends. Any frame in “Experiment” doesn’t just feel encompassing of noir’s definitive aspects, but also a fresh twist on how to newly convey a classic atmosphere.

Review by Ben Hibburd ☘🏀 ★★★★ 2

Blake Edwards monochromatic thriller is a beautifully shot, tense film filled with excellent performances. Kelly Sherwood (Lee Remick) works as a bank teller. One night upon returning home she's threatened by a stranger known as 'Red' (Ross Martin) in her garage, she's then forcibly told to rob her bank of $100,000 or she and her sister will be murdered by him.

She then manages to get the word out to an FBI officer John 'Rip' Ripley (Glenn Ford) without Red knowing. Rip then advises Kelly on what to do and how to act in order to lure Red out and catch him. The film does a great job of maintaining it's tension even though the film is slightly overlong and…

Review by Chance ★★★★

Twin Peaks? Garland?? Lynch??? Okay, the Lynch part is just a wild coincidence, but the influence Experiment in Terror had on David Lynch and Twin Peaks is pretty undeniable. Even the guitar strums of Henry Mancini's haunting score seem to be transplanted to the Twin Peaks universe. Of course, there is no sign of a Black Lodge in Blake Edwards' surreal film noir, but there is a heavy air of one - our "asthmatic phantom" being an early incarnation of BOB. Twin Peaks aside, Experiment in Terror is a mostly thrilling and highly stylish film noir that could have used some reining-in. Near the middle of the film, it loses a lot focus on the plight of Kelly Sherwood (Lee…

Review by Channing Pomeroy ★★★★ 4

I finally saw this film for the first time, though I have an odd prior history with it. Years ago a good friend and Mancini completist ripped me some soundtracks from original vinyl LPs. I would listen to them with headphones while I worked. Experiment in Terror, with its spare, often 1-finger, haunting urgency, became a favorite. I’d never even heard of the film before or since until Criterion Channel’s Columbia Noir series. What a wonderful surprise. First, to finally see the images that inspired the music and how perfectly the score enhanced them. And second, how great a movie is this?

This film is a real Blake Edwards outlier. It’s a taunt and measured psychological thriller. He was prone…

Review by Jerry McGlothlin ★★★ 1

Between this and Wait Until Dark , we may have to start calling him Henry GOATcini from now on—a blue-chip score, especially that scorcher of a main theme.

Lee Remick lives in Twin Peaks (not that one) working as a bank teller, when she begins being tormented by Joe Wheeze who wants her to rob the bank she works at for him. And he’s a real creepy dude—there’s a scene in a bathroom that is uncannily terrifying. Super slow and dry at times? Yes, though overall I would say this Experiment in Terror succeeds more often than it fails.

Review by ele 🪷 ★★★½

eerily similar to kurosawa’s high and low from the following year and also wild that blake edwards made THIS just one year after breakfast at tiffany’s ...now that’s what I call range.

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Beautiful, interesting, incredible cinema.

Kelly Sherwood is terrorized by a man with an asthmatic voice who plans to use her to steal $100,000 from the bank where she works. He threatens to kill her teenage sister Toby, if she tells the police. However she manages to contact F.B.I. agent Ripley.

Experiment in Terror (1962)

Directed by blake edwards.

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Description by Wikipedia

Experiment in Terror is a 1962 suspense-thriller released by Columbia Pictures. It was directed by Blake Edwards and written by Mildred Gordon and Gordon Gordon based on their 1961 novel Operation Terror. The film stars Glenn Ford, Lee Remick, Stefanie Powers, and Ross Martin.

