Curapedi
I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.
Teddie Blake
The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
Myron Clemons
A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.
Guillelmina
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
Artimidor Federkiel
Never judge a book by its cover, and the same applies to TV programmes as well. Because what we've got here is not so much thriller fare in the traditional sense - this only applies to the early and mostly poor episodes of this 60s anthology series. From then on pure Gothic horror reigns, it's all about magic, mystery and supernatural happenings at their very best, typical thriller stuff just makes up the seasoning for the remainder of the show. And as a real treat it's all hosted by the great Boris "Frankenstein" Karloff himself, horror icon of the first hour - back then in the 30s, the golden age of horror, when Universal invented the monster movie. Karloff is also the reason why executives eventually went for the U-turn and gave the audience what they really wanted: sinister suspenseful drama in haunted castles, dubious figures crossing foggy moors, cemeteries that become alive, strange encounters in spooky old houses, skeletons in the closet all inclusive. Monsters, wizards, witches, ghosts, murderers, demons, even the devil and the grim reaper have gathered to send some shivers down your spine... The whole package comes in crisp black and white cinematography, complete with eerie shadows, thunder and lightning, and it's all about mood and atmosphere.With all these tasty ingredients for an exquisite horror show at hand the likable grandfatherly Karloff himself isn't satisfied with just presenting, but joins the cast on several occasions. With him on the show starring in several episodes is one of the greatest unsung villains in film history, Henry Daniell, among other things in an unforgettable pairing with Ted "(Addams Family's) Lurch" Cassidy, also William Shatner shines twice, as does John Carradine, and there's always the character actor in perfection Edward Andrews to name just a few prime examples of audience favorites. In short: "Thriller" became a show inspired by the fans of classic horror, with everything that represents it, as is also made clear by listing some writing credits: Robert Bloch ("Psycho") contributes no less than ten episodes, there's Cornell Woolrich ("Rear Window") in the mix, Richard Matheson and Charles Beaumont (both writers along with Serling on the "Twilight Zone"). Furthermore included are adaptations of classic Poe tales or e.g. another version of James M. Cain's classic "Double Indemnity". Head musician of the show and thus crucial for sustaining atmosphere is no other than the legendary Jerry Goldsmith in absolute top form. Sounds thrilling? It is! Guess in a way the title is not that misleading after all...
john CHANIK
I recall an episode about a mirror in an upper room of possibly a museum or antique store. People who went into that room never returned. A man and his wife went into the room to check out the mirror. The man noticed a spot in the upper left corner. The longer he watched the spot, the larger it grew. His wife wanted to leave the room, but the man just had to have another look. As he looked, the spot grew larger and took the form of the grim reaper. By the time he realized what he was seeing, it was too late. It took him and he was gone.I don't know if this was an episode of Thriller- does anybody remember it? Email me at chajb@comcast.net
danm99
Karloff's classic 60's 'Thriller' was a rare, haunting gem of some of the scariest horror stories, written by the best authors of the genre. It's 'trademark' was its logo lines that would come in and out before and after the commercial breaks.Veteran directors such as John Brahm ("Hangover Square") employed dark, baroque german expressionism to evoke a creepy, ominous mood of paranoia. Newcomer, Jerry "Alien" Goldsmith's eerie soundtracks were unsettling and morbidly effective. (Wish it was available on CD).Karloff's intros were congenial and sinister, and helped to set the stage for the truly suspenseful and frightening tales. He also appeared in a few episodes such as 'Premature Burial', 'Last of the Sommerviles' (with Martita Hunt from "Brides of Dracula") and 'Incredible Dr. Markeson' with Dick "Bewitched" York. The zombies and dank atmosphere of 'Markesan' seemed like a pre-cursor to "Night of the Living Dead." Ending was truly terrifying.A pre-Kirk William Shatner appeared in two outstanding episodes; 'The Hungry Glass' with Russell "professor" Johnson and 'The Grim Reaper with Natalie "Lovey" Shaffer. Both were written by Robert "Psycho" Bloch and were genuine supernatural classics.Robert Arthur wrote 'Prisoner in the Mirror' where researcher Lloyd Bochner ends up trapped in a mirror by evil magician Henry "The Body Snatcher" Daniell. The conclusion was unexpected and quite disturbing - something Hollywood would never have the balls to do today with all its "play it safe" and PC crap.Feminists may find it interesting to know that THRILLER was one of the first shows that had a woman director. It was Ida Lupino, who did a marvelous job on superb episodes like 'La Strega'; that featured a pre-Bond Ursula Andress and Jeanette "The Big Heat" Nolan, who convincingly played the most horrifying witch imaginable. Had a very hard-hitting surprise ending that was not easily forgotton.Mz. Lupino also created Hitchcockian suspense in Cornell "Rear Window" Woolrich's 'Guilotine', which has a true kicker ending. Fine performance from Robert Middleton as the sensitive romantically jilted executioner.'Trio for Terror' was another great Lupino-entry which was a trilogy of three short horror tales; among them, "The Extra Passenger" which had the chilling atmosphere of J. Tourneau's "Curse of the Demon." Clever use of subtlety, which we no longer have today.John "One Step Beyond" Newland directed Robert E. Howard's 'Pigeons from Hell' with Brandon De Wilde, who, with his young brother, spend a memorable night in a old run-down southern mansion. A true terrifying classic and a masterpiece of atmosphere.There were many more exceptional episodes that need to be re-discovered due to their great, timeless classic merits.THRILLER was a genuine one-of-a-kind show, and a soaring tribute to the horror genre. There were also many memorable crime episodes that are worth your attention as well; written by top people such as John D. MacDonald ("Cape Fear"), Lionel White ("The Killing"), Fredric Brown, Philip McDonald; etc. Some of the darkest film noir with the most downbeat of endings. Also, there were occasions where episodes would do a criss-cross of the crime and horror genres to great suspenseful effect.Make it a top priority to check out this remarkable classic series which Stephen King also had the highest praise for.THRILLER was (and still is) the best of its kind. Needs a revival and full DVD release. Check the thread on the 'Classic TV' message board.
daler218
Amazing how many of you remember the "Hungry Glass" episode. I was only about 9 years old at the time, and still vividly remember it as the scariest TV show I ever saw. What astounds me is that, with all the cable channels and all the JUNK programmed on them, they don't seem to find a slot to rerun these Thriller classics. It's a shame.