THRILLER DVD box set -- Hmmm... (1 Viewer)

[Joe Lugoff]

Well, what a difference a day makes. Last night, I thought these might be cut or time-sped, and had disappointing video quality. Today, everything has turned around.

 

About the 50-minute running time. I was around back then and watched THRILLER first-run, occasionally -- and everything I remember (and have read since then) tells me that prime time network television was limited to four minutes of commercials per half hour. I feel sure that hour shows were 52 minutes -- however, it's possible THRILLER had two minutes of a preview of "next week's episode," and I don't mind if those are missing from the DVD prints.

 

[ToddR2]

Dick, please accept my apology regarding my assumption. The nature of the comments, as well as the language, suggested that your were the same person. Joe, your memory is correct, there was a preview of next weeks episode, as well as other bumpers that surrounded the closing credits (connected to sponsorship or PSA's). These extended the running time a bit. Yes, four minutes of commercials per half hour was the norm. Once again, the A/V quality of this set is quite good, and NO cuts are present (at least in the episodes viewed). Will report on any anomalies

 

[MichaelEl]

Originally Posted by ToddR2 

If you are disappointed that Thriller wasn't remastered from the 35mm camera negatives, I understand. I'm sorry, but after watching the first two episodes, I must respectfully disagree with your assessment of the A/V quality of this set. The episodes HAVE been remastered since the laser disc releases.

The problem isn't the quality, it's the price relative to the quality. You can get both seasons of THE INVADERS or THE OUTER LIMITS - which I would guess have equal or better transfers - for less than half of what this set costs. I actually think $50 a season would too much even if these shows had undergone a complete restoration, and they haven't. 

 

Unfortunately, price gouging on classic TV and movies seems to be the norm lately. Warner wants to charge people $25 for old B-movies from the 30s, and now we get a TV show being offered for nearly twice the price of most other comparable DVD sets. 

 

[ToddR2]

There's quite a bit wrong with your comparison. Foremost is the fact that the two series you mention have been on the market for quite some time. If you want to compare apples to apples, compare the MSRP of each: Outer Limits (49 episodes total) Season One: $79.99; Season Two: $69.99. Invaders (43 episodes total) Season One: $36.99; Season Two: $42.99. That doesn't quite add up to the $149.99 MSRP of Thriller (67 episodes total) in either case, now does it? Let Thriller be on the market for EIGHT years like Outer Limits, and see what the prices are. Remember- The Outer Limits remasters are eight years old, and issued on flippers- is this REALLY comparable? No. Try again. I'm not shilling for the product, and I do respect each person's price limits, but please be fair. BTW, why didn't you mention Star Trek?

 

[MilesH]

Originally Posted by ToddR2

Not to mention the fact that Image had to license the show from Universal so it had additional costs that MGM didn't have and yet the per episode cost for Thriller is cheaper than Outer Limits was and Outer Limits had zero extras. It's a strange world we live in when $1.46 an episode (using the current Amazon price) is now considered "price gouging" LOL

 

[Joe Lugoff]

I'm one who hates spending $100 on something like this, but oddly enough, that price isn't out of line, historically.

 

If there had been DVDs back when THRILLER was new, and this set came out in 1962, I wonder what the price would have been.

 

Considering that a stereo LP in 1962 cost $5, and the "running time" of an LP was less than a single episode of THRILLER, it's reasonable to think this DVD set might have been priced at $50 in 1962.

 

Well, according to an online inflation calculator, $50 in 1962 is the equivalent of $350 today! So getting this for under $100 on Amazon is a real bargain. That's the equivalent of only $14 in 1962, which is only 20 cents an episode! You know it wouldn't have been that cheap.

 

[Larry Tate]

The Factory VHS tape of the Thriller episode Maquerade with Elizabeth Montgomery  & Tom Posten was 50 min. 20 sec. exactly

in terms of just the episode itself alone no promos.

 

So it sounds like a touch over 50 min. is about right & then these would be uncut after all.

 

In regards to the A/V quality it sounds like it has not been completely remastered & restored like the TZ ones were but that it is

about halfway between a Best 16 mm unremastered or restored collector print timeless video type of release and a proper 35 mm remastered & restored

TZ factory DVD release, would this be an accurate view of this particular set?

