Trick or treat? TV's Scariest Moments #5

October 27, 4:27 PMPittsburgh TV ExaminerSean Farren

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The Zuni doll from "Trilogy of Terror"

After writing the last column entitled "When TV Was Scary" regarding IT, the ABC mini-series based on the terrifying Stephen King novel, I decided that it might be fun to look at other scary moments in television history in the spirit of Halloween.

When I started thinking about what either scared me or was so profoundly disturbing to me as a child (since most of those fears are unnatural and have ebbed away as I've gotten older--except for nuclear war and carnies), I came up with a slew of entries based on what I'd seen growing up.

However, many of those images came from movies that I'd seen on TV (like viewing Psycho alone after school one day or catching Phantasm late at night in the early days of HBO). So, I had to dig a little deeper. For the next five days, I'll be taking a look at five events, scenes, shows or other things of that ilk that were produced solely for the small screen which conjure up some old ghosts.

For #5, we have a tie.

First up is "Amelia", one of the three segments to air on the 1975 made for TV movie, Trilogy of Terror.

Based on the short story by Richard Matheson ("Prey"), "Amelia" stars Karen Black as the titular character who lives alone in a high rise apartment. After purchasing a Zuni hunting fetish doll (complete with a spear, razor sharp teeth and accompanying scroll that states an actual spirit called "He Who Kills" is trapped within), she speaks with her overbearing mother and prepares for a date. What she fails to notice is that the chain which harnessed the spirit has fallen off the doll. Morbid hijinks ensue.

(Note: This is the final segment. Click on the links to parts one and two as I highly recommend you watch the entire story!)

Yes, some of this might look silly compared to today's standards, but back when Trilogy of Terror first aired, it was frightening.

Actually, it still is today.

I saw this after I read Matheson's short story (which is slightly better but very close to what eventually ends up on screen) and both disturb me. There's something terrifying about a doll (and a very freaky one at that) whose sole purpose is to act as an unstoppable killing machine. Devoid of feelings and reason, the Zuni doll is relentless in its pursuit of Amelia and "He Who Kills" will not be denied his trophy!

Come to think of it, Amelia was pretty much asking for trouble from the get go. Who buys a horrifying doll with a warning attached and thinks "Hey! That would look great in my living room!" ? Nah, nothing bad could possibly come of that!

The other segment that ties for the fifth spot is something I've recently seen from the 1977 TV movie, Dead of Night. Not to be confused with the excellent (and currently out of print 1945 feature), Dead of Night is also a trilogy of stories--but the final segment is the one that will send shivers down your spine!

In "Bobby", Joan Hackett stars as a mom who uses black magic to try and bring back her son from the dead. Apparently, Bobby drowned and the distraught mom finds herself unable to live without him. Bobby does indeed return, but their relationship may not have been as idyllic as you were led to believe. This clip below reveals the shocking ending of "Bobby", and, as the entire segment doesn't seem to be available online, I sincerely advise you to rent or buy the film to get the full effect instead of boiling it down to one moment!

Both Trilogy of Terror and Dead of Night were directed by Dan Curtis, known for creating such horror TV classics as Dark Shadows and the highly rated made for TV movies, The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler (which eventually became the series entitled Kolchak: The Night Stalker--something Curtis was not involved with but was still exceptional).

If you're looking for some non squeamish, good old fashioned horror to watch this weekend, do yourself a favor and pick up any of these gems (Kolchak included as it features work by another TV legend, David Chase, creator of The Sopranos).