Anthology TV's Classic Frights
By Eric Grigs | October 20, 2023
If you’re like me, picking a new TV show to start watching feels daunting. If something has caught my interest, I’ll wait until I know it’s been renewed for a few seasons before committing. This saves myself the disappointment of a sudden and shocking cancellation when I’ve already become invested. On the flip side, I also get overwhelmed if I’m beginning an adventure which feels like I’ve got a long list of episodes ahead of me to slog through.
One refreshing way to overcome the “what should we watch next” paralysis: take a break from serialized television and explore anthology shows. In the days of “classic” TV during the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s, stand-alone shows were much more common—and not just for scary stuff. (Anyone up for a Zane Grey Theater western?) The recent successes of Black Mirror and American Horror Story are encouraging signs that this format might make a bigger comeback soon.
Probably the two best-known examples of the genre are Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Twilight Zone. Perfect bite-sized, half-hour storytelling. A rotating feast of well-known actors. Top-notch writing. Small time commitment, big time reward.
In adding to my Halloween-month watchlist, I’ve searched out some of the best anthologies suited for spooky season viewing. One-off mysteries and thrillers pair perfectly with a dark and chilly night. Below are my personal top three recommendations, along with some other essential favorites and a few skeletons in the closet: lesser known and somewhat forgotten one-season late night frights that still hold up today.
Thriller
Running for two seasons from 1960 - 1962, at the time it was considered one of the most frightening shows created for television. Boris Karloff hosts the hour-long stories, and in the first few episodes, they are mainly crime dramas and suspense stories. Later in its run, it embraced more macabre plotlines.
Among the familiar faces: Mary Tyler Moore, Leslie Nielsen, Cloris Leachman, and Elizabeth Montgomery.
Recommended viewing: In one of the most unlikely pairings, William Shatner (Captain Kirk from Star Trek) and Natalie Schafer (Mrs. Howell from Gilligan’s Island) are a delight together in “The Grim Reaper.” An aged actress buys a cursed painting and soon learns all of its former owners have died violently! What fate awaits her now?
Legacy: Sharing its name, there was also a Thriller anthology series focusing on supernatural and suspense stories that ran in the UK from 1973 - 1976. Helen Mirren and Donna Mills were among the famous stars appearing (and disappearing!) during its broadcast.
Night Gallery
For three seasons from 1969 - 1973, Rod Serling followed up The Twilight Zone with the less successful Night Gallery, which featured tales of horror as illustrated by various pieces of art. Serling’s signature introductions warned us that each painting “captures on a canvas, suspended in time and space, a frozen moment of a nightmare.”
Among the familiar faces: Ossie Davis, Sandra Dee, Bill Bixby, Adam West, and Patty Duke.
Recommended viewing: Among the pilot episode’s offerings is a story helmed by a young Steven Spielberg in his directorial debut. The segment also features one of the last onscreen performances by Joan Crawford. She plays a rich, blind woman who gets a new pair of eyes, allowing her to see for a few brief moments—before her regained vision is ruined by an ironic twist of fate!
Plus, check out the first-season episode “They're Tearing Down Tim Riley’s Bar,” which received an Emmy nomination.
Ghost Story (Circle of Fear)
As soon as I heard there was a 1970s series of little horror teleplays produced by that ghoulish trickster William Castle, I was sold. When it was labeled Ghost Story in the first half of its singular season, Sebastian Cabot held the honor of presenting the episodes, as your host Winston Essex, from his mystery hotel.
Among the familiar faces: Alice Ghostley, Jodie Foster, Tyne Daly, John Astin, and Karen Black.
Recommended viewing: The pilot “The New House” starts strong with an unnerving story about a young couple who unknowingly buy a home that’s haunted by a young woman who was hanged at that spot years ago! My personal favorite is “Alter-Ego,” featuring Hollywood legend Helen Hayes, playing a schoolteacher terrorized by one of her students with a split personality, ready to send her to an early grave! I also got legit chills from “Doorway to Death,” starring a young Susan Dey as Peggy, whose family moves into a new apartment in San Francisco. When her younger sister starts talking about “the man upstairs,” strange noises lead to a portal behind one of the room’s doors. There, a man is chopping wood outside a cabin in the winter, beckoning them to come inside.
More to explore:
Tales from the Darkside
Created by horror legend George Romero, this scary series ran four seasons in syndication. Many of the self-contained episodes, which include fantasy elements as well as horror, ended in a plot twist. (Take that, M. Night Shyamalan!) Unlike the other entries on this list, the omniscient narrator is not seen (performed by Paul Sparer, and written by Romero).
Recommended viewing: Pick up the complete series DVD and you’ll be treated to two unaired episodes: “Akhbar’s Daughter” and “Attic Suite.”
Tales from the Crypt
We can thank HBO for giving us seven seasons and nearly 100 episodes of horror tales based off of the beloved comic book brand. But more than that, we can thank them for introducing the Cryptkeeper puppet into pop culture, voiced by John Kassir with pun-laden commentary. (I’m 100% sure you’re hearing that piercing laugh in your head as you read that sentence.) And because it was premium cable, the other anthologies mentioned can’t hold a flickering candle to the violence, profanity, and nudity featured in this show. Weirdly, and disappointingly, Tales from the Crypt is not available for streaming on Max due to licensing issues.
Among the familiar faces: Margot Kidder, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Benicio Del Toro, Isaac Hayes, Isabella Rossellini, and Whoopi Goldberg.
Ray Bradbury Theater
For six seasons in the ’80s and early ’90s, the famed writer introduced his stories adapted for the small screen. From his office, he would share mementos supposedly collected over the course of his life, telling the viewer they provide the sparks of imagination which lead to the tales we are about to watch.
Among the familiar faces: Eileen Brennan, Peter O'Toole, Jeff Goldblum, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Lawless, Robert Culp, and Elliott Gould.
Chillers
A new decade of horror begins with this 1990 show based on Patricia Highsmith’s stories. Over twelve episodes, host Anthony Perkins tells us about the sinister side of human nature.
Among the familiar faces: Ian McShane, Tuesday Weld, and Bill Nighy.
Joan Crawford in Night Gallery.
This list, of course, is only the beginning of a dark rabbit hole. There are plenty more to explore! Feeling nostalgic for some childhood frights? Queue up 1996’s Goosebumps. Want your thrills to have a more decidedly sci-fi bent? Try 1963’s The Outer Limits. But whatever you pick, don’t be scared to start anywhere, with any episode. Imagine being liberated from the chains of episodic TV tyranny. How sinister! How transgressive! If you like surprises, horror stories and TV anthology series are a match made in hell.
Eric Grigs is a pop culture writer, artist, and co-host of the Pop Trash Podcast.