Product Description
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Now available for the first time ever in any format, experience
the complete series hailed as the most frightening ever created
for television. Horror legend Boris Karloff (Frankenstein) guides
you through 67 unforgettable episodes of suspense, murder and
relentless terror, featuring a stellar cast of stars from the
golden age of TV. These tales from the minds of such masterful
writers as Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Bloch (Psycho), and Cornell
Woolrich (Rear Window) include a murderous cursed painting, a
supernatural mirror, a demonic tailor's suit, and much more.
Now remastered and packed with hours of exclusive, fascinating
extras, Thriller is the ultimate must-have collection for any
horror or classic television fan. Featured stars include: William
Shatner, Leslie Nielsen, Mary Tyler Moore, Elizabeth Montgomery,
Rip Torn, Richard Chamberlain, Cloris Leachman, Alan Napier
(Batman), Robert Vaughn (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.), Werner
Klemperer Hogan's Heroes), Russell Johnson (Gilligan's Island),
Donna Douglas (The Beverly Hillbillies), Richard Kiel
(Moonraker), Marlo Thomas (That Girl), Edward Platt (Get Smart),
Marion Ross (Happy Days), Tom Poston (Newhart), Natalie Schafer
(Gilligan's Island), Richard Long (The Big Valley), Ursula
Andress (Dr. No), and many more.
.com
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Image Entertainment's 14-disc presentation of the accled
anthology series Thriller is arguably among the most anticipated
DVD releases for horror fans and vintage-TV aficionados alike.
Hosted by screen legend Boris Karloff, who also appeared in five
episodes of the series, and aired on NBC from 1960 to 1962,
Thriller immediately earned a reputation as one of the most
frightening programs ever broadcast on television--a legacy that
endures some four decades after it left the airwaves. Though it
featured an all-star lineup both in front of and behind the
camera--actors such as William Shatner, Richard Chamberlain, Rip
Torn, Leslie Nielsen, Elizabeth Montgomery, Warren Oates, Robert
Vaughn, and Marlo Thomas were among its guest stars, while
directors included veterans like John Brahm (The Lodger), John
Newland (One Step Beyond), and actor-directors Ida Lupino, Paul
Henreid, and Ray Milland--the chills of Thriller hinged on its
stories. Psycho author Robert Bloch adapted several of his short
tales for the series, including one of its most nerve-jangling
episodes, "The Cheaters," about a pair of glasses that reveal
terrifying truths to the wearer. Twilight Zone scribes Richard
Matheson and Charles Beaumont also contributed scripts, while
others were based on stories by Cornell Woolrich, Edgar Allan
Poe, and Conan creator Robert E. Howard; the latter provided the
source material for "Pigeons from Hell," the episode widely
regarded as the most terrifying of the series, with Brandon De
Wilde as a young man who encounters restless spirits and a unique
monster in an abandoned Southern mansion. Other standouts include
Bloch's "The Grim Reaper," about a cursed portrait that brings
death to its owners (including Shatner); "The Purple Room," with
Torn as the skeptical inheritor of a haunted house, which viewers
will immediately recognize as the Bates home from Alfred
Hitchcock's Psycho; and "La Strega," with Ursula Andress as a
young woman bedeviled by her sorceress aunt.
The 14-disc Thriller: The Complete Series offers all 67 episodes
of the series, each remastered and uncut for the first time since
their original broadcast. Some 50 hours of supplemental features
have also been included; chief among these are 24 hours of
commentary tracks by Thriller participants like directors Arthur
Hiller and Ted Post and actors Richard Anderson and Beverly
Washburn (Spider Baby), as well as genre experts like Tim Lucas,
David Schow, Gary Gerani, and Lucy Chase Williams. Episode promos
and isolated score tracks by composers Jerry Goldsmith (The Omen)
and Morton Stevens all help to underscore why no less an
authority than Stephen King declared Thriller to be the best
series of its type to ever air on television. --Paul Gaita
We chatted with the late Karloff's daughter, Sara--who runs
Karloff Enterprises to preserve, protect, and share her her's
memories--about her famous her and the Thriller series.
Question: Thriller has been something of a Holy Grail for fans of
suspense and horror and television. It must be a source of
considerable pride to see it finally arrive on legitimate DVD.
Karloff: Thriller has always been some of the most popular of my
her's TV work. For years I have been receiving inquiries from
his fans as to just when the series was going to be released in
its entirety and what was holding it up and why Universal would
not let it out for the fans to once again enjoy. I, of course,
had no real answers to the fan's questions. So I, along with my
her's fans, am delighted that the entire 67 episode series is
finally being released and that Image Entertainment has done such
an exceptional job with the DVDs and all of the extras.
Question: Though your her was best known as a movie star, he
was actively involved in television from nearly its inception. Do
you recall his feelings about the medium and Thriller in
particular?
Karloff: In 1949 my her moved from Hollywood to New York. One
of the major reasons for the move was to embrace the new medium
of television. It was in its infancy and for those actors, like
my her, who were accustomed to "take one," "take two," etc.,
live television could be terrifying. It was also thrilling and
challenging.
My her fortunately was "a quick study" and had had almost 10
years of repertory theater training in British Columbia prior to
his arrival in Hollywood. So that all helped him in his new
endeavor. He loved the challenge of television and the whole new
audience it gave his work. It also brought him an entire new body
of work and allowed him to show the breadth of his talent.
My her had two other TV series of his own, Colonel March and
The Veil, but Thriller was his favorite. He not only enjoyed his
hosting duties and had great fun tailoring each introduction to
the episode itself, but he appeared in several episodes. He was
proud of the writing and directing by some of the finest writers
and directors of the day, but the actors were first rate talent
too.
Question: Like The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents,
Thriller is fondly remembered by viewers, some of whom saw it
during its original network run. To what do you attribute its
longevity in the minds of critics and fans, including Stephen
King?
Karloff: Thriller was well written, beautifully directed, and had
some of the finest actors performing these great shows. As if
that were not enough, the episodes were not gory. They were
suspenseful and intelligent. They invited the audience along on
the adventure; they included the audience in the experience;
they did not insult the audience's intelligence as some of
today's viewing t does.
It was the sheer quality of the content of the work of the
participants--crew, writers, directors, actors, and my her's
hosting--that made this magical package called Thriller and that
has given it its long legs and its immense popularity with the
fans.
Question: Your her appeared in five episodes of Thriller. Do
you have a favorite among these?
Karloff: I really don't have a favorite episode in which my
her appeared. I wish, and I think the fans do, too, that he
might have appeared in a few more than just 5 out of the 67.
Question: Which aspects of the DVD set do you feel will delight
fans the most?
Karloff: As with anything, it will be the new material--the
extras on the DVDs that will delight the fans. I wish there were
more interviews with the people who worked on Thriller, but Image
Entertainment has a beautiful product that the fans have been
waiting for for a very long time.
I know my her would be amazed and flattered beyond belief at
the longevity and enormity of the legacy he has left and the
multi-generational appeal of his wonderful work.
Please thank his fans for their continued interest in his work
and his life. He truly was a lovely human being. --Paul Gaita
