Sara Karloff Thrilled About Thriller
Steve Barton
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August 31st is a day that fans of classic horror have been awaiting for what seems like forever. On that day Image Entertainment will release the Boris Karloff hosted anthology series “Thriller” on DVD fully remastered and brimming with bells and whistles. To celebrate this momentous occasion, we sat down with Boris’ daughter, Sara Karloff, to talk about her dad, the series, and more.
“I am so delighted that ‘Thriller’ is finally being released in a proper format and beautifully redone,” says Karloff. “The fans have been clamoring for years for this series to be re-released, and I couldn’t be more thrilled that they’re going to get it. Image Entertainment has done a superb job in terms of how much care has gone into this package, and I know that the fans will not be disappointed in any way, shape, or form.”
Adds Sara, “The set is just going to be beautiful. For years I’ve been getting e-mails and phone calls, and even at shows when I am making personal appearances, people have been asking me, ‘When is it going to come out?’ It’s been way too long of a wait, but I’m delighted to say that the wait is just about over.”
“I think that this release will open up my father’s work to a whole new generation of fans,” Sara continues. “It had originally aired during a time when we already had ‘Alfred Hitchcock Presents’ and of course ‘The Twilight Zone’ so it got a little swallowed up. ‘Thriller’ is a wonderful compilation of talents. Writers like Robert Bloch and wonderful directors like Ida Lupino showcased their talent, and of course terrific actors of the time and today pitched in like Cloris Leachman, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Leslie Nielsen, William Shatner, and Richard Chamberlain. There were so many wonderful talents both in front of and behind the camera. It really was an incredible marriage of talents. Some of the episodes even went on to become either specials on TV or even series on TV like ‘Robert Bloch’s Dark Room’. The material was just great. Really, I couldn’t be happier that it is about to be discovered again.”
Pertaining to her father, Karloff said, “My dad was really having fun. He didn’t just walk through the introductions either. He knew the material of each episode that he was introducing, and he really enjoyed having something new each week in store for the audience. He just loved working, and he loved this series. He especially loved starring in several of the episodes, and he enjoyed the actors that he got to work with. He was so disappointed when it got canceled despite its popularity at the time.”
“My dad was a consummate professional, and he loved seeing the business get furthered, Sara says, wrapping up. “He was really into progress, and in 1949 he moved from Hollywood to New York to embrace the then new medium of television. That’s something that very few ‘movies stars’ back then would even think of doing. My father would certainly be open to anything that moved the industry ahead without damaging its integrity, and I think he’d really favor today’s DVD technology. The supplemental information given to the audience certainly adds to the enjoyment of the final product, and it’s something both my father and I consider very worthwhile.”
That being said … we can tell you first hand that this set is amazing as we’re going through it right now. Look for a full review soon.
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