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Experiment in Terror

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Duration: 122 mins

Cast and crew

Director: Blake Edwards
Screenwriter: The Gordons
Stefanie Powers
Ross Martin
Clifton James

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Experiment in Terror

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123 minutes
Columbia, Geoffrey-Kate Productions

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With a director so well-known for lighter fare like Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), The Pink Panther (1963), and Victor/Victoria (1982), it’s easy to forget that one of Blake Edwards’s earliest films was a noir thriller about a heavy-breathing serial killer. Opening with a spine-tingling sequence in which Kelly Sherwood (Lee Remick) is attacked in her garage by a faceless stranger who threatens to kill her (and guesses her measurements by hand) unless she delivers him a pile of money, Experiment in Terror doesn’t follow a simple psycho-stalking-a-woman formula: its plot takes a number of detours (another murder, a disabled boy) that take some time to connect back to the main story in which FBI agent John Ripley (Glenn Ford) is assigned to track down the elusive stalker. Expected to steal $100,000 from the bank where she works to pay the man off, Kelly is warned not to notify the police and that she will be watched non-stop, so her dealings with the FBI are conducted as covertly as possible. Eventually, Kelly’s underage sister Toby (Stefanie Powers) is stalked at high school, kidnapped, and forced to strip (along with Cape Fear and Lolita , 1962 seems to have been a big year for child sexual obsession). While some may find the film 20 or 30 minutes too long, Edwards and crew keep the action moving at an effective rhythm, and Henry Mancini’s score provides dramatic accompaniment, like the flashing chords of a harp that highlight shocks, most notably when we suddenly discover that one of the figures in a giant room full of mannequins is alive.

By Michael Bayer

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Almost 60 years ago, filmgoers were introduced to Experiment in Terror (1962). The film opens with a beautiful woman driving a convertible across the San Francisco Bay Bridge at night to Henry Mancini’s moody score. After the woman turns onto her street, a sign for “TWIN PEAKS” looms in the right-hand corner. The sign, referring to a real neighborhood in San Francisco, is not a coincidence, but an indication of the film’s broad influence on the noir genre and its descendants.

Since its release in 1962, Experiment in Terror has inspired artists from David Lynch to Lana Del Rey. Sometimes considered a “neo-noir” due to its production several years after the film noir’s heyday, the movie represents a bridge between the classic noir period of the 1940s and the glut of serial killer content which started arriving in the wake of The Silence of the Lambs (1991).

Experiment in Terror forms an uncharacteristic entry in the catalog of director Blake Edwards, a filmmaker better known for Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), The Pink Panther (1963), and a lengthy list of comedies (including seven Panther sequels). But with Experiment in Terror , which came between Tiffany’s and the Pink Panther run, Edwards went into darker directions made possible by the success of Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) two years before.

In the film, a criminal named Garland “Red” Lynch (Ross Martin) demands that Kelly Sherwood (Lee Remick), a young bank teller, rob her workplace. If she doesn’t assist in the bank job, Red Lynch will kill her—and her kid sister, Toby (Stefanie Powers). However, Sherwood enlists the help of trusty FBI agent John Ripley (Glenn Ford), who helps her negotiate with and resist the killer through a variety of schemes and encounters, culminating in an epic and climactic set piece—a chase and shootout during a Giants–Dodgers game at the then-new Candlestick Park. Adding to the film’s verisimilitude, the ballpark sequence features close-ups of Hall of Fame pitcher Don Drysdale and play-by-play narration by longtime Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully.

Taken as a whole, Experiment in Terror lives up to its name—decades later, it still scans as an experiment, but one that adopted Hitchcockian storytelling techniques and took them just a bit further, teeing up the neo-noirs that David Lynch, Ridley Scott, and Jonathan Demme made in the following decades.

The book from which Edwards’s “experiment” is adapted, Operation Terror (1960), has its own fascinating provenance. The book and its screenplay were written by husband-and-wife duo “the Gordons”—Mildred Gordon and Gordon Gordon (his actual name), who met and married after attending college at the University of Arizona. Many of their novels centered around the adventures of cool, confident FBI agent John “Rip” Ripley. Gordon Gordon was an FBI agent himself, serving as a counter-intelligence agent for the law-enforcement organization during World War II. According to Gordon Gordon, the theme of the “innocent person in the wrong place” usually informed their stories. “During our college and FBI days we encountered much of this and marveled at the innate courage and jaw-setting of even the quietest victims,” Gordon explained in an essay published in the St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers.

