By
Kristin Battestella
In
1961, Boris Karloff returned as host for Year Two of the spooky and
suspenseful anthology series Thriller. With
30 episodes a season, the mixed focus on scares and scandal runs thin
at times. However, several thrilling and frightful gems –with a few
from Big K himself – keep this season entertaining.
Disc
One of Thriller's Second Year
opens with an ill wife, an easy to suspect a husband, and
pretty younger sister in “What Beckoning Ghost?” Directed by Ida
Lupino (The Hitch-Hiker), the suspense, coffins, premonitions,
wills, and funerary wreaths escalate the gaslighting versus
supernatural possibilities. Smart shadow placement and quality
editing on the toppers combine for a nice mix of both scary and crime
– a positive blend in the identity crisis that will continually
hampered Thriller. Also directed by Lupino and adapted by
Charles Beaumont (The Twilight Zone), “Guillotine” sets
the French flavor with slicing practice, dark prisons, and jingling
shackles. The delicious intro from Karloff, crimes of passion,
simmering pace, and seduction anchor the sinister poisons versus
ticking clock executions. Although the plot boils down to a
straightforward crime, the unique period piece tone and final twists
make up the difference, and “The Premature Burial” ups Thriller
in full on, macabre Poe
fashion. Boris himself is involved with this dreary Victorian tale,
its elaborate tombs, questionable deaths, and catalepsy – and this
episode aired before the release of the 1962 Roger Corman film
adaptation. The larger than usual cast, great costumes, and fancy
sets add to the deceit, unfaithfulness, and obsession while the black
and white accents the morbid fail safes, bells, turnabouts, and
demented performances. More statues and fortune tellers highlight
“The Weird Tailor,” written by Robert Bloch (Psycho) and
also later adapted in the 1972 Amicus anthology film Asylum.
The deadly sorcery mistakes here can't be amended, but the special
eponymous request leads to marital dysfunction, one unusual sewing
dummy, and fine social drama amid the occult intensity.
Elizabeth
Montgomery (Bewitched), Tom Poston (Newhart), and John
Carradine (Bluebeard) start off Disc Two with the
lighthearted, perfect for Halloween farce “Masquerade.” From a
writer on a honeymoon and a stormy night breakdown to ominous music,
the Psycho house setting the scene, and rumors of vampires
afoot – even Karloff's introduction is unabashedly in on the spooky
winks, tongue in cheek tone, and self aware repartee. Maybe the
vampire cliches are too hammy for some viewers expecting true scares,
but fortunately, the haunted house kooky and maze like bizarre
contribute to a delightful kicker! “The Last of the Sommervilles”
– again directed and also written by that oft Thriller gal
Ida Lupino – has hastily buried bodies as garden fertilizer as well
as Karloff once again making a slick appearance alongside Martita
Hunt (Anastasia). This
greedy family has plenty of crazy aunts and hidden relations with
inheritance double crosses and Victorian irony. The actual murder how
tos are a little loose, but sinister bathtub suggestions and fine
interplay raise the suspense. Intense silhouettes, a bemusing score,
card game puns, and old ladies with binoculars make the crimes in “A
Third for Pinochle” all seem so quaint in this quid pro quo social
etiquette meets hatchets tale. The belittling frumpy wives and
unassuming killer neighbors ala The 'Burbs is
perhaps too similar to Season One's “A Good Imagination” also
starring Edward Andrews (Sixteen Candles),
however, there's enough whimsy to accent the hi-jinks while
thunderstorms, slamming windows, a spooky castle, dungeon cobwebs,
and great costumes up the scares in “The Closed Cabinet.” The
medieval riddles sound like nonsensical hyperbole, but the 1880
flair, disbelieving lineage, and a superb black and white mood add to
the ghostly beckoning, gothic dressings, and ye olde medieval
harmonies.
For
Disc Three of this Second Season, Thriller finally
caught on with the need for more in on the game Karloff and
serves up two tales both featuring Boris in different roles for
“Dialogues with Death.” Morgue slabs, afterlife questions,
skeptical reporters mocking the idea of asking the departed who
killed them – and that's the first half before more American Gothic
swamps, flooded mausoleums, and catalepsy. Thriller can
seems redundant or as if its running out of content with too many
family scares in a row, especially so if every episode had been this
kind of multi-plot variety, but writer Richard Matheson (The
Twilight Zone) picks up the slack with a crazy uncle and his
unusual internment requests in “The Return of Andrew Bentley.”
