Overview
A bank clerk must outsmart a dangerous criminal to save her sister and herself.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- brooding
- paranoid
- foreboding
- late night suspense viewing
- classic noir marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a dark, atmospheric, taut crime thriller distinguished by convincing performances, Henry Mancini's score, and evocative San Francisco locations, though some find its stylized camera work overly self-conscious.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film contrasts San Francisco's graceful cable cars and affluent neighborhoods with home invasion, kidnapping, and hidden criminal terror.
Kelly identifies the stranger mainly through his threatening voice, knowledge of her routine, and asthma, while his face remains unseen for much of the story.
San Francisco streets, Twin Peaks, bridges, and cable cars are integrated into the criminal pursuit and atmospheric suspense.
The stranger knows Kelly's habits, reaches her at home, and coerces her through threats against both sisters.
Films like Experiment in Terror, and why
The Naked City
atmospheric film noir, urban criminal menace, and a suspenseful cat-and-mouse investigation
Wait Until Dark
psychological crime suspense, an unseen or elusive threat, and morally tense urban noir
Charade
stylish 1960s crime thriller, surveillance-driven pursuit, and sophisticated metropolitan danger
Movie Details
- Director
- Blake Edwards
- Release Date
- 1962-04-12
- Runtime
- 123 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (136)
Cast
- Glenn Ford
- Lee Remick
- Stefanie Powers
- Roy Poole
- Ned Glass
- Anita Loo
- Patricia Huston
- Gilbert Green
- Clifton James
- Al Avalon
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Experiment in Terror about?
- A bank clerk becomes the unwilling instrument of a $100,000 robbery while an FBI team hunts the asthmatic predator terrorizing her San Francisco home.
- What is Experiment in Terror like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Experiment in Terror as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Experiment in Terror violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Experiment in Terror as mild.
- What did critics think of Experiment in Terror?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a dark, atmospheric, taut crime thriller distinguished by convincing performances, Henry Mancini's score, and evocative San Francisco locations, though some find its stylized camera work overly self-conscious.
- Which films are like Experiment in Terror?
- Films with a similar feel include The Naked City, Wait Until Dark, and Charade.
- How long is Experiment in Terror?
- Experiment in Terror runs 123 minutes.
- Where can I watch Experiment in Terror?
- In United States, Experiment in Terror streams on fuboTV.