After the couple realized the screenwriter who adapted their 1950 novel Make Haste to Live was paid 40,000 dollars by the studio, while they only received 5,000 dollars for the novel rights, they made sure to lobby for the screenwriting gig for any adaptations of their work.

Operation Terror , the basis for Experiment , was serialized in the Ladies’ Home Journal in 1960. Given that the Gordons adapted their own novel, the screenplay follows the novel’s plot almost exactly, except that the setting of the story was shifted from Los Angeles to San Francisco. The novel’s hardboiled style is over-the-top yet well rendered, peppered with narrative interiority such as, “A man’s face, [Sherwood] thought, was like the dust jacket of a book. You could read a lot in it, and you could usually tell when the cover was designed to lead you astray.”

Occasionally, flashes into a character’s backstory are incited by banal triggers, leading to a style that at once feels calculated and perhaps unintentionally parodic. In one scene, after the detective learns about an informant named “Popcorn,” Ripley remembers that “he’d eaten plenty of popcorn in college. That had been his last year, when cattle prices tumbled and his mother almost lost the ranch.” That’s the entire flashback. Though the book has long been out of print, its narrative is spare, concise, and elevated by the humor (intentional or not) of these asides, setting an intriguing template for the movie.

Experiment in Terror’ s relationship to Hitchcock was noted at its release. New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther wrote in 1962 that “Mr. Edwards is a youthful director who has obviously studied Hitchcock, Huston, Reed, et al., and who knows how to make the fast cut and the shattering assault upon the ear.”

More recently, New Yorker critic Anthony Lane described Experiment in Terror as “a movie about movies, a very early American reflection of the methods and moods of the French New Wave realized as a mainstream Hollywood film.”

As Lane elaborated, though the film relies on Hitchcockian camera angles and suspense elements, Edwards “empties the schema of key Hitchcockian elements in order to make the film his own. The first thing that he removes is psychology. Where Norman Bates in Psycho is suffering from a particular mental illness with a specific clinical cause, the criminal in Experiment in Terror , Red Lynch, is just a bad guy built of a batch of character traits, some nasty and some noble, that don’t add up or fit together.”

As a result, Experiment in Terror feels more like an exercise in style than an exploration of psychological themes, as so many Hitchcock films ended up pursuing. “Edwards isn’t so much interested in the way things work as the way things look,” Lane concluded.

But the way Experiment in Terror looks is masterful for a film of its time, and particularly influential to David Lynch’s body of noir-inspired work. Not only is there a “Twin Peaks” sign in the opening sequence that seems to have inspired the title card and name of his hit show, but the villain, Garland “Red” Lynch, says he’s “killed twice before,” a line memorably echoed by the supernatural Twin Peaks (1990–91) villain, Bob, when he declared he would “kill again” in season one, episode three. The archetype of a trustworthy and assured FBI agent (a type increasingly, and many would say rightfully, challenged by more complex crime dramas) anticipates the example of Kyle MacLachlan’s upstanding FBI agent character, Dale Cooper. In addition to the striking coincidence that Edwards’s villain shares a surname with Lynch, the Twin Peaks character of Major Garland Briggs might also be named in homage to the villain of Experiment in Terror .

Other Lynch projects bear significant resemblance. In Wild at Heart (1990), Willem Dafoe’s Bobby Peru grips and speaks to Laura Dern’s Lula Fortune in much the same way that Red Lynch clutches Kelly Sherwood in the opening sequence. Throughout the runtime of Experiment in Terror , Red Lynch is shown making phone calls in shots where only his lips and the bottom of his face are visible, a technique David Lynch used to unsettling effect in Mulholland Drive (2001).

