Ghost Story: The Complete Series (1972-1973) [2012]
6xDVD9 | VIDEO_TS | NTSC 4:3 | 1170 min | 44 Gb
Audio: English AC3 2.0 @ 192 Kbps | Subtitles: None
Genre: Thriller, Suspense
6xDVD9 | VIDEO_TS | NTSC 4:3 | 1170 min | 44 Gb
Audio: English AC3 2.0 @ 192 Kbps | Subtitles: None
Genre: Thriller, Suspense
Horror movie maestro William Castle (The Tingler) followed his role model Alfred Hitchcock into TV with this anthology series of suspense and shudders, though he ceded the hosting chores to Sebastian Cabot (TV’s “Family Affair”) as “Winston Essex” for the first part of the series. A mid-season name change (to “Circle of Fear”) and a no-host format were intended to boost ratings, but this quirky, chilling and fascinating series only lasted one season. All 23 hour-long episodes are included with outstanding guest stars like Jason Robards, Helen Hayes, Melvyn Douglas, Gena Rowlands, Jodie Foster, Angie Dickinson, Geraldine Page, Patricia Neal, Martin Sheen, Stella Stevens, Karen Black, Rip Torn, Carolyn Jones, Mariette Hartley, William Windom and many, many more, this a must-have for lovers of thrillers and classic television alike!
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Alfred Hitchcock was a master of horror in many classic films throughout the 20th century, and in the '50s, he brought his mastery to television with his series, Alfred Hitchcock Presents. But he was far from the only master of horror. William Castle, while not nearly as well-known as Hitchcock (and producing very few movies which would have been called successful at the time) followed in the footsteps of Hitchcock in 1972 with his own series, Ghost Story. Produced by Screen Gems (and one of the final series to ever be produced by the iconic television studio before they officially became Columbia Pictures Television), Ghost Story was an hour long anthology series full of suspense and shudders, hosted by Winston Essex (played by Sebastian Cabot, who had previously played Mr. French on TV's Family Affair).
It was a great series, full of great stories and great guest stars, but the ratings simply weren't that good for NBC. In an effort to save the series, Castle made some changes to the series after the fourteenth episode, by retitling the series to Circle of Fear and dropping the hosting segments by Winston Essex. These changes were said to be what the studio wanted, but it wasn't enough, and nine episodes later, Ghost Story (or technically, Circle of Fear as it was known by now) was cancelled.
Since the series was cancelled in 1973, it has lived a little bit in syndication, primarily in the '80s when Columbia Pictures distributed just about every single Screen Gems program which ever existed through LBS Communications, but other than that, the series has largely sat in the vaults of Sony, until now, as Sony brings us this MOD offering of every episode of the series, beautifully remastered.
The series begins with the pilot episode, where a young family purchases a house located on the site where a young woman was unjustly hanged decades earlier. Jason Robards plays a forest ranger who can see into the future through his television in "The Dead We Leave Behind," but the program about his wife's accidental death may not be the program he wished to see. In "Bad Connection," a young woman (Karen Black) is getting warnings from her husband over the telephone… but did we mention he is dead? Carolyn Jones plays a woman who is trapped in a vacation home with its own personality in "The Summer House." In "Alter-Ego," a bored boy stuck in a wheelchair creates a double to keep him occupied, but that double creates much more trouble than expected.
Jodie Foster plays a deaf-mute girl who is used as a pawn by her grandfather to gain revenge against his family in "House of Evil." A college professor (Hal Linden) has a deep dark secret in "Elegy for a Vampire," and his students may just be the victims. In "Touch of Madness," a daughter learns that an inherited house from her mother who died in a mental institution may not be the best gift. Angie Dickinson plays a woman who is troubled by a dog who turns vicious after its master dies in "Creatures of the Canyon." The first version of the series ends with "Time of Terror," where a woman wakes up in a hotel room alone with no sign of her husband.
