REMEMBERING BORIS KARLOFF'S THRILLER

Shock of shocks! It's a horror vlog!

On this occasion, I'm remembering one of my all-time favorite TV shows, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and is newly released on DVD. "As sure as my name is Boris Karloff, this is a Thriller!"

"Thriller" ran for two seasons on the NBC network (1960-1962), hosted by Karloff, who also starred in 5 of the 67 episodes. It started out by presenting rather traditional murder mysteries & crime dramas, but soon cycled into offering an array of highly memorable horror stories.

It was not cancelled due to low ratings, since it's viewership numbers were quite respectable. It has been asserted that Alfred Hitchcock was wishing to expand his vastly popular "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1955-1965) to an hour-long format on the same network, and Hitchcock (considering the rival series to be an encroachment on his artistic territory) wanted "Thriller" given the axe. And so it was, too. However, it went on to flourish in syndication, and for decades has been considered by horror fans to be the Holy Grail of classic television of its kind.

It's lingering popularity was such that it spawned a feature film tailored in a similar fashion: Mario Bava's "Black Sabbath" (1963), for which Karloff provided host segments and even starred in one of the three masterfully executed terror tales.

And of course, whenever I get to discussing good ol' Boris, I tend to wander off into other related areas. So, sue me! You don't seriously expect me to plan these silly segments in advance, do you?

Opening music by Kevin MacLeod.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• boris
• karloff's
• thriller

[auntieskip62]

I was born in '62, and caught the reruns when I spent summers at my aunt's house (she was a horror fan as well). We scoured the local TV channels for anything that even bore a *whiff* of horror.

Thriller was a favorite. GREAT show. It's up there with the original The Outer Limits for me. I was beyond thrilled (ha) when I heard about the DVD release (I mean, *finally*!). Bought the set as a late Xmas gift to myself, and I'm savoring EVERY episode. They're a treasure.

[gothling1955]

@auntieskip62 It's a pleasure to encounter someone whom savors this program as much as I always have. Wow, it sounds like your Aunt was an exceedingly COOL person. I envy your having had her to scour & share such macabre offerings with, revisiting this series must bring back wonderful memories for you. Geez, how true when you say: "I mean, finally!" I had been wearing out my old Sci-Fi Channel VHS copies of the show, complete with those annoying phone sex commercials to fast-forward through!

[spyderwebz2112]

I was so happy when image entertainment announced that they were releasing Thriller and i gladly paid the hefty price tag but it was worth it to me.like you i spent most of my childhood or maybe all of it in front of the tv and was transported to so many places.I wasnt born until late 1964 so i wasnt around for the original run and the last time i remember it on tv was 1989 but the wait is over.thank you for the vlog i enjoyed it a lot.

[gothling1955]

@spyderwebz2112 Thank you so much. I agree completely: the day I first heard that this series was FINALLY coming out in something more than a six episode VHS set, I was ecstatic beyond belief. Wow, all 67 episodes! And yes, even many of the crime drama & murder mystery installments were fun to devour, but my main affection was always for the exceedingly spooky plotlines. I loved hearing about how and when you happened to discover the show, and how your fondness for it endured over the years.

[BlueFlamingoVlogs]

Whoa, Steve! Who knew you could sound just like Boris Karloff? You mean he WASN'T born a seventy year old man? Really?  I thought he was, too.

[gothling1955]

@BlueFlamingoVlogs Hey, Adrian! Geez, I wish. You can't possibly know how many tries I made at just impersonating Boris with my own voice, but it just sounded lame. So, when in doubt, always lip sync!!! And yes, it's strange how a 6 or 7-year-old's mind tends to work -- I was convinced that Karloff had been eternally elderly. You too? Nah, you're just pullin' my leg... AGAIN. (hee-hee) Thanks for leaving some of that BlueFlamingo levity, you cracked me up.

[spyderwebz2112]

@spyderwebz2112 the commentaries on select episodes are wonderful.i expected a bare bones release for this releaase.im not real THRILLED with some of the crime/drama episodes but i watch them since they are part of the show.Ive also been watching "The Veil" hosted by Boris thats another great show with more of a supernatural theme only 10 episodes and they were never aired on tv.i never heard of it till i discovered it in a bargain bin at wal-mart. please do more vlogs i enjoy them very much.

[spyderwebz2112]

@gothling1955 i discovered thriller when i was ver young 7 or 8. it played on saturday afternoon on a channel that i cant remember but even at that age i was drawn in so deep.the moody atmospher and especially the music just mezmerized me i caught every shoe i could and living in the pre video recorder day if you missed it you didnt see it again. i found it many years later on a chennel out of pittsburgh wptt tv 22.it played for s couple of yeards there and by then i had a recorder what joy.

[gothling1955]

@jellybean4501 Thanks, Jen! For me, Karloff is sort of my charmic root in the realm of both mystery & horror. And as you can doubtlessly tell, I delight at every opportunity to talk about my affection for his legendary body of work. Also, i have missed babbling on-camera about my best-loved horror flicks, and I really do appreciate your very kind encouragement. Peter Boyle was the monster in "Young Frankenstein"? (hee-hee) That's cool, it took me forever to recognize who the old blind man was!

[gothling1955]

@kolchack55 I'm really looking forward to seeing "Pigeons From Hell", it's on the last disc from the first season, with "The Grim Reaper". (I initially started viewing the second season portion of the box set, because the first season was understandably tied-up upon becoming available.) According to what I've heard of the audio commentaries, that Robert E. Howard inspired episode is a top favorite of a many fans. Until now, I had only seen the latter half of it on one occasion on Sci-Fi Channel.