The shrill sounds effects are terrible, indeed, however, familiars,
necromancy, and occult warnings on tampering with the perimeters of
death add to the moody marital discord. Wow, Jo Van Fleet (Wild
River) looks so beautiful and evil alongside pup Bruce Dern (The
'Burbs) and the again suspicious John Carradine in “The
Remarkable Mrs. Hawk.” The quaint farm, cute piglets, weird whimsy,
and county fair gentility belies the ruthless thieves and deadly
rural. This toes the too goofy line, but there are some fun chess
battles had here. More creepy voices, shadows, nightmares, and a
noose start “An Attractive Family” before Leo G. Carroll
(Spellbound) and Robert Long (The Big Valley)
duel over crafty but thwarted spousal accidents that keep the
audience guessing to the end.
“Waxworks”
leads Disc Four with uncomfortably realistic designs and what you
think you see tricks setting the mood for another Robert Bloch tale.
The cops are trite, however French flavor adds to the Old World
atmosphere, double take scares, unexpected violence, and noir style –
making for another pleasing combination of the crime and paranormal
parents on Thriller. Ursula
Andress (Dr. No) looks
divine for “La Strega,” making the viewer care for the peasantry
even if the Italian setting is slightly stereotypical and somewhat
Spanish thanks to Ramon Novarro (Mata Hari)
and Alejandro Rey (The Flying Nun).
Once again director Ida Lupino builds an Old Country and foreign
horror feeling with witches, familiars, and a dangerous mix of
beauty, curses, and superstitions. Operatic orchestration accents the
romantic tragedy and inevitable pursuits that can't be outrun while
creepy crones ascend toward the camera with their dread
uninterrupted. More screams, black cats, and solitary perils elevate
the standard premise, understandable fears, and expected suspicions
in “The Storm.” Pesky cabbies and unheeded warnings escalate
toward frightful power outages, deadly downpours, animal knee jerks,
natural scares, and a fine topper. “A Wig for Miss Devore” begins
with past executions and fatal beauties before film within a film
aging starlets and movie magic deceptions featuring John Fiedler (The
Bob Newhart Show). It's
interesting to have seemingly contemporary talk of parts for 25 year
old fresh red heads only and a 38 year old has been who was finished
at 32 – a swift social commentary on desperate charms and Hollywood
extremes. Thriller is
on point when the crimes are supernatural, period set, or elevated
with more cultural dimension as in “The Hollow Watcher.”
Backwoods murder and Irish mail order brides lead nosy but fearful
townsfolk, local legends, and phantom vengeance with scandalous
touches and schemes compensating for anything that may appear comical
now. Besides, scarecrows are already disturbing enough, right? The
series peaks here with what may be the single best disc in the
complete Thriller collection.
Karloff's
final in character appearance in “The Incredible Doktor Markesan”
leads Disc Five with excellent slow, stilted moves and a sunken,
deathly veneer. Suspicious medical university secrets, a kitchen with
food so old its turned to dust, and inquisitive nephew Dick York
(Bewitched) accent the no
trespassing signs, old newspapers, and eerie meetings. Terrifically
terrifying makeup and music ala The Gentleman from Buffy
highlight this mix of murder and science, going for the scares as
Thriller should have done all
along. “Flowers of Evil” brings yet more ghoulishness with
skeletal props and Victorian flavor. How does one come into the
business of procuring bad luck bones to sell, anyway?
coughmurdercough. Though overlong in some spots, budding forensics,
cadavers, and dissection keep the gruesome mood afloat. Robert Bloch
pens the western set “Til Death Do Us Part” with a fortune
hunting undertaker in a town where the dead body business isn't what
it's cracked up to be. The comedic music is overdone, but the unique
setting, murderous intentions, and eloping in a horse drawn Hearst
are much more fun when played for the macabre bigamy gone bad. “The
Bride Who Died Twice” has torture, creepy Mexican generals, and
unwilling marital alliances with a wonderfully different setting,
epic music, and lovely costumes accenting the star crossed lovers and
corruption from director Ida Lupino. Despite the horrors of
revolution, fine cinematic flair, and all around period delightful,
ironically this strictly dramatic hour doesn't seem like it belongs
on Thriller. Fortunately,
Mary Tyler Moore sings Cole Porter in “Man of Mystery,”
setting a swanky, urbane feeling for this whodunit full of playboys,
money, secrets, and escalating obsessions, and Ida Lupino bows out
her Thriller directing on
Disc Six with sulfuric acid, animal trophies, timid librarians, iron
fisted new bosses, and play within a play winks for the dual femmes
in “The Lethal Ladies.”