 

And as well were the original source prints for this set 35 mm prints?

 

Larry Tate

 

[Flashgear]

My set has just shipped from Amazon for the ungodly price of $125 Canadian ($118 US)...back in the '90s, I was quite willing to try to collect this whole series on crappy VHS from fellow dedicated collectors who would go to the trouble of duping 2 episodes per tape and charging me $20 for the priveledge...all of them multigenerational off air recordings mostly from a run shown on a Spokane tv channel where one of our fellow nuts had some minor influence over late night programming...I think at the time (early 80s) there was only three other stations in the whole wide United States showing Thriller in what was then it's syndication...At those prices I spent over $700 for the entire series and a lot of the episodes were barely watchable...of course I got the MCA/Universal issues when they came out...6 episodes only and no apparent ryme or reason for their selection...never got my hands on the LD edition...I know this is all familiar stuff to a lot of Karloff's fandom...I'll just be ecstatic to finally get this whole series in remastered DVD and people shouldn't forget the extensive extra commentaries and isolated music scores either...I really look forward to hearing the commentaries of Richard Anderson, Patricia Barry And Arther Hiller in particular...and revisiting The Cheaters, The Purple Room, Hungry Glass, Grim Reaper, devil's Ticket, Pigeons from hell, La Strega, Wig for Mrs Devore,Remarkable Mrs Hawk, Hollow wathcher, etc...and the better of the suspense eps like Late Date, Good Imagination, Third for Pinochcle, Lethal Ladies, the Storm...well, I do go on...and sorry for that, but Thriller is one of my most treasured and tortuously elusive experiences in home video collecting...I'll soon have it in my grubby hands and recommit it to my childhood memories of watching it first run while hiding under the couch and the kids at school the next day in a fevered froth about the thrills and chills of last night's show....

 

[John Morgan]

Post from the Classic Horror Boards regarding timings:

 

 

[MichaelEl]

 

Originally Posted by ToddR2 

STAR TREK:TOS is also overpriced, but you can get the entire series+extras on **BLU-RAY** for $175 or so, which is only $8 more per season than the THRILLER **DVD** set. Of course the gold standard of classic TV on DVD is TZ:THE COMPLETE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION and you can get that set for $28 per season. 

 

While I suppose you could argue THE OUTER LIMITS is a somewhat unfair comparison due to the flipper discs, the same can't be said for THE INVADERS, as that show is on 12 DVD-9s. You can't argue time on the market there either, as I pre-ordered both seasons of that show for more or less the current price.

 

Clearly MSRP doesn't have any relevance at all, as no one in their right mind is paying that.

 

The bottom line for me is that most DVD sets of 60s TV shows are being sold online for $25-$30 per season maximum, and THRILLER is nearly TWICE that. Again, this might be somewhat justified if the original negatives had undergone a complete digital restoration, but that's not the case here. Instead, we're getting STAR TREK prices and INVADERS quality.   

 

 

[chas speed]

Originally Posted by MichaelEl




The problem isn't the quality, it's the price relative to the quality. You can get both seasons of THE INVADERS or THE OUTER LIMITS - which I would guess have equal or better transfers - for less than half of what this set costs. I actually think $50 a season would too much even if these shows had undergone a complete restoration, and they haven't.
 

Unfortunately, price gouging on classic TV and movies seems to be the norm lately. Warner wants to charge people $25 for old B-movies from the 30s, and now we get a TV show being offered for nearly twice the price of most other comparable DVD sets.

You have got to be kidding about The Outer Limits DVD's being the same quality as The Thriller DVD's. The Outer Limits DVD's look pretty bad and the Thriller set looks pretty good. The Outer Limits also had no bonus features. I have seen the Thriller set and my only complaint is that they crammed 5 episodes on each disc. It did not end up ruining the set, but it could have been the perfect release. They spent a ton of money making the set and then tried to save a few cents on the release by cramming it on fewer DVD's. This set could have looked as good as the Twilight Zone, but Image blew it at the last minute. Still the set does look good and I think it is worth getting.
 

 

[TravisR]

Originally Posted by MichaelEl

Of course the gold standard of classic TV on DVD is TZ:THE COMPLETE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION and you can get that set for $28 per season.

