Terror in the Aisles [1984]

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1984
Running Times: 83 mins
Length: 7,454 ft
Format: black and white / Technicolor 35mm
Ratio:
Sound: stereo

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Kaleidoscope Films for Universal
Production Executive: Martin Wesson
Producers: Stephen J. Netburn, Andrew J. Kuehn
Associate Producer: Gregory McClatchy
Production Coordinators: Chuck Conner, Jay Kelman
Unit Production Manager: Vincent Arcaro

SCRIPT
Script: Margaret Doppelt

DIRECTION
Director: Andrew J. Kuehn
Assistant Directors: Vincent Arcaro, Timothy Silver

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: John A. Alonzo
Camera Operator: Gil Donaldson
Labs: Consolidated Film Industries, Hollywood, California, USA

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Editor: Gregory McClatchy
Additional Editor: Richard Goldstein
Post Production Supervisor: Bea Dennis

MUSIC
Music: John Beal
Additional Music: Doug Timm, Richard Johnston, Jack Hayes, Dean Hagen, Bob Krogstad, Joel Rosenbaum
Music Extracts: Lynn Murray [Apres, from To Catch a Thief]; Bernard Herrmann [The Murder, from Psycho [1960]]; John Carpenter [opening theme from Halloween]; John Williams [themes from Jaws and Jaws II]; John Carpenter and Alan Howarth [theme from Halloween II]
Songs: Margery Doppelt, John Beal, Doug Timm [They're Not Very Nice]; Paul Williams [Life at Last]
Song Performed By: Larry Weiss [They're Not Very Nice]
Orchestrations: Jack Hayes, Dean Hagen, Bob Krogstad, Joel Rosenbaum
Music Supervisor: Paul Stilwell
Electronic Music Realised By: Sound Arts
Electronic Music Producer: Bob Walters
Electronic Music Engineer: Jim Cypherd
Electronic Music Programmer: Richard Johnston
Music Recordist: Toby Foster
Music Editors: Ken Johnson, Steve Danforth, Damask Productions
Music Production Associate: Ronnie Montana
Computerised Orchestral Timings: Auricle Control Systems

SOUND
Sound Recordist: Gene Cantamesa
Re-Recordist: Wayne Heitman, Larry Stensvold
Supervising Sound Editor: Robert S. Birchard
Sound Editors: Cinepost, Lucy Coldsnow, Ric Eisman, Jon Johnson, William R. Kowalchuck Jr, John Larsen, Bunny Speakman, David Stone

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Bob Stein
Costume Supervisor: Jennifer Stone

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Titles / Opticals: Cinema Research Corporation

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Artist: Petko Kadiev

MISCELLANEOUS
Production Consultant: Linda Baker
Film Clip Consultant: Blake Roy Dennis
Clip Research / Preliminary Treatment: John J.B. Wilson
Production Assistants: Tom Mills, Fred C. Mound, Debbie Peterson

CAST
Donald Pleasence [host]
Nancy Allen [hostess]
Fred Asparagus, Lainie Cooke, Joel S. Rice, Angel Salazar, Diane Stilwell [featured moviegoers]
Alfred Hitchcock [in archive footage]

A compilation of clips from horror and thriller films.

An uneven collection of out-of-context clips, mostly taken from Universal's back catalogue and almost exclusively Hollywood-centric - you'll get the briefest glimpse of Suspiria but nothing else from outside of the States, and there's only lip service paid to the studio's monochrome classics. The pseudo-psychological nonsense spouted by Pleasence and Allen is ridiculous and embarrassing. It's difficult to work out who Terror in the Aisles was aimed at - horror fans will probably have seen most of the films featured [and will probably be mystified at the inclusion of non-horror items like Klute [1971], Nighthawks [1981] and Marathon Man [1976]] while non-fans will still be none the wiser as to why we love these films.

