Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Review - Boris Karloff's Thriller Season 1

Review Introduction: I purchased Season 1 of Boris Karloff’s Thriller from iTunes. I’ve listed the titles below and for most the episodes I’ve included full length YouTube links.

I’d like say that I enjoyed ever episode and don’t regret watching any of them or purchasing any of them. There are three types of shows here: supernatural tales, faux-supernatural tales, and simple crime drama’s. Most of Season 1 is the later. Overall I enjoyed the old school coolness of the black and white sixties horror show, Boris Karloff’s intros, and the dark twists.

Below, 1 through 24 are my favorites and the ones that I would most recommend for the entertainment value. I will offer brief comments for those but not the rest.

1) The Purple Room:

Features a Psycho-like house, a cool myth, and fair drama!



2) Pigeons from Hell:

Very atmospheric horror with gore!



3) The Grim Reaper:

One of my most favorite and scariest Thrillers!



4) The Cheaters:

Now real ending, but sufficiently creepy!



5) The Hungry Glass:

One of my most favorite and scariest Thrillers!



6) Trio for Terror:

Short but good drama’s, the first, one of my favorites, deals with witchcraft.



7) Choose a Victim:

Average drama - but I liked the clothes, cars, and the 50’s beat-nick slang of the starring character. Worth watching again!



8) The Terror in Teakwood:

Real old school horror theme. I also enjoyed the concert pianist motif.



9) Parasite Mansion:

A not too attractive tale about a horribly supernatural villian!



10) The Mark of the Hand:

A simple crime drama told very interestingly!



11) The Prisoner in the Mirror:

A cool horror/sci-fi idea. Worth watching, but no real ending..



12) Mr. George:

About a child and a ghost. The bad guys get knocked off, very good!



13) The Prediction:

Starring Boris Karloff. Adequate Twilight-Zone-like story!



14) Well of Doom:

Very Halloweeny, atmospheric, adequate drama…



15) The Devil’s Ticket:

A guy sells his soul to the Devil: a story straight out of The Twilight Zone, predictable twists, worth a gander…



16) Late Date:

Interesting crime drama about hiding a body…



17) Rose’s Last Summer:

Interesting crime twist…



18) A Good Imagination:

A take-off on Poe - dark humor almost. The wife’s shrill, trite, persona contributes to the slightly less-than-serious spin.



19) Knock Three-One-Two:

Average drama with horribly dark ending twists making it worth while…



20) Hay-Fork and Bill-Hook:

My favorite episode because I love the subject of witchcraft and Boris Karloff’s intro is my favorite - average story…



21) The Big Blackout:

Interestingly told crime drama…



22) Dark Legacy:

Great spooky house in the beginning. My favorite subject of witchcraft. Average story…

NO VIDEO ABAILABLE!

23) The Merriweather File:

One of the most interesting and interestingly told crime drama’s - unpredictable ending..



24) The Fingers of Fear:

One of the most interesting crime drama’s…

NO VIDEO AVAILABLE!


25 Through 37 - ENJOYABLE, BUT NOT MY FAVORITES!

25) The Twisted Image:



26) The Ordeal of Dr. Cordell:



27) Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper:



28) Worse Than Murder:



29) The Fatal Impulse:



30) Girl with a Secret:



31) The Watcher:



32) Man in the Cage:



33) The Guilty Men:



34) Child’s Play:



35) Man in the Middle:



36) Papa Benjamin:



37) The Poisoner:

4 comments:

  1. Oooh! Looks like I still have a few good ones to watch! Of the ones I've seen, I totally agree with your choices. There are still about 10 here that I haven't seen. I don't think we discussed "A Good Imagination" yet. From what I've read online, the short story that's based on had a totally different ending. In the short story's ending, the police don't show up at the end. The TV censors thought it would be too disturbing without some sort of justice at the end of the show. The ending of the TV show is sort of up for interpretation. I'm not entirely sure what the wife's fate was. Also, I read that he didn't kill multiple people in the short story. Hopefully I'm not spoiling it too much for anyone who hasn't watched that episode. I thought it was clever and funny in a very dark way, but it left me a little queasy!

    Not sure if we discussed "The Devil's Ticket" either. That one was on TV recently. Anything I want to say about that will be a spoiler! Again, pretty disturbing ending. I thought the actor playing The Devil did a pretty good job! Nice use of smoke too.

    I look forward to watching more of these!

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    1. Yes, I was shocked at how many were recommendable when I finally tallied them up! I'm glad though. There were some that were ify subject-matter-wise, but I legitimately found myself absorbed in the drama so I included them. Yeah, as far as A Good Imagination is concerned, I was unforgivably ready to accept the guy's dark gotcha and felt a little disappointed that he didn't get away with it. But I have to admit that they integrated the sting into the story well - and the look on that guy's face when he saw that he didn't get away with it was priceless. And I can see the moral dilemma. That's actually my theory of why Thriller didn't get re-run like The Twilight Zone, because it was so dark.

      Yeah, The Devil's Ticket was refreshingly supernatural in deference to say a "Squire Moloch!" I also thought the Devil guy was good, he played it very forcefully. And of course, the predictable spin in the end, although I didn't know how it would end. Usually in this type of story the character finds a way out of the contract but you know how this one ends ;)

      Yes, I think the ones I've suggested are pretty solid. Even if the story wasn't great they may have some other redeeming quality. I actually also enjoyed Papa Benjamin. The problem is that if you've seen the first twenty minutes of it you really don't need to see the rest. And I hesitate to drag someone through that, but knowing that going in, you'd probably also like it.

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  2. Yeah, you put together quite a list! I've had that happen with TV episodes sometimes too. You don't realize how many you've watched until you start recommending them! The killer's face at the end of A Good Imagination is priceless all right. I was actually laughing at that point. I'd like to have heard what came after that. I assume the police would insist on checking out the wall. I think Thriller is darker than The Twilight Zone too, but not much darker than The Alfred Hitchcock Hour/Alfred Hitchcock Presents. I do think Thriller was a lot more serious than the Hitchcock shows.

    I read some online rumors that Alfred Hitchcock used his influence to get Thriller cancelled. Other people say Thriller's ratings weren't high enough. It's hard to believe that Thriller had low ratings, but then some of my favorite shows have had low ratings!

    Squire Moloch was a far scarier character than the actual devil in The Devil's Ticket! The Devil in The Devil's Ticket was of the more crafty, charming, classic variety. Seeing Squire Moloch is just terrifying. I was surprised that the artist didn't manage to sneak out of his deal with The Devil too! I ended up just being relieved for his wife's fate.

    I haven't watched Papa Benjamin yet. OK, I know what you mean. This way I won't be too disappointed at the rest of it. Some stories are like that - lots of action at the beginning and then a lot of predictable events until the end. I'll let you know what I think of these as I watch them!

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    1. Yes, I would be interested in hearing what you think of these episodes!

      You might also find "Knock Three-One-Two" disturbing like A Good Imagination. I know I thought it was horribly sinister.

      Yes, that's what has made Thriller so interesting for me - because I really haven't seen it! It was only on rarely when I was a kid and never regularly scheduled. The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents were on every week so I'm pretty familiar with them.

      Way back when, most people. not being horror fans, would fail to grasp the novelty of a Boris Karloff hosted show - unlike me who would relish the extra coolness.

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