Alone Against Terror

This minor thriller by Jess Franco is not really very badly-made but it is uninspired, dull and hence uninteresting. A young guitarist playing an English-language serenade to the main protagonist, a crippled young girl, fails to add anticipated tenderness and feels awkward. Only Carmen Dion is really good as the sinister antagonist and some clever close-ups reveal her acting ability thru just the 'looks' in her face. One curiosity is that the child-Melissa of the flashbacks has black hair but grown-up Melissa (played by Lina Romay her blonde period) is blond! Perhaps it was indeed Katja Bienart who was slated to star in this movie as she is top-billed in original theatrical posters and the video box but doesn't appear in the movie... If she had played Melissa, the movie might have had something going worth watching. But the way it is, SOLA ANTE EL TERROR is only for the Jess Franco completist. No wonder the movie was shelved for three years after its production waiting for release.