UK
Theatrical Distributor: Palace Pictures

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Universal Pictures

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Australia
Rating: R

Germany
Rating: 18

Norway
Rating: 18

UK
Rating: 18

USA
Rating: R
Originally rated X, the MPAA insisted that an intense compilation of special effects scenes from then-recent releases be cut in order to get an R rating.

1984
October
23: USA - press screening at the Universal screening rooms in New York
26: USA - theatrical release

1985
March
21: UK - press screening at the Coronet Preview Theatre, London

Time for Terror - early title

INCLUDES FOOTAGE FROM
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein [1948]
Alfred Hitchcock: The Man Who Made the Movies [1974]
Alien [1979]
Alligator [1980]
Alone in the Dark [1982]
An American Werewolf in London [1981]
The Birds [1963]
Bride of Frankenstein [1935]
The Brood [1979]
Bug [1975]
Carrie [1976]
Cat People [1982]
Dawn of the Dead [1978]
Dressed to Kill [1980]
The Exorcist [1973]
Eyes of Laura Mars [1978]
The Fly [1958]
The Fog [1980]
The Food of the Gods [1976]
Friday the 13th Part 2 [1981]
Frogs [1972]
The Fury [1978]
Halloween [1978]
Halloween II [1981]
Hold That Ghost [1941]
The Howling [1980]
Invasion of the Body Snatchers [1978]
Jaws [1975]
Jaws II [1978]
Konga [1961]
Ms 45 [1981]
Night of the Living Dead [1968]
Nightwing [1979]
The Omen [1976]
Phantom of the Paradise [1974]
Play Misty for Me [1971]
Poltergeist [1982]
Psycho [1960]
Rosemary's Baby [1968]
Saturday the 14th [1981]
Scanners [1981]
Scared Stiff [1953]
The Shining [1980]
Sisters [1973]
Suspiria [1977]
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre [1974]
The Thing with Two Heads [1972]
The Thing [1982]
Videodrome [1983]
Wait Until Dark [1967]
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? [1962]
When a Stranger Calls [1979]
The Wolf Man [1941]

MAGAZINES

American Film vol.10 no.1 [October 1984] p.12 [USA]
article [Little crop of horrors]

Boxoffice no.121 [January 1985] p.R20 [USA]
review [by Alan Karp]

City Limits no.182 [29 March 1985] p.24 [UK]
review [by Kim Newman]

Film Journal no.87 [December 1984] p.19 [USA]
review [by Maitland McDonagh]

Films and Filming no.367 [April 1985] p.42 [UK]
illustrated credits, review [by Ann Lloyd]

The Listener vol.113 no.2903 [4 April 1985] p.34 [UK]
review

Monthly Film Bulletin vo.52 no.615 [April 1985] pp.122-123 [UK]
credits, synopsis, review

Photoplay no.36 [May 1985] pp.18-19 [UK]
illustrated credits, review [by David Quinlan]

Screen International no.481 [26 January 1985] p.15 [UK]
news item [Palace Pictures' horror compilation]

Screen International no.490 [30 March 1985] p.35 [UK]
review [by Marjorie Bilbow]

Variety 31 October 1984 p.24 [USA]
credits, review [by Lor (real name: L.L. Cohn)]

Video Business vol.4 no.52 [4 March 1985] p.4 [UK]
illustrated note [Simultaneous horror launch]

NEWSPAPERS

New York Times no.134 [26 October 1984] p.C18
review [by Vincent Canby]

BOOKS

British National Film and Video Catalogue vol.24 [1986]
credits

Hoffman's Guide to SF, Horror and Fantasy Movies 1991 - 1992 p.359
credits, review

The Psychotronic Video Guide p.562
credits, review

Shock Xpress vol.2 p.88
review

KEYWORDS

compilation; ghosts; monsters; serial killers; slasher; cinemas; possession; splatter

Ken Karpinski; Kevin Lyons

Last Updated: 6 March, 2007