Premise
Medical student Lewis Moffitt (George E. Mather) protects a secret fear of the dark, stemming from an ordeal as a child which involved a dead body that frightened him. Despite this, he acts indifferent during the first autopsy that he and his class witness, which has a positive effect on his courage. However, the autopsy provokes his soon-to-be frat brothers to come up with a strange induction practice, expecting it to go wrong. They task Lewis with finding and taking the ring of a deceased person, so he can be accepted into the fraternity. ''Ring of Terror'' is narrated by a graveyard keeper named R.J. Dobson, who invites the audience to follow him while he attempts to find his missing cat. When he finds himself near a specific gravestone, he finds himself thinking about Lewis Moffitt and his ordeal.Cast
* George Mather as Lewis B. Moffitt * Austin Green as Carl * Esther Furst as Betty Crawford * Norman Ollestad as Lew's Roommate * Lomax Study as Professor Rayburn * Pamela Raymond as Alice Lund * Joseph Conway as R.J. Dobson * June Smaney as Rag Doll Milford * Ann Morgan as Coed Waitress * Ollie O'Toole as Dr. WalshProduction
''Ring of Terror'' was directed by Clark L. Paylow, from a screenplay by Lewis Simeon and Jerrold I. Zinnamon. ''Ring of Terror'' is Simeon and Zinnamon's only film credit. ''Ring of Terror'' features a musical score by James Cairncross. It is Cairncross' only credit in the entertainment industry. Cinematography was done by Brydon Baker, and the film was edited by Jodie Copelan. It was produced and released by Playstar.Reception
''Ring of Terror'' received generally negative reviews. A review in ''Fight Night on Channel 9: Saturday Night Horror Films on New York's WOR-TV, 1973-1987'' by James Arena gave ''Ring of Terror'' a C, but noted that "it was just off-beat enough to hold my interest." ''Ring of Terror'' was included in Steve Miller's ''150 Movies You Should Die Before You See.'' Miller gave ''Ring of Terror'' five thumbs down. He especially criticized the fact that the actors cast as college students were far too old, noting that they were in their late 30s and early 40s. Michael Adams, in his book ''Showgirls, Teen Wolves, and Astro Zombies: A Film Critic's Year-Long Quest to Find the Worst Movie Ever Made,'' reviewed ''Ring of Terror'' and found it to be dull and full of padding. Like Miller, he noted that the actors were far too old to play college students. He pointed out that lead George E. Mather was 42 when he filmed ''Ring of Terror.'' ''VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever'' called ''Ring of Terror'' a "cheaply made flop."''Mystery Science Theater 3000''
''Ring of Terror'' was featured in a second season episode of the television comedy series ''Home media
''Ring of Terror'' has been released on DVD several times. On July 8, 2003,References
External links
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ring of Terror 1962 directorial debut films 1962 films 1962 horror films 1962 independent films American black-and-white films American independent films Films about fraternities and sororities 1960s English-language films 1960s American films English-language horror films English-language independent films Mystery Science Theater 3000