Other scenes seem to have left an impact on the genre at large. A scene where a dressmaker (Patricia Huston) is found dead in an apartment full of mannequins seems to anticipate, or at least invoke, the trope of finding a dead body—or a killer—in a creepy space filled with mannequins, such as the storage unit in The Silence of the Lambs or the workshop of J. F. Sebastian in Blade Runner (1982) . More problematically, a startling cross-dressing scene with Red Lynch makes him one in a long line of serial killer characters in film that have contributed to harmful transphobic stereotypes (including Norman Bates in Psycho , Robert Elliot in Dressed to Kill, 1980, and Jame “Buffalo Bill” Gumb in The Silence of the Lambs ).

And yet Experiment in Terror continues to be reinterpreted by other artists. In 2018, Lana Del Rey used the Mancini score in a set-piece to her “LA to the Moon Tour,” her mid-century aesthetic and onstage persona lining up with the Sherwood character.

Experiment in Terror showcases the potential of experimentation. Blake Edwards took risks and went outside his mainstay comedy genre for this project, and the result was a film with a long and influential legacy that helped define the trajectory of the neo-noir and its serial killer cousins. The closest modern parallel might be Todd Phillips pivoting from comedy to comic book crime drama with Joker (2019). Courage in storytelling, not unlike the bravery which the Gordons admired in their innocent protagonists, usually generates interesting results.

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This '60s Neo-Noir Film Inspired David Lynch, From 'Twin Peaks' to 'Blue Velvet'

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The Big Picture

David Lynch draws from noir film Experiment in Terror for thematic and stylistic inspiration.
The film's villains, settings, and themes heavily influenced Lynch's work, particularly Twin Peaks .
Experiment in Terror acts as a crucial bridge between classic and modern noirs, shaping the evolution of the genre.

David Lynch has one of the most unmistakable stylistic fingerprints in modern cinema, with his influence being prevalent enough to warrant the word “ Lynchian ” in the Oxford English Dictionary (your move, Merriam-Webster). Still, as original as Lynch and his films are, they draw from a certain pool of inspirations — his noir-tinged worlds of insidious criminals hiding in the undergrowth of small towns and American suburbs, specifically his monumental Twin Peaks , owe a certain debt to Blake Edwards ’ excellent 1963 noir flick Experiment in Terror .

This brooding, atmospheric neo-noir follows Kelly Sherwood ( Lee Remick ), a young woman who’s psychologically terrorized by an asthmatic killer named Garland “Red” Lynch ( Ross Martin ) and coerced into committing a theft from the bank she works at. It’s an excellent film, definitely among the most unjustly overlooked noirs , and it's no surprise that Lynch took inspiration from it. Arguably the most essential figure in popularizing postmodern surrealism in modern cinema , Lynch essentially wrote his own film language, but it was movies like Experiment in Terror that Lynch consumed and transformed into something far weirder, beautifully so .

Experiment in Terror

A man with an asthmatic voice telephones and assaults clerk Kelly Sherwood at home and coerces her into helping him steal a large sum from her bank.

How Did 'Experiment in Terror' Influence David Lynch?

Searching for Lynchian tones in Experiment in Terror, you’ll need to look no further than the film's opening few minutes. Over the opening credits, the smooth and jazzy score from Henry Mancini feels like a forgotten cut from the scores for Twin Peaks or Blue Velvet . The slow, twangy guitar tones that sound like darkly distorted surf rock sound like close relatives to those heard when The Arm breaks off into his bizarre dancing spells in the Red Room. Angelo Badalmenti ’s score for Twin Peaks is one of the most iconic television soundtracks of all time, a rich tapestry of otherworldly sounds and tones that transcends time , and traces of it can be found here nearly 30 years earlier.

There’s also the film’s setting, established at the tail end of the credits as Kelly drives past a plain sign directing her towards suburbs called Twin Peaks . This one is in what’s unmistakably San Francisco, instead of Washington state like Lynch’s. The killer’s name, Garland “Red” Lynch, quite possibly influenced that of Major Garland Briggs ( Don S. Davis ) from Lynch’s series.

