Thriller: Fan Favorites

Ten Episodes From The Classic Horror Anthology: Alternately Scary, Cheesy, And/Or Delightfully Over-The-Top
While you can get the 14 disc Complete Series collection of the classic horror anthology "Thriller," this assembly of fan favorites gives you an opportunity to sample ten episodes of the series without the financial burden. The series, hosted by Boris Karloff (who also appeared in a handful of shows), ran from 1960-62 and aired a total of 67 episodes. The program certainly shows signs of its age, but the episodes are presented remastered and uncut as they were originally showcased in the 2010 release. "Thriller," to my mind, was one of the more successful horror series of its time and I think that it still holds up well today.

Here are the episodes included. I've included actors of interest (not necessarily the leads, but people who went on to other things) as that's part of the fun of catching these older shows.

The Purple Room (Season One, Episode 7): With Richard Anderson, Rip Torn and Alan Napier. Unscrupulous relations try to convince a man that the...

KARLOFF CONTINUES TO THRILL
It's sad to think that an entire generation has grown up with no clue as to what horror really means. Today's youth thinks of horror as either serial killers with personality or ghostly encounters done with a hand held camera. They know so little of the origins of horror on film. Not only that, what was considered scary and horror filled years ago they see as quaint and funny. I've told people before, place yourself in the time period of the movie/show you're watching. Put yourself in that year. And then watch it with the eyes of someone from that time. If you choose to do so, you'll find yourself enjoying one of the classic horror anthology series from the sixties, THRILLER.

You'll not only get a great show, you'll be exposed to a host whose name at one time was synonymous with horror, Boris Karloff. Here again, today's youth have no clue who Karloff, Lugosi or Chaney were which is sad indeed. Their films have been released on DVD and a new collection of horror classics is...

Dusting Off the Vault
"Thriller: Fan Favorites" wisely culls the dross from sixty-seven episodes of this early 60's series and presents the ten 'best' episodes. "Thriller" was unique for its time in that it featured gothic horror stories, unlike "The Twilight Zone" which concentrated on science fiction.

"Thriller" was intense enough that my parents forbade me from watching the original airings. However, I did manage to circumvent the rules on occasion, and I did get to see "The Grim Reaper", one of the most sensational episodes of the series. That episode, along with the legendary "Pigeons From Hell", is first in line in this compilation.

There are a lot of familiar and beloved 'Boomer' icons acting in these episodes: William Shatner (two episodes worth!), Donna Douglas ("Beverly Hillbillies"), Marion Ross ("Happy Days"), Brandon De Wilde ("Shane", "Hud"), Torin Thatcher ("7th Voyage of Sinbad"), and Richard Kiel ("Jaws" in "The Spy Who Loved Me").

Some of the episodes...

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