A Terrific Horror/Suspense Anthology Series
Horror and TV were not the best of companions in the early 1960's.  A couple of anthology series -- "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1955-1965) and "The Twilight Zone" (1959-1965) -- made occasional forays into the macabre, but network television, the only game in town before cable TV entered our lives, usually steered clear of horror because of its intensity.<br /><br /> One series, not widely known today, not only featured tales of terror, but employed such writers as Robert Bloch, the author of "Psycho," to pen the episodes.  "Thriller" was a one-hour anthology series aired by NBC from 1960 to 1962.  It was the brainchild of Hubbell Robinson, a TV pioneer and executive who produced "Climax," "Studio One," and the prestigious "Playhouse 90" in the 1950's.  He recognized that since the characters changed from week to week, the show's continuity would have to be provided by a host, the same host each week.  For this all-important role, he made a fortuitous choice -- screen legend Boris Karloff.  "Thriller: The Complete Series"  features all 67 remastered episodes on 14 DVD's.<br /><br /> Karloff was born William Henry Pratt in England in 1887.  He worked for years as a stage actor in Canada and the United States and took on mostly bit parts in silent pictures.  Karloff's most famous role, and the one that made him a star, was "Frankenstein," the 1931 James Whale-directed adaptation of the Mary Shelley novel.  Most people don't know that he made 80 films before "Frankenstein."<br /><br /> "Thriller" started its TV run as a schizophrenic anthology.  Some involved with the show thought thrillers should be crime or suspense dramas.  To others, the term suggested horror or fright tales.  So the first season presented a combination of the two kinds of stories.  It was the horror tales, however, that boosted the ratings and gave the show its identity, especially those set in distant periods, such as "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper," a variation on the serial murderer of the 1880's, and "God Grante That She Lye Stille," about 17th century witchcraft and vampirism.  Other tales, such as "The Cheaters," presented prologues set in the past and then showed their effect on present-day folks.<br /><br />  The scripts were excellent and featured gifted actors of the period, including William Shatner, Elizabeth Montgomery, Cloris Leachman, Hazel Court, John Carradine, Jo Van Fleet, Mary Tyler Moore, Leslie Nielsen, Richard Chamberlain, and others.  Stephen King, no stranger to tales of the macabre, once referred to "Thriller" as "probably the best horror series ever put on TV."<br /><br /> Boris Karloff not only hosted every episode of "Thriller,"  he appeared in five.  "The Prediction" was the first to star him.  He played a mentalist who performs a stage act and is eventually involved in murder.  "Dialogues of Death" contains two stories.  In the first, Karloff plays Old Pop Jenkins, a morgue attendant who carries on extended conversations with the recently deceased.  In the second, he chews up the scenery as Col. Jackson Beaureguard Finchess, who has to point out to a couple of visitors that they are, in fact, dead.  "The Incredible Doktor Markesan" is the frightening story of a man who's discovered a method of reviving the dead.  Karloff's make-up in this episode is particularly ghastly.  In "The Premature Burial," based on stories of Edgar Allan Poe, he plays a physician who is not quite convinced that his deceased patient is in fact dead.  This episode drips with suspense and ranks as one of the series' most memorable episodes.<br /><br /> Karloff's introductions are reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock 's intros on his own show -- witty and tongue in cheek, almost as if the great horror star was winking at the viewer.  No one could set up a suspense tale like Boris Karloff.  He really got the viewer in the mood along with atmospherically filmed prologues.<br /><br /> Karloff was one of the first name actors to embrace the medium of television, appearing as a guest star on variety shows spoofing his boogeyman image, as "Colonel March of Scotland Yard," as host and actor on "The Veil," in "Hallmark Hall of Fame" dramas, and on sitcoms.  He was also the subject of "This Is Your Life, Boris Karloff."<br /><br /> Karloff made 170 movies, performed on radio, made children's recordings, including a great version of "Peter and the Wolf," won a Grammy for "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," and appeared on Broadway in "Arsenic and Old Lace" as a criminal who looked remarkably like Boris Karloff, and as Captain Hook in "Peter Pan."<br /><br /> Robert Bloch, a frequent contributor to "Thriller" scripts, once said, speaking about horror, "TV never quite comes off... but `Thriller' was in a different category entirely."  "Thriller" lasted only two seasons, not because of poor ratings, but because of studio politics.<br /><br />  To get the full impact of the best of "Thriller," have a look at "Pigeons From Hell," a tour de force of horror with an unforgettable opening sequence.  Two young brothers are driving through the American south when their car goes out of control.  They come upon a forbidding old plantation and decide to spend the night.  They set up their sleeping bags and go to sleep, but later that night, one of the brothers is disturbed by a creepy wailing.  He heads upstairs and sees the shadow of a man with a hatchet approaching him.  Terrifying, intense, and unforgettable, "Pigeons From Hell" is regarded by many as the best "Thriller" episode ever, but don't overlook "The Hungry Glass" and "The Weird Tailor," which score high in the chills department.<br /><br /> After "Thriller," Karloff went back to feature films, starring in "The Raven," "Comedy of Terrors," and Peter Bogdanovich's first feature film, "Targets" as aging horror movie star Byron Orlok.<br /><br /> Bonus extras on the "Thriller" box set include 29 audio commentaries on selected episodes, episode promos, 31 isolated musical scores by Jerry Goldsmith and Morton Stevens, and still galleries.
The movie title "Thriller: The Complete Series," available on Movies & TV, has received an average rating of 4.7 from 513 reviewers. 
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 {"Genre": "Mystery & Thrillers", "Format": "Multiple Formats, Box set, Black & White, Full Screen, NTSC", "Contributor": "Gerald Mayer, William Shatner, Mitchell Leisen, Ida Lupino, Cloris Leachman, Howard McNear, Boris Karloff, Rex Randolph, Dick York, Jules Bricken, Natalie Schafer, Ursula Andress, John Brahm, Russell Johnson, Rip Torn, Arthur Hiller, Douglas Heyes, Tom Poston, Edward Platt, Leslie Nielson, Richard Chamberlain, Elizabeth Montgomery, Marie Slaughter, Paul Henreid, Mary Tyler MooreGerald Mayer, William Shatner, Mitchell Leisen, Ida Lupino, Cloris Leachman, Howard McNear, Boris Karloff, Rex Randolph, Dick York, Jules Bricken, Natalie Schafer, Ursula Andress, John Brahm, Russell Johnson, Rip Torn, Arthur Hiller, Douglas Heyes, Tom Poston, Edward Platt,\u2026   See more", "Language": "Unqualified", "Number Of Discs": "14", "Aspect Ratio": "1.33:1", "Is Discontinued By Manufacturer": "No", "MPAA rating": "PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)", "Product Dimensions": "7.5 x 0.7 x 5.4 inches; 2.2 Pounds", "Director": "Arthur Hiller, Douglas Heyes, Gerald Mayer, John Brahm, Jules Bricken", "Media Format": "Multiple Formats, Box set, Black & White, Full Screen, NTSC", "Run time": "55 hours and 54 minutes", "Release date": "August 31, 2010", "Actors": "Boris Karloff, William Shatner, Leslie Nielson, Rip Torn, Richard Chamberlain", "Studio": "IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT", "Number of discs": "14"}

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