Boris Karloff's Thriller--is it really a chiller?

[jimm]

I'm enjoying it. Great to view an old horror series for the first time, hosted by Boris!

[Monsters For Sale]

It was definitley creepy standard fare for its time.

Remember, these were the years when "The Donna Reed Show" and "Leave It To Beaver" were in prime time.

[Haunted hearse]

Well, if a 1913 Model T Ford is still being held up as the best car ever produced in America, then you've hit the nail right on the head. Thriller may have "scarred" (I think you meant scared) people in 1962, but there's no way it's the most horrifying show ever produced for American television. It's mildly atmospheric, long on talk, and very short on the scare factor. A handful of episodes do not a "scariest series ever" make, no matter how you cut it.

Loving this for nostalgia reasons is great, but in order to be called the "scariest show on television," it has to compete with every show before and after. Maybe in 1961 or 62, it was the scariest show. But there have been many more since then that frightened me more, and on a consistent--not just a handful--basis.

Rod

I would advise you to turn off the TV every time a commercial comes on.  If a Twilight fan tells me that Edward Cullen is the most awesome vampire ever, that wouldn't make me change my opinion about Bela Lugosi, or Christopher Lee.  Hey Yendor, did I ever mention that Keaneau Reeves is the most super awesome actor who has ever performed?

[yendor1152]

I would advise you to turn off the TV every time a commercial comes on.  If a Twilight fan tells me that Edward Cullen is the most awesome vampire ever, that wouldn't make me change my opinion about Bela Lugosi, or Christopher Lee.  Hey Yendor, did I ever mention that Keaneau Reeves is the most super awesome actor who has ever performed?

You're either being obtuse, incapable of grasping my point, or looking for an argument. Thriller is universally recognized as being the "scariest show on network television ever." It's still being labelled that way. Pundits have said it. Critics have said it. Horror authorities, like Stephen King, have said it. As far as I know, no one has ever said Keanu Reeves is the "most super awesome actor who has ever performed" except you. And fans who claim "Edward Cullen is the most awesome vampire ever" are just that, fans. They're not Stephen King, historical critics and pundits.

Most people accept the notion that The Exorcist is the "scariest movie ever made." While others might disagree with that assessment, the film is still touted that way in books, on websites, and even in movie advertisting ("more shocking than The Exorcist! More Frightening than the Exorcist" - take your pick). The Exorcist delivers its horror in buckets. Thriller has yet to deliver any horror in the dozen or so episodes I've seen. In two seasons, how many episodes are considered true horror classics? A handful of great, scary episodes do NOT qualify a series as the most horrifing in television history. Thriller lost that title just a year or so later, when The Outer Limits premiered.

Rod   

[Illoman]

Rod, I understand what you're saying, and opinions are just that: opinions. Whether it's Stephen King or Joe Blow different things are observed differently by folks. I personally have not seen Thriller touted the way you have seen it. Until I got the box set I had only seen a handful of episodes. I've seen it referred to here and there throughout the years but not as the "scariest show on network television ever". I'm not doubting what you've read or seen, I'm just saying that hasn't been the case with me. I've read Danse Macabre by King but do not recall if it talks about Thriller or not. All I know is I enjoy the show and will continue watching it.

[yendor1152]

I'm glad you like the show. I WANTED to like the show, too. In fact, I was overjoyed to learn that MeTV was running Thriller, and that I'd finally get to watch it without having to spend big bucks on the entire DVD set. Now I'm also overjoyed that I waited. And rest assured, anyone who knows anything about Thriller knows that it's always been touted as the most horrifying show on television. Case in point...

Here's a quote from a Thriller episode guide on the web:

"During the years since its original run, the series garnered a huge base of fans from all over the world, some of whom are themselves big names in the horror subculture. Indeed, in his non-fiction book on the horror genre, Danse Macabre, even horror-meister Stephen King calls Thriller "the best horror series ever put on TV.""

