Portrait In Terror

Tony is tormented by his cursed heritage. Legend has it that his ancestor, the mad painter Sordi, poisoned his unfaithful wife. Her portrait was mysteriously altered after the heinous act was committed. Tony is compelled to possess the painting, which is actually the work of the famous artist Titian. He also desires the beautiful Vera, whose heart belongs to another man.

The priceless painting is actually hidden in the home of an elderly man who is brutally murdered by a mysterious phantom that lurks in the shadows. The shocking crime sets off a police investigation that uncovers a twisted plot of violence and deception. Another murder follows, claiming the life of a local stripper who learned the deadly secrets of the Titian painting. Vera's life is in jeopardy when she crosses the path of the killer.

Filmed amidst the authentic stone architecture of Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia, Portrait In Terror captures a dark and sinister mood as its mystery unfolds. If some of its scenes seem familiar, it's because many segments from this film were edited into another horror feature called Blood Bath, a cult favorite also known as Track Of The Vampire. According to "Video Watchdog" editor Tim Lucas, the film was originally entitled Operation: Titian, and Roger Corman was given an opportunity to buy into the film and distribute it in the U.S. through his Filmgroup organization. Corman, in restructuring the picture, brought in Patrick Magee and American actor William Campbell. A young (uncredited) Francis Ford Coppola acted as script supervisor.

This dark, offbeat thriller is characteristic fare from B-movie auteur Jack Hill, who was largely responsible for defining the blaxploitation genre, as well as starting the trend of women's prison movies of the 1970s. Patrick Magee (DR. JEKYLL ET LES FEMMES) stars as an insane murderer holed up in a hotel in Venice, CA. He crosses paths with an equally unbalanced artist, with whom he teams up, and they hatch a plan to steal a valuable Titian painting. A bizarre series of events, including an episode that features Magee covered in wax, leads to an unlikely heroine: a stripper who risks her life to save the day.