MovieChat Forums > The Vault of Horror (1973) Discussion > Terry Thomas' character didn't do anythi...

Terry Thomas' character didn't do anything bad though

posted 15 years ago by motsivad
11 replies | jump to latest

(*Major Spoilers below*)

At the films end it is revealed that all the cast are acually doomed to repeat the stories of their sinful demises, for eternity. But i think that it's most Harsh Terry Thomas' character gets put in that situation, the others were murderers or would be murderers (in the case of the buried alive chap), but all he was really guilty of was nagging his wife, and being incredibly petty. He was a bit of a bully, but he didn't commit any of the major sins, or crimes that the others did. To commit him to a hellish limbo for eternity for that is very harsh,

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[–] jrpelt 15 years ago

You should see the original story -- there, the husband clearly treats his wife as a slave, and emotional abuses her on keeping things just so and spotless in a way that's rarely seen outside of the first half of "Full Metal Jacket". He's clearly about to get physical at the end just before the wife puts a knife in him.

The old EC Comics had a few stories in which the person(s) who gets it in the end may not have been a murderer or secretly a monster or the like, but was nearly sociopathic about some petty or selfish behavior, that often stretches out to _years_ of this kind of behavior, that finally drives their killer to temproary insanity.

[–] Mr_Blonde3 15 years ago

Based on the original comic, he probably would have deserved his fate, but based on the film, it was a tad extreme. When I watched his segment, I got the feeling that, while abrasive, T-T was OCD, either fully or partially. Granted, he could have handled himself better, or had a sit-down with his wife and explained that he had some sort of disorder, and HAD to have things just so, and maybe they could have reached a common-ground.

But doomed to repeat? It was, at least based on the MOVIE presentation, I felt a little harsh.

Still though, I liked the whole movie, and the stories. Tom Baker, Terry-Thomas, Curt Jurgens, Denholm Elliott...Great cast and a fun little flick.

I love to love my Lisa.

[–] Todd_B 9 years ago

I just read the original story, Arthur still didn't deserve to be murdered. Beaten up and abandoned yes, I could support that. If Eleanor had beaten him up and left and never come back that would've been justified but murder still went too far and the guy didn't deserve to go to hell/purgatory.

In the comic Arthur is more controlling and verbally/emotionally abusive but I didn't see any signs of physical abuse.

[–] Navaros 9 years ago

He's clearly about to get physical at the end just before the wife puts a knife in him.

That's not an accurate statement. No he wasn't. There is absolutely nothing in the film to suggest that.

The OP is spot on. Him being sentenced to death and Hell makes no sense in the story as it is told in the film.

[–] TragicBloom 8 years ago

It seems the movie is based off a comic; they're saying in the comic he was much worse and clearly about to get physical with her when she did him in ... IN THE COMIC.

I walked away from the movie thinking his sentencing was over the top for only being intolerably neat lol, but that was a hilarious story. His reaction really had me laughing it up, who wouldn't bury a hammer in that guys head being in that situation?

Boy was he asking for it!

[–] McTaffity 15 years ago

Well, all the characters came to a pretty grisly end in their dreams, I would have thought that was punishment enough.

[–] denniswhurley 10 years ago

Seemed OCD to me....

[–] RiverAvon 10 years ago

"He was a bit of a bully, but he didn't commit any of the major sins, or crimes that the others did. To commit him to a hellish limbo for eternity for that is very harsh..."

Yes, it did. Someone else explained that in the original story he was much worse, treating his wife abominably. In the film, you got a suggestion of it, in her extreme agitation after she spilled the stuff, spiralling into ever greater agitation and fear, when everything goes wrong, but the first time I saw it, I thought a piece might have been edited out for television viewing, something that maybe showed how bad his behaviour was, and how she had been affected by it, but now it seems it was just edited out of the film script from the original story!

[–] mcfaddensflats 10 years ago

Agree with the original post. Not only did the Terry -Thomas character not deserve the punishment, he didn't "merit" being murdered either. He is on the whole quite a nice, civilized chap who just hates "disorder" in his house. His wife says he's a decent fellow to her friend. That the character was far worse and deserving of his fate in the original comic is neither here nor there as we are talking of the man portrayed in the film.

[–] ginnabick 9 years ago

Yeah and to be fair she did turn into Frank Spencer at the end, knocking everything over in sight. The place was like a bomb had hit it by the time he came home! lol

[–] protocolglide 9 years ago

I was thinking the same thing. If anything, his wife was the one who did something horrible!