Those sets were about $70 when they came out 5 to 6 years ago though. It's safe to say that by 2015 or 2016, Thriller will likely be much less than the current $100-ish price that you'd pay for it today.

 

[MichaelEl]

Originally Posted by TravisR 



Those sets were about $70 when they came out 5 to 6 years ago though. It's safe to say that by 2015 or 2016, Thriller will likely be much less than the current $100-ish price that you'd pay for it today.

You keep forgetting THE INVADERS. That show has been around $25 per season from day one, and the image quality is generally quite good. 

 

I have to admit though what upsets me the most about this THRILLER set is that there's no option for buying each season individually. For some of us, $100 is quite a lot to drop at one time on a DVD set that may take months to view. What if you get into the second season two months from now and start finding errors on the discs? It would be too late for a refund at that point.    

 

[younger1968]

I watch an episode last night and the quality was ok. I would rank it similar to the original outer limits. I like the introductions by boris karloff. I was not born before this show aired. However, i like classic tv shows and this one fits the bill for me.

 

 

[John Morgan]

It seems for the episodes that have a separate M&E track, Universal somehow combined that track with the full track (dialog,music and effect track), with phasing errors all over the place. This is really disappointing and frustrating. It should be recalled and fixed.

 

[Joe Lugoff]

THAT's the last straw. I'm not ordering this now, unless that's fixed.

 

Something told me not to pre-order this until I read what the guys on HTF had to say. There's no doubt the participants here know more than the so-called "experts" who actually work in the industry!

 

THRILLER'S TOP FIVE BEST EPISODES:

 

1.THE HUNGRY GLASS- Perhaps the creepiest 50 minutes ever produced on Network TV.

The amazing cast will be a surprise to you...I'm not going to spoil it for you.

Turn-off the lights and watch this alone (or with spouse). Nightmarish.

 

2. THE INCREDIBLE DR. MARKESON- Karloff stars in this and he's great!

Very creepy zombies and an aura of doom make this scary-as-hell.

 

3. PIGEONS FROM HELL- Wayyy too scary for network TV.

Real "Oh, my God!" horror.

 

4. A WIG FOR MISS DEVORE- Tongue-in-cheek, but very bizarre episode that reads like a Horror Version of "All About Eve"

Funny, scary, well-acted and unforgettable.

 

5. THE WEIRD TAILOR- Yes, this was remade for the anthology "Asylum" with Peter Cushing.

This version came first and has more time to tell the story.

Freaky...!

 

But, be warned.

This show had a few "Non-'Horror" episodes.

It's called "Thriller"...not "Horror".

But, the ENTIRE series had a strange atmosphere.

Top-Notch Television!

Still not suitable for children under 10.

 

[jquirk]

I really can't complain about this set. Yeah, the restorations are not as good as for other classic shows released on DVD like "Twilight Zone," but they're still pretty good. My biggest problem with the set is that it doesn't offer closed captioning. There are some people in my family who are hard of hearing and captions really come in handy for them.

 

Not including captions for an older television series like this does not make much sense when you consider that a lot of people who buy something like this will be older and some could have hearing problems.

 

With that said, I was happy to buy this set. I showed my eight-year-old son "The Grim Reaper" the other day and he loved it. I really enjoyed "Trio for Terror," which featured three stories in one. All the stories were good, but I particularly enjoyed the second story. In addition to those episodes, other ones I watched so far include "Pigeons from Hell," which was awesome, "Late Date," which was one of the non-horror episodes Carl was talking about, but was really suspenseful, "The Purple Room," which had originally scared the hell out of me as a kid back in the '70s, "The Cheaters," which was a superb tale about a mysterious pair of glasses that show truth, and "A Wig for Miss Devore," about a wig that renders its wearers ... well, you could see for yourself. I'm really looking forward to watching all of the episodes.

 

I'll say this much about the set: At least they didn't change the music like they did for "The Fugitive." I highly recommend this set.

 

 

 

 

[PianoPlayer]

Here's a nice review of the THRILLER set by the always-insightful Mike Clark (formerly USA Today's movie critic and now at Home Media Magazine).

 

[jquirk]

Watched the episode "Guillotine" last night and was not happy that the voice synchronization was off for a good portion early on. It seemed to get back on track before the end of the episode, but this seems like something that should have been avoided.