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This frightfully fascinating set chronicles the history of movie horror from the earliest experimental chillers through the unforgettable “golden age of movie monsters“ and on through today’s graphic horror films in 26 horrific, half-hour shows. Hosted by Christopher Lee, the screen’s legendary King of Horror, the series features appearances by Robert De Niro, Jamie Lee Curtis, Hugh Hefner, Charlton Heston, Kenneth Branagh, Joe Dante, and many more. Also featured are rare interviews with Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, and Claude Rains. Included as a special bonus are never-before-seen interviews with the friends and families of the legendary names of horror such as Bela Lugosi, Jr.; Boris Karloff’s daughter, Sarah Karloff; Claude Rains’ daughter, Jessica Rains, and more. The collection also includes chilling scenes from such classics as Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Mummy, The Phantom Of The Opera, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Creature From The Black Lagoon, and The Invasion of the Body Snatchers as well as more recent chillers such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Halloween, Poltergeist, and The Haunting. Plus home movies from the sets of horror classics, outtakes, screen tests, previously “lost“ films, and other exciting surprises. Easily the most interesting and informative horror chronology ever assembled. Dracula and His Disciples - There’s more to Dracula than just Bela Lugosi, as the cinema’s various incarnations of the carnal count are examined. Blood-Drinking Beings - Dracula wasn’t the only blood-sucker immortalized on film. Here is some of his “competition.“ Frankenstein’s Friends - Karloff’s career was defined by his sympathetic portrayal of “the monster,“ but others took on this challenging role over the years. This fascinating installment tells the story behind Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s timeless tale. Baron Frankenstein - Hammer Films “reanimated“ the Frankenstein franchise in the 1950s with its terrifying teaming of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee as doctor and “patient.“ Take a look at how this classic story changed in the ’50s, ’60s - and beyond. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale of good and evil has been a filmic favorite since early silent days. Various portrayals of the dual doctor are examined. Werewolves - Of course there’s Lon Chaney Jr. as The Wolf Man, but other films have featured werewolves in surprising ways over the years. Bela Lugosi - Lugosi was much more than Count Dracula, as you’ll see in this fascinating salute to this complex Hungarian actor. Boris Karloff - Perhaps horror’s greatest star, Karloff, of course, played the Frankenstein monster. But there’s so much more to tell. Here’s an affectionate look at this cultured Englishman. Ghosts - Nothing like a good ghost story - except a century’s worth of films filled with more ghost stories! Phantoms - Lon Chaney Sr. was the original Phantom of the Opera, but there have been other notable portrayals - and other notable phantoms! Witches - Witches have been a favorite of fairy tales - and fright films - for centuries. Here’s a wicked look at a coven’s worth of portrayals. Demons - More than just the Devil (although The Prince of Darkness has certainly figured into quite a few motion pictures), demons have been a mainstay of horror films since the silent days. Mutants - Abominable snowmen, mole people, creatures from black lagoons. All these half-human/half-beast “hybrids“ are here - and more!
