Thriller (Boris Karloff Series) Rumored coming to DVD (1 Viewer)

[Hollywoodaholic]

I was very excited about revisiting this show after having seen it only during the original run as a terrified kid, but after seeing many of them again a couple years ago, it was disappointing. The scripts were okay, and many of them were based on some of my favorite writers of the day, but the casting seriously cut corners with C-list actors. Perhaps they spent all their money on Karloff and the scripts, but the production values suffered tremendously. This series, unfortunately, really can't hold a candle to "The Twilight Zone" or "The Outer Limits" for re-play, IMO. But there are a few treasures.

 

[MilesH]

Originally Posted by jquirk
The only thing I'm worried about now is Image possibly going bankrupt.

Me too. The rumored release date (Halloween 2010) can't come soon enough.

 

[Brett*H]

I'm surprised no one has bumped this thread or mentioned that all 67 episodes of "Thriller" are coming to DVD from Image Entertainment in one big box set on August 31, 2010:

tvshowsondvd.com/news/Thriller-The-Complete-Series/13718



Edit: Just saw that mention was made of it in the

 

[shoeshineboy]

Pretty pricey but still a must-have. What's Image's track record when it comes to quality pressings?

 

[The Obsolete Man]

Originally Posted by shoeshineboy

Pretty pricey but still a must-have. What's Image's track record when it comes to quality pressings?

Image has released two of the best TV on DVD sets ever.

Image released The Dick Van Dyke Show, and The Twilight Zone.

They also released Combat!, which was plagued by time compressed prints of the episodes.

The last few years, though, they haven't released much in the way of classic TV on DVD.

 

[potnoodle]

I have several Dick Van Dyke sets and they are excellent. The video quality is good plus they included some very nice special features, including audio commentaries.

 

[ToddR2]

Dan, you can buy this set with confidence. Image is the gold standard as far as vintage TV on DVD is concerned. In addition to the aforementioned DVDS and TZ releases, they released 60 episodes of Naked City in extremely high quality, as well as high-quality I Spy season sets. The major studios should release stuff as good (in content as well as production values) as this.

 

[Steve...O]

The disc and episode counts suggest they are putting 5 hour long episodes on each disc. Isn't that pushing things a bit? I've had mixed results with Image releases. The Van Dyke releases were indeed stellar, marred only by a total lack of captions or English subtitles. Other products were so so at best.
I have no memories of ever having seen this show. For those members who are familiar with it: are these straight ahead mystery/horror dramas or do they have elements of the supernatural (Twilight Zone)? Do the stories hold up to repeated viewings?

 

[Gary OS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve...O

I have no memories of ever having seen this show. For those members who are familiar with it: are these straight ahead mystery/horror dramas or do they have elements of the supernatural (Twilight Zone)? Do the stories hold up to repeated viewings?

I'm right there with you, Steve. I have such scant memories of this show that I'd basically be making a "blind buy" purchase were I to indulge. I have a trusted friend who's opinion I value highly and he tells me this show was very hit and miss. Some great episodes that left an impact, and others that were duds.

At this point I'm not planning on buying this set until it falls to a heavy discount. I can't see me paying more than $50 for it. So if and when I ever find it for that price, I'll probably pick it up. But I'm not paying more than that for a show that's hit and miss, and is a blind buy for me.

Gary "and 5 hour long episodes on each disc is pushing it, Steve" O.

 

I love this show! I remembered in reruns on WFLD-TV Channel 32 in the 70's. Gave me the creeps when I was a kid.

 

[Roy Wall]

It's now official...details and cover art from TVSHOWSONDVD.COM ....price is STEEP !!! http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Thriller-The-Complete-Series/13718

 

[Powell&Pressburger]

It is two seasons, I am sure amazon.com prices and sale prices in general will bring it down a bit. I am just happy they are doing a complete series set instead of waiting for a second season.

 

[Stephen Bowie]

For the benefit of those who haven't seen it, Thriller is a terrific show. The best episodes are moody and scary in a way that few TV shows have been, and the lesser ones are no worse than an average episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (another Revue production, which Thriller seemed to be trying to emulate at first).