Since
it took so long for Thriller
to
get its full on horror, it's tempting to give several pedestrian
episodes a free pass. As the spelling suggests, “God Grante that
She Lye Stille” serves up ye olde burning at the stake declarations
before more familiar moonlight curses almost pull off all the horror
stops. Unfortunately, the odd, interchangeable combination of witches
and vampires doesn't quite fire on all cylinders. The room to room
opening and closing doors in “Letter to a Lover” feel like an old
Scooby Doo
montage, complete with repetitive, nondescript country manor
suspicions, subservient minorities, subterfuge, and murder. Someone
even nearly says, “And I would have gotten away with it if it
weren't for you kids!” “Portrait without a Face” has a neat
premise, but John Newland (One
Step Beyond)
starts with a hammy Vincent Price imitation before one annoying,
cackling old lady and a slow double talk investigation that can't
fill up the 50 minute runtime. “Cousin Tundifer” repeats the
Edward Andrews humor and comical music, missing the teleportation and
topsy turvy time irony and opportunity on laughter and yet another
nephew trying to get rich while “Kill My Love” also rinse repeats
murder, adultery, and gas leaks. Young George Kennedy (Dallas)
can't save the obvious and disposable Burke and Hare plots of “The
Innocent Bystanders,” and as to the crooks and cops of “The
Specialists”...yawn. For such a short run, Thriller
over
relies on too many of the same witches, suspicious couples, amoral
families, murderers, and profiteers, and in retrospect, the series
seems reluctant to fully embrace its built in horror mantle. I
suppose mystery and adultery of the week were simply cheaper to film
than weekly macabre. That doesn't mean that the suspense and crime
episodes aren't entertaining – Thriller
provides
a little something for everyone across the spectrum from witty to
scary and everything in between. Through today's lense, however,
Thriller
appears to play it safe more often than it should.
Thankfully,
mid century furs, pearls, old technology, fedoras, cool cars, and
classy interiors add charm alongside somewhat simplistic but
atmospheric and fitting ghost effects – which were probably pretty
elaborate for a time when $3, a cup of coffee, or 20 cents a mile
paid the cab driver and real operators connected the phone line.
Thunder, lightning, fire, mirrors, and black and white ambiance
accent the 17th century through Victorian times. Again, it
probably wasn't cost prohibitive to always be period set, but more
mood and effort seems to grace the historical pieces, and those well
dressed interiors and gothic feelings carry Thriller regardless
of the time period onscreen. The series may not be as immediately
recognizable as The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits,
however, Thriller does
have a universally spooky atmosphere. Part of that may be Karloff's
lure, but he's still having a good time doing the
introductions, even occasionally getting into it with more spunk on
the weaker episodes – popping in amid the sets more like Serling
this season and quoting Shakespeare in the cemetery! Although the
soft voices and sometimes bombastic sounds on this Complete Thriller
series set are still
obnoxious, more fine Jerry Goldsmith scores add ambiance and can be
isolated on select episodes alongside commentaries and other treats.
This
second season lags across the middle discs, and a shorter season with
more Karloff would have been so sweet, but I'm happy Thriller
righted itself this year with a
more scary focus. I'd love to see the earlier Karloff series The
Veil for comparison, but
unfortunately, those sets appear incomplete, elusive, and unavailable
on Netflix. Today, a show like Thriller would have been
continuously tweaked into its short ruin with all half horror horrors
reaching for stunt casting guests and anything and everything
shocking in a desperate grab for ratings. Overall, Thriller's
attempt at a suspenseful and
scary middle ground is uneven and divisive, leaving audiences to skip
around the scary or pick and choose the scandal. However, I'm glad
the series didn't cater to the lowest audience with cheap
horror, and thus, Thriller remains sophisticated fun be it
murder or macabre.
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