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Terror in the Aisles

Play trailer Poster for Terror in the Aisles R 1984 1h 25m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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63% Tomatometer 8 Reviews 51% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Donald Pleasence and Nancy Allen narrate this collection of snippets from landmark horror, crime and science-fiction films from the 1930s to the 1980s. Classic movies such as "The Exorcist" and "Friday the 13th" are featured, accompanied by Allen and Pleasence's explanations of different concepts in the genre. Alfred Hitchcock, whose films "Psycho" and "The Birds" are featured, also makes an appearance, using his expertise to deconstruct the means by which to build tension.
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Terror in the Aisles

Critics Reviews

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Peter Stack San Francisco Chronicle Dec 8, 2025
2.5/4
Good for a chuckle or two. Go to Full Review
James Berardinelli ReelViews Feb 20, 2024
2.5/4
In the 21st century, this is a throw-away but what it offered at the time of its release was substantial. Go to Full Review
Felix Vasquez Jr. Cinema Crazed Nov 1, 2014
[Director] Kuehn's documentary is a thrilling and excellent celebration of horror and the movie theater community... Go to Full Review
Scott Weinberg FEARnet Sep 15, 2011
4/5
A forgotten little treasure for old-school horror fans. Go to Full Review
Rob Thomas Capital Times (Madison, WI) Apr 21, 2006
1/5
Before there was DVD, people actually paid money to watch these slapped-together clip jobs. Go to Full Review
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Oct 12, 2005
3/5
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Audience Reviews

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Robert P @Superbad Oct 21, 2026 Terror In The Aisles is a *3* star Movie See more B P @Bradster69 Sep 3, 2026 Terror in the Aisles See more Mania I. @TheMania510 Oct 18, 2025 A fun history of the horror movies from the Golden era the 1960s through the 1980s. Rapid fire clips highlight some of the best horror movies in that era. Beautifully edited and very fast paced It's worth viewing every Halloween season. See more Jacob B @RT89309114 Jan 29, 2024 Less of a documentary and more of a "greatest hits" collection of horror and thriller films (you know, I can understand the Hitchcock films being here but Midnight Express? I mean, there're some disturbing moments but I don't think it belongs here) over the past 2 decades, Terror in the Aisles does succeed in persuading people to check out some other films they might not have heard of but anybody expecting something genuinely informative on the genre's evolution from the '60s-1984 is barking up the wrong tree (oh, that reminds me, no Evil Dead 1 in this glorified clip show? For shame). At least Donald Pleasance and Nancy Allen are charismatic as the hosts. Could do with less of those melodramatic reaction shots of the audience. Those are quite outdated, now that we know that people don't tend to scream or be terribly prudish or squeamish outside of when the gore goes too far as evidenced by the 21st century's obsession with torture porn after people lost interest in the meta-scares of the late '90s. That one guy who admired the special effects rather than be put off by one very bloody scene was pretty amusing, though. TL;DR: I have very mixed feelings about Terror in the Aisles and remain unsure if this alleged documentary was a "you had to have been there" kind of thing. See more Apr 25, 2022 Awesome love the many different cut up scenes horror/action scenes this film is also a brisk 78 minutes and always keeps you entertained. See more May 2, 2021 Donald Pleasance in a movie theater watching a compilation of horror films, while simultaneously f*cking with the audience. What else do you need? See more Read all reviews
Terror in the Aisles

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Movie Info

Synopsis Donald Pleasence and Nancy Allen narrate this collection of snippets from landmark horror, crime and science-fiction films from the 1930s to the 1980s. Classic movies such as "The Exorcist" and "Friday the 13th" are featured, accompanied by Allen and Pleasence's explanations of different concepts in the genre. Alfred Hitchcock, whose films "Psycho" and "The Birds" are featured, also makes an appearance, using his expertise to deconstruct the means by which to build tension.
Director
Andrew J. Kuehn
Rating
R
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (DVD)
Oct 15, 2012
Runtime
1h 25m
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