Experiment in Terror (1962)

In Blake Edwards' taut 1962 thriller *Experiment in Terror* (also known as *The Grip of Fear*), audiences are plunged into a harrowing ordeal alongside Kelly Sherwood, portrayed by Lee Remick. Kelly's life is upended by a relentless, asthmatic-voiced extortionist (Ross Martin) who coerces her into helping him steal $100,000 from the bank where she works. The stakes are chillingly high: any deviation from his demands, or an attempt to contact authorities, will result in the murder of her teenage sister, Toby (Stefanie Powers). Despite the terrifying threats, Kelly bravely manages to covertly alert FBI agent John Ripley (Glenn Ford), setting off a desperate race against time as the net slowly tightens around her tormentor. While Blake Edwards is most widely celebrated for his iconic comedies like *Breakfast at Tiffany's* and *The Pink Panther* series, *Experiment in Terror* stands as a stark testament to his remarkable versatility as a director. He masterfully crafts a tension-filled atmosphere, employing a lean script and innovative camerawork to build suspense without relying on excessive violence. His use of claustrophobic close-ups and the urban landscape of San Francisco as a shadowy backdrop heightens the sense of dread and vulnerability, while he elicits compelling performances from Lee Remick, who conveys a palpable terror and resilience, and Ross Martin, whose disembodied, menacing voice creates one of cinema's most chilling unseen villains. This gripping, high-stakes thriller proved Edwards was equally adept at generating nail-biting suspense as he was at orchestrating comedic mayhem, solidifying its place as a standout, often overlooked, entry in his diverse and brilliant filmography.