A custom image of David Lynch in front of a neon-colored Eraserhead background

Even David Lynch Thought This Deleted ‘Eraserhead’ Scene Was Too Disturbing

If you can believe it!

Even more than that, though, is the style of the film that’s most clearly an influence on Lynch. It’s got many of the themes that Lynch made his own , from the psychotic killer set on terrorizing young women , the attempted perversion of said innocent young women at the hands of men, and the disturbing secrets hidden underneath a seemingly peaceful town. In Experiment , a young and innocent onlooker is pulled into a world of crime by a cruel and scheming force, as in Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks .

And then there’s the villain. Red Lynch feels like an amalgamation of Frank Booth ( Dennis Hopper ), Killer BOB , and Willem Dafoe’ s terrifying Bobby Peru from Wild at Heart . When Red Lynch violently grabs Kelly, whispering ominous threats in her ear, it’s a dead ringer for the “say fuck me ” scene with Bobby Peru and Lula Fortune ( Laura Dern ). Later, when Red forces a teenager to strip to her underwear, it offers no small resemblance to a scene in which Frank Booth does the same to Dorothy Vallens ( Isabella Rossellini ). When Red disguises himself as an old lady to chase Kelly undetected, it’s hard not to think of the Twin Peaks scene when Windom Earle ( Kenneth Welsh ) disguises himself as The Log Lady ( Catherine E. Coulson ). The parallels are all there, and they aren’t particularly hard to find.

'Experiment in Terror' Is a Crucial Transition Between Both Classic and Modern Noirs

Lee Remick as Kelly Sherwood, looking terrified as the shadow of a man holds her in Experiment in Terror

Influential or not, Experiment in Terror is a picture that exists ahead of its time, helping bridge a gap between the classical noir of the previous few decades and the grittier, darker neo-noirs that would start popping up over the next few decades at the hands of filmmakers like The Coen Brothers , Michael Mann , and (yes, of course) David Lynch. What matters most is that Experiment in Terror aids this transition and does it well as a legitimately suspenseful and well-crafted thriller rich with exquisite photography and memorable characters.

Taking off from shooting comedies like The Pink Panther and Breakfast at Tiffany’s , Blake Edwards makes a convincing case for his skill as a noir filmmaker. Alternating between shrouding the film in impenetrable shadows and exposing it to the harsh, inescapable daylight of the Californian sun shepherds the viewer between two extremes. In one, people go about their regular everyday lives untouched by criminality or violence. In another, where darkness looms and evil broods unseen, acts of violence and terror unfold. Simultaneously reminiscent of Hitchcock thrillers (the obsessively San Franciscan setting plays its part in this) and the French New Wave, Experiment in Terror modernizes the noir with on-location shooting, wide cinemascope photography, and rich filmic knowledge.

If Psycho and Vertigo were deeply psychological pictures, Experiment in Terror gambles on a different bet: its villain is given few to no moments in which he can be analyzed . He is a contradiction that can’t really be understood. Sure, he’s really only trying to spark the bank heist to pay for a friend’s child’s surgery, but he’s also apt at killing innocent women for the hell of it. He’s not a good man, even if he’s got some pure intentions buried deep beneath his cruel and violent tendencies. A tense climax that takes place during a Dodgers game (itself a riff on the masterfully-shot scene from Kurosawa ’s Stray Dog ) is the mark of a master filmmaker wholly conscious of how to craft a suspenseful cat-and-mouse scene. It’s stuff like this that begs the questions as to why Blake Edwards didn’t ever really return to the noir genre.