Rod

[Illoman]

I'm glad you like the show. I WANTED to like the show, too. In fact, I was overjoyed to learn that MeTV was running Thriller, and that I'd finally get to watch it without having to spend big bucks on the entire DVD set. Now I'm also overjoyed that I waited. And rest assured, anyone who knows anything about Thriller knows that it's always been touted as the most horrifying show on television. Case in point...

Here's a quote from a Thriller episode guide on the web:

"During the years since its original run, the series garnered a huge base of fans from all over the world, some of whom are themselves big names in the horror subculture. Indeed, in his non-fiction book on the horror genre, Danse Macabre, even horror-meister Stephen King calls Thriller "the best horror series ever put on TV.""

Rod

Well, not to split hairs but calling it "the best horror series" is a far cry from "scariest network series ever". "Best" is a relative term which could mean acting, directing, writing, etc. And I would agree it's a "horror series" because of the subject matter. Although it did have dark comedy as well at times.

This has been an interesting discussion. Case in point: my daughters think all Will Ferrell movies are hilarious. I have yet to see one I can actually sit through except Elf. I just don't find the man that funny. Or Ben Stiller for that matter. I just don't find the man's humor all that funny. Give me the Marx Brothers or Laurel and Hardy any day. Different people perceive things differently.

[Haunted hearse]

You're either being obtuse, incapable of grasping my point, or looking for an argument. Thriller is universally recognized as being the "scariest show on network television ever." It's still being labelled that way. Pundits have said it. Critics have said it. Horror authorities, like Stephen King, have said it. As far as I know, no one has ever said Keanu Reeves is the "most super awesome actor who has ever performed" except you. And fans who claim "Edward Cullen is the most awesome vampire ever" are just that, fans. They're not Stephen King, historical critics and pundits.

Most people accept the notion that The Exorcist is the "scariest movie ever made." While others might disagree with that assessment, the film is still touted that way in books, on websites, and even in movie advertising ("more shocking than The Exorcist! More Frightening than the Exorcist" - take your pick). The Exorcist delivers its horror in buckets. Thriller has yet to deliver any horror in the dozen or so episodes I've seen. In two seasons, how many episodes are considered true horror classics? A handful of great, scary episodes do NOT qualify a series as the most horrifying in television history. Thriller lost that title just a year or so later, when The Outer Limits premiered.

Rod

You have made it clear that there are opinions you disagree with.    All opinions have validity, to the person making that point.  There are a number of people who now say Citizen Kane is no longer the greatest film ever made.  Me?  I love Citizen Kane, but I never thought it was the greatest film ever, despite being told by knowlegable critics that it was.   I think Thriller is a great series, and I honestly don't care who agrees or disagrees with that opinion.

[Haunted hearse]

As far as I know, no one has ever said Keanu Reeves is the "most super awesome actor who has ever performed" except you. And fans who claim "Edward Cullen is the most awesome vampire ever" are just that, fans. They're not Stephen King, historical critics and pundits.

Rod

What I said about Keanu Reeves should have told you I was making an absurd statement, when I called Keanu Reeves an actor.   The Biltmore Mansion has appeared in a number of films, and no one has ever accused that mansion of being an actor.

[Mord]

Wait a minute....Keanu Reeves ISN'T the most super awesome actor who has ever performed? Now I'm really mad! Say what you want about "Thriller", but when you attack an American acting icon....you have gone too far, sir!

[Monster Kid]

My boss told me that "The Ghost of Frankenstein" still scares her as much as it did when she was a child seeing it in the theater back in the 1940s!   She is not a fan of horror movies of any year.  I mention this because some people today are going to be frightened of an episode of Thriller if they are not accustomed to horror, whether vintage or new.

Someone in another thread complained that Halloween has become sanitized and cute.  Could it be that some things remain frightening no matter what year?

[yendor1152]

My boss told me that "The Ghost of Frankenstein" still scares her as much as it did when she was a child seeing it in the theater back in the 1940s!   She is not a fan of horror movies of any year.  I mention this because some people today are going to be frightened of an episode of Thriller if they are not accustomed to horror, whether vintage or new.

Someone in another thread complained that Halloween has become sanitized and cute.  Could it be that some things remain frightening no matter what year?

I'm the one who mentioned Halloween becoming sanitized and cute in another thread.

