Apart from a few cheesy episodes in the beginning, "Thriller" (1960) hosted by none other than Horror deity Boris Karloff is an excellent anthology Horror series featuring mostly creepy and highly atmospheric 50-minute tales of terror. "The Terror in Teakwood" (Season 1, Episode 33) is doubtlessly one of the truly creepy episodes.
Starring British Horror queen Hazel Court, "The Terror in Teakwood" tells the story of the brilliant but mad concert pianist Vladimir Vicek (Guy Rolfe), who is so obsessed with a late colleague and rival that he decides to desecrate the man's grave. He is obsessed with playing a sonata composed exclusively for his late rival's over-sized hands, and is therefore willing to adopt measures of extreme morbidity...
"The Terror in Teakwood" begins highly atmospheric and keeps getting eerier throughout the episode. This is due to a promising storyline, good direction and, not least, a very good ensemble cast. Hazel Court is, of course, always great to see. The supporting cast includes the sinister Reggie Nalder, who is probably best known for his role in the notorious 1970 exploitation classic "Hexen Bis Aufs Blut Gequält" aka. "Mark of the Devil", and who would appear in another great "Thriller Episode", "The Return of Andrew Bentley" in Season 2. Nalder plays a Graverobber here. The most notable performance arguably comes from Guy Rolfe, who is truly creepy in the role of the demented pianist. Rolfe is truly creepy and sinister in his role, which, of course, adds a lot to the atmosphere. As it is the case in many "Thriller" episodes, the score is great, the classical music is employed very cleverly in order to maximize the general eeriness. Overall, "The Terror in Teakwood" is a very eerie episode, and a definite must-see for every "Thriller" fan.
Starring British Horror queen Hazel Court, "The Terror in Teakwood" tells the story of the brilliant but mad concert pianist Vladimir Vicek (Guy Rolfe), who is so obsessed with a late colleague and rival that he decides to desecrate the man's grave. He is obsessed with playing a sonata composed exclusively for his late rival's over-sized hands, and is therefore willing to adopt measures of extreme morbidity...
"The Terror in Teakwood" begins highly atmospheric and keeps getting eerier throughout the episode. This is due to a promising storyline, good direction and, not least, a very good ensemble cast. Hazel Court is, of course, always great to see. The supporting cast includes the sinister Reggie Nalder, who is probably best known for his role in the notorious 1970 exploitation classic "Hexen Bis Aufs Blut Gequält" aka. "Mark of the Devil", and who would appear in another great "Thriller Episode", "The Return of Andrew Bentley" in Season 2. Nalder plays a Graverobber here. The most notable performance arguably comes from Guy Rolfe, who is truly creepy in the role of the demented pianist. Rolfe is truly creepy and sinister in his role, which, of course, adds a lot to the atmosphere. As it is the case in many "Thriller" episodes, the score is great, the classical music is employed very cleverly in order to maximize the general eeriness. Overall, "The Terror in Teakwood" is a very eerie episode, and a definite must-see for every "Thriller" fan.