David Lynch Draws From a Wide Pool of Inspiration

Beyond Experiment in Terror , Lynch pulls from a diverse pool of cinematic inspirations, mostly classic Hollywood movies . Although Lynch’s filmography has essentially become synonymous with weirdness , the auteur’s work is also rife with spirituality, dream logic, eastern philosophy, and a rich collection of Hollywood and artistic references. Lynch has been vocal about several of the films and filmmakers that inspired him, his trademark evasiveness temporarily set aside for a candid acknowledgment of his crucial predecessors. Perhaps most instantly noticeable is The Wizard of Oz , whose magnificently colorful and candy-like presentation hides an insidious evil behind it. As the profound and informative 2022 documentary Lynch/Oz spends two hours pointing out, a clear, undeniable obsession with The Wizard of Oz plagues Lynch’s work . You can see it in everything from the violent traveling odyssey that is Wild At Heart to the mystical journey homeward of The Return . There are also the motifs of dreams, curtains, and slippers, all of which are prevalent in Lynch’s work.

Streaks of Sunset Boulevard can be seen in Mulholland Drive (the comparable titles are no coincidence). Inland Empire continues many of the themes established in Boulevard and Mulholland , examining more deeply the icky exploitation hiding underneath the polished veneer of Hollywood. Boulevard marked the end of Hollywood’s Golden Age with an unwavering sense of cynicism, and Lynch’s two Hollywood-set films show, many decades later, the fallout. Sunset Boulevard also gave some of its DNA to Twin Peaks — Lynch’s character Gordon Cole shares his name with an FBI agent in Billy Wilder ’s film, and a scene from the film plays a pivotal role in Twin Peaks: The Return .

Vertigo — and its dizzying use of doppelgängers — is another obvious reference point, as is the dream-obsessed filmography of Federico Fellini . Franz Kafka is an artist that Lynch felt “could be [his] brother,” a fact made clear by the two men’s shared fascination with presenting complex, surreal works in a straight-faced matter-of-fact manner. You can even see a glorious portrait of Kafka hanging up in the office of Gordon Cole during key scenes in The Return .

When it comes down to it, Lynch is a filmmaker who wears his influences on his sleeve — only he transforms such influences into something incomparable to anything else. Sure, there’s plenty of Experiment in Terror in Twin Peaks , just as there’s plenty of Vertigo and Sunset Boulevard in Mulholland Drive. What matters most is that Lynch took these invaluable inspirations and crafted with them a truly original body of work, one that, not coincidentally, is itself influential for generations to come.