But for THIS thread, apparently I'm not making myself very clear. It's not that "some people" think Thriller was scary for its time. Lots of people were scared spitless by the witch in the Wizard of Oz! But the witch in the Wizard of Oz or even The Ghost of Frankenstein aren't routinely cited as being the "most horrifying movie ever made." My entire point has to do with this conceived notion that Thriller is the be all and end all of horror shows on television--and not just for that period, but up to this point, as well. I've always assumed it to be true, since I heard and read it countless times over the years. But now that I'm actually watching the thing, I find it bland, talky, empty and far from thrilling or chilling. The Jar episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour is much more frightening and weird than anything I've seen on Thriller so far.

I'm anxious to watch Pigeons From Hell, since the story is one of my favorites and a truly frightening tale! But I've a feeling Thriller's Pigeons from Hell will be but a pale imitation, that the old zuvumble woman will just look like an old woman, that the sense of unease and horror will be missing, and that the hero will probably be some young bland actor who never once registers the extreme fear the main character felt in the story. And "The Hungry Glass," another episode I've never seen but comes highly recommended as "fright inducing" will just be another haunted house story with ghosts beckoning people into mirrors or windows or whatever. Horrifying? No. Interesting? Maybe.

Rod

[Scatter]

To me, the most horrifying and consistently scary show on television ever is The Outer Limits. Nothing can beat it. The music, which they used in every episode, is incredible. Majestic, even. The monsters are cool even by today's standards, and the great mixture of dramatics with truly frightening moments is masterful. By comparison, Thriller is a dud. A bore.

Rod

This. Right there. The Gospel. Outer Limits is the most underrated TV show of its genre in history.

[Haunted hearse]

I'm glad you like the show. I WANTED to like the show, too. In fact, I was overjoyed to learn that MeTV was running Thriller, and that I'd finally get to watch it without having to spend big bucks on the entire DVD set. Now I'm also overjoyed that I waited. And rest assured, anyone who knows anything about Thriller knows that it's always been touted as the most horrifying show on television. Case in point...

Here's a quote from a Thriller episode guide on the web:

"During the years since its original run, the series garnered a huge base of fans from all over the world, some of whom are themselves big names in the horror subculture. Indeed, in his non-fiction book on the horror genre, Danse Macabre, even horror-meister Stephen King calls Thriller "the best horror series ever put on TV.""

Rod

Stephen King also complained that Kubrick didn't do justice to his book "The Shinning".   So how many people prefer the "official" made for television mini-series based on the same literary work?  I realize that it's difficult not to accept as gospel the judgement of the same genius who suggested that McDonaldland was a evil trap for children that was ruled over by a spider that appeared to children as a friendly clown, or gave us the modern cinematic classic "Maximum Overdrive".

[yendor1152]

So, now you're saying (with a straight face, I assume) that Stephen King's opinion doesn't count. He's only the most successful writer of horror fiction in the history of writing. Oookay.

By the way, "The Shinning" was on The Simpsons. I assume you mean "The Shining." And while it's true that King complained about what Kubrick did to his book, he wasn't a voice in the wilderness. When the film was released in 1980, there was a great hue and cry that the film wasn't true to King's original book, and it's isn't. The ending's completely different, for example. And Jack used a rocquet mallet in the book, not an axe. An axe is so, well, cliche, in my opinion. The TV version may have been more faithful to the book, but even that veered off into new territory. Plus, the casting was decidedly low-rent compared to a Kubrick production. But whatever the case, King was right on the nosey when he complained about what Kubrick did to the book.

Besides, all of that is really moot, since it's not only King who considers Thriller the "most horrifying" television series in the history of television. I've routintely read that elsewhere.

And I'm curious. I mentioned Pigeons From Hell and The Hungry Glass. Is the zuvumbie a horrifying creature? Or merely an old hag? And is the main character a frightened to the core young man or someone who looks like he stepped off a college campus, circa 1962? As for The Hungry Glass, are there shots of people being beckoned into mirrors and windows?  I've neer seen either one of these, but I have the distinct impression they're both rather anemic.