The second version of the series, Circle of Fear, begins with "Death's Head," where Janet Leigh plays the wife of a lawyer who is more interested in her husband's partner… but this is a horror series, so there is definitely a lot more to it than one may suspect. Martin Sheen plays a construction worker who finds a toy wooden horse which becomes something a little different in "Dark Vengeance." Susan Dey and Leif Garrett both guest star in "Doorway to Death," where a family moves in to a new apartment in San Francisco where there is, oddly enough, a cabin in the woods upstairs with an ax murderer. John Astin and Patty Duke play a couple in "The Graveyard Shift," where their unborn child appears to be threatened by ghosts (oddly enough, this episode aired three months before their child Mackenzie Astin was born… hmm…). It is great to be in organ donor, but in "Spare Parts," a man who believes his wife murdered him keeps those thoughts in his donated organs… and the recipients want revenge! The series ends with "The Phantom of Herald Square," where a woman is charmed by a man (David Soul), but also finds herself terrorized by an older man… and they may be more connected than she thinks.
The episodes on the set are reportedly unedited, and as can be seen from the runtimes, that is likely the case for most of them. There is, however, one notable issue on the pilot episode, "Ghost Story." The episode is just completely missing the closing credits. The reasoning behind this is unknown (UPDATE: A reader, Lee, has informed me that this episode originally aired on NBC as half of a "movie" with a completely unrelated second half, and that the closing credits were most likely not included because they included references to both parts), but it is worth noting that the pilot episode was not exactly the first episode of the only season of the series, but in fact, it aired separately in March 1972. The series did not begin airing regularly until September 1972. So, this may have something to do with why there aren't any closing credits. Also, every episode has the original Screen Gems logo at the end… except for the pilot, which, for some odd reason, as the Screen Gems logo at the BEGINNING of the episode. Runtime of each episode ~51 min.
The menus on the set are the typical bland Sony MOD menus, which just list the episode titles on the main menu and a Play All option with a bunch of old TVs in the background. They really should at least create something which doesn't intentionally look generic. There are no chapters within the episodes.
Honestly, considering how little airplay this series has gotten over the years, I expected the absolute worst quality for the video and audio… but that is not the case, at all! These episodes look fantastic, as if Sony has not only put forth some effort, but in fact substantial effort into cleaning up these episodes. Every episode (aside from perhaps the pilot) looks very crisp and clear. In fact, I could find very little of the typical grain and debris which I thought would be everywhere. The audio is a very loud and clear mono track, which is sufficient for the set. Unfortunately, the episodes are neither closed-captioned nor subtitled.
The set contains no special features, which is what we have come to expect for these MOD titles… particularly ones from Sony.
I am very pleased with the episodes on this set, and the quality of the episodes. It is just a shame, though, that Sony had to relegate this to a MOD title. This is a series that seems to have quite a following, and under different circumstances, it could have included some very nice special features and probably even had decent sales. Still, it is great that we even got this series at all, and I doubt that anybody would find anything to complain about with the episodes on the set. It certainly is no Alfred Hitchcock Presents or The Twilight Zone, but it is still a great show in its own right, and fans of series like this will want to have it in their collection alongside those. But remember, none of it is real, because there is no such thing as ghosts, and "I don't believe in ghosts… do you?"
DISC ONE (03:21:40, 7,72 Gb):
01. Ghost Story: The New House (1972)
02. The Dead We Leave Behind (1972)
03. The Concrete Captain (1972)
04. At the Cradle Foot (1972)
DISC TWO (03:32:30, 7,71 Gb):
05. Bad Connection (1972)
06. The Summer House (1972)
07. Alter-Ego (1972)
08. Half a Death (1972)
DISC THREE (03:23:51, 7,69 Gb):
09. Half a Death (1972)
10. Cry of the Cat (1972)
11. Elegy for a Vampire (1972)
12. Touch of Madness (1972)
DISC FOUR (03:22:22, 7,64 Gb):
13. Creatures of the Canyon (1972)
14. Time of Terror (1972)
15. Death's Head (1973)
16. Dark Vengeance (1973)
DISC FIFE (03:19:49, 7,56 Gb):
17: Earth, Air, Fire and Water (1973)
18. Doorway to Death (1973)
19. Legion of Demons (1973)
20. The Graveyard Shift (1973)
DISC SIX (02:30:08, 5,57 Gb):
21. Spare Parts (1973)
22. The Ghost of Potter's Field (1973)
23. The Phantom of Herald Square (1973)
Many Thanks to Original uploader.
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