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COMMENTS

Experiment in Terror
Glenn Ford as John "Rip" Ripley; Lee Remick as Kelly Sherwood; Stefanie Powers as Toby Sherwood; Ross Martin as Garland Humphrey "Red" Lynch; Roy Poole as Brad; Ned Glass as "Popcorn"; Anita Loo as Lisa Soong; Patricia Huston as Nancy Ashton; Gilbert Green as Special Agent; Clifton James as Captain Moreno; Al Avalon as Man Who Picks Up Kelly
Experiment in Terror (1962)
Experiment in Terror: Directed by Blake Edwards. With Glenn Ford, Lee Remick, Stefanie Powers, Roy Poole. A man with an asthmatic voice telephones and assaults clerk Kelly Sherwood at home and coerces her into helping him steal a large sum from her bank.
Experiment in Terror (1962)
Kelly Sherwood is terrorized by a man with an asthmatic voice who plans to use her to steal $100,000 from the bank where she works. He threatens to kill her teenage sister Toby, if she tells the police. However she manages to contact F.B.I. agent Ripley. — Will Gilbert.
Experiment in Terror (1962)
Late one evening, San Francisco bank teller Kelly Sherwood is seized in the garage of her home by an asthmatic stranger who warns her that unless she steals $100,000 from the bank where she works, he will kill either her or her younger sister, Toby, or both of them.
Experiment in Terror (1962)
Experiment in Terror (1962) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more.
Experiment in Terror
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 ...
32 Facts About The Movie Experiment In Terror
Welcome to the world of suspense and mystery with "Experiment in Terror!" This classic movie, released in 1962, has captivated audiences with its thrilling stor ... Yes, the movie was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Film from any Source in 1963. 8. Where can I watch Experiment in Terror?
Experiment in Terror (1962)
"With 'Experiment in Terror', Edwards, working in the familiar genre of criminal depravity, does something that may well be, for Hollywood, unprecedented: he makes a virtual piece of film criticism in movie form." Richard Brody: The New Yorker
EXPERIMENT IN TERROR
EXPERIMENT IN TERROR. From acclaimed director Blake Edwards (The Pink Panther, Breakfast at Tiffany's) comes this shocking tale of suspense. Kelly Sherwood (Academy Award® nominee Lee Remick, 1962, Best Actress, Days of Wine and Roses) works as a bank teller in 1960s San Francisco when she is threatened by a shadowy, asthmatic man (Ross ...
Watch Experiment In Terror
Set in Beautiful San Francisco, This is a suspense-filled story of a bank clerk who is terrorized by a murderous extortionist and the reassuring FBI agent who protects the ingenue.
‎Experiment in Terror (1962) directed by Blake Edwards
Sandro Martins ★★★½. Voltamos. John Winn ★★★★. probably a perfect absolutely incoherent movie, as well as an unplaceable movie—a bit of anthony mann, welles, preminger, william castle, corman, nouvelle vague, bava, black christmas, argento (and tarantino too)—but maybe makes all the more sense because of it, a vapid pop art ...
Experiment in Terror (1962)
A propulsive survey of scores focusing on the thriller: procedurals, bank heists, neo-noirs, spy films, giallos, and sci-fi mind-games. Kelly Sherwood is terrorized by a man with an asthmatic voice who plans to use her to steal $100,000 from the bank where she works. He threatens to kill her teenage sister Toby, if she tells the police.
Experiment in Terror (1962)
Experiment in Terror is a 1962 suspense-thriller released by Columbia Pictures. It was directed by Blake Edwards and written by Mildred Gordon and Gordon Gordon based ...
Experiment in Terror 1962, directed by Blake Edwards
Years before John Carpenter and other movie brats began to play with audience expectations and memories, Edwards constructed his film - about an asthmatic psycho pursuing Lee Remick - around ...
Experiment In Terror, 1962
With a director so well-known for lighter fare like Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), The Pink Panther (1963), and Victor/Victoria (1982), it's easy to forget that one of Blake Edwards's earliest films was a noir thriller about a heavy-breathing serial killer. Opening with a spine-tingling sequence in which Kelly Sherwood (Lee Remick) is attacked in her garage by a faceless stranger who ...
Blake Edwards's Experiment in Terror
But with Experiment in Terror, which came between Tiffany's and the Pink Panther run, Edwards went into darker directions made possible by the success of Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) two years before. In the film, a criminal named Garland "Red" Lynch (Ross Martin) demands that Kelly Sherwood (Lee Remick), a young bank teller, rob her ...
Experiment in Terror (1962) Original Trailer [FHD]
Directed by Blake Edwards. With Lee Remick, Glenn Ford, Stefanie Powers and Roy Poole.Blu-ray (Amazon) : https://amzn.to/3wp14GIBlu-ray (Powerhouse) : https:...
Experiment In Terror 1962.(Colorized) Blake Edwards
Experiment in Terror is a 1962 American neo-noir thriller film released by Columbia Pictures. It was directed by Blake Edwards and written by Mildred Gordon...
This '60s Neo-Noir Inspired David Lynch, From 'Twin Peaks ...
A man with an asthmatic voice telephones and assaults clerk Kelly Sherwood at home and coerces her into helping him steal a large sum from her bank. Release Date. May 1, 1962. Director. Blake ...
Experiment in Terror (1962)
Experiment in Terror (movie, 1962) Experiment in Terror. Kelly Sherwood is terrorized by a man with an asthmatic voice who plans to use her to steal $100,000 from the ...
Experiment in Terror (1962)
A woman is terrorized by a man with an asthmatic voice who plans to use her to steal $100,000 from the bank where she works. Director: Blake Edwards. Writers: Gordon Gordon, Mildred Gordon ...

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Experiment in Terror was released in 1962

Based on a novel by Gordon and Mildred Gordon

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