I am surprised, however, to see no mention of the executive producer, William Frye, among the extras for the DVD set:


http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Thriller-The-Complete-Series/13732


I spoke to Frye on the phone a few weeks ago, and he's still quite interviewable. If he's really been omitted from the DVDs, it's a very disappointing oversight.

 

[Elena S]

I remember one particular episode with Edward Andrews that was a standout. I won't tell anyone for fear of spoiling it, but he has a very unique way of "hiding" his wife. LOL.

 

[Bert Greene]

Over thirty years ago, a local station used to rerun the series on weeknights at the midnight hour, and the show did make for a really nice, spooky nitecap to end the day with. I think my favorite episode is "Parasite Mansion," which positively oozes with spookiness, and featured Pippa Scott as a most winsome heroine, and Jeanette Nolan as an old crone to end all old crones. I adore that episode.

One time, while visiting my mother, I was watching the episode "The Hollow Watcher," and she got caught up watching it with me. She was never a horror fan, and actually quite unknowing of the genre's conventions. As she was watching it, she kept thinking of it as a 'mystery,' and that everything would somehow resolve itself to a logical conclusion. I think she was quite taken aback by the episode's total unwillingness to do this, all the way to its rather horrific climax. Never quite looked at scarecrows the same way, after that!

 

[Jeff*H]

I used to sneak up late at night and watch reruns of Thriller on a local Spokane, WA station (they had it paired up with Six Million Dollar Man reruns one summer). My favorite was from the end of season 1, "Pigeons From Hell", which was extremely spooky. I've seen most of the episodes and believe that the first half of season 1 was pretty weak (these generally avoided the horror elements that made it popular), but the last half of season 1 and then season 2 both featured lots of great, scary episodes. There were several stories featuring Karloff himself that I also remember enjoying.


Looking forward to having this on DVD, but I will wait for a reduction on the pricing since it's fairly steep.

 

[Stephen Bowie]

Originally Posted by Elena S

I remember one particular episode with Edward Andrews that was a standout. I won't tell anyone for fear of spoiling it, but he has a very unique way of "hiding" his wife. LOL.

That's a very funny episode, written by a guy named Boris Sobelman, who also wrote a couple of terrific black comedies for The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. And not much else of note. A "subject for further research," as Sarris would have it.

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

Maybe this is why I never made it through the first season while revisiting it more recently after all these years with such anticipation. I was shocked at the "B" actors, slow plots, awkward directing and overall inferior quality to Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Twilight Zone, or The Outer Limits. I don't know the show's production history, but maybe they hired a better 'show runner' and recovered their budgets after paying Karloff his guarantee.


I will support the 'official' release of this show by ordering it (perhaps during a DD sale), and give it deeper look this time around. My most memorabe episode from originally seeing it (probably in late night syndication later in the '60s) was "Guilliotine;" about a woman's lover sentenced to die during the French Revolution and the ends she goes through to thwart his excecutioner. Very memorable ending. And there's something about guillotines that I was always fascinated and disturbed by. Oh, right ... the DECAPITATION of people's heads for public entertainment.


Nothing like that going on today, of course, cough cough, Saudi, cough, (clears uncomfortable knott in throat).

Originally Posted by Jeff*H

I used to sneak up late at night and watch reruns of Thriller on a local Spokane, WA station (they had it paired up with Six Million Dollar Man reruns one summer). My favorite was from the end of season 1, "Pigeons From Hell", which was extremely spooky. I've seen most of the episodes and believe that the first half of season 1 was pretty weak (these generally avoided the horror elements that made it popular), but the last half of season 1 and then season 2 both featured lots of great, scary episodes.

 

[HenryDuBrow]

Karloff's other show The Veil I really liked a whole lot, should be fun to see this one again also looking great I hope.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

Originally Posted by Roy Wall

It's now official...details and cover art from TVSHOWSONDVD.COM ....price is STEEP !!! http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Thriller-The-Complete-Series/13718

What's so "Steep" about the price?


That's around 10 bucks a disc. And this is before sales and discounts which will probably bring the price closer to $100.


I don't think you were around for the early days of TV on DVD, with Star Trek series being $119.99 for 7 discs. That was "steep".