Chiller Theater Returns To WPIX (CW11)

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(Article From CW11 Web Site)

"CHILLER THEATRE RETURNS TO WPIX with A Special airing of “Tarantula” on October 25th"

CHILLLLLLER THEATRE RETURNS FROM THE DEAD! For the first time in over 25 years, Chiller Theatre is back on WPIX with the presentation of the 1955 pulp horror classic Tarantula at 8 pm on Saturday, October 25th.

Zacherley “The Cool Ghoul” (John Zacherle) and former host of Chiller Theatre in New York on WPIX (1963) will resurrect his alter-ego and host WPIX’s October 25 special. Plus, the 2 original opening: “Monster Montage” and the “The Six-Fingered Hand” along with Tarantula trivia will run as interstitials.

In the 1955 film, a lab experiment gone awry creates a massive 100-ft. spider that menaces a small Arizona desert town and satiates its bloodlust with cattle -- before moving on to human beings! Tarantula features an uncredited cameo by Clint Eastwood in one of his first ever on-screen appearances. Directed by Jack Arnold (“It Came From Outer Space,” “The Incredible Shrinking Man”) Tarantula is considered by many to be one of the best of its genre and even inspired composer Richard O'Brien to immortalize it in the Rocky Horror Picture Show. (From Science Fiction Double Feature: "I knew Leo G. Carroll, was over a barrel, when Tarantula took to the hills…")

“After our successful 60th anniversary celebration in June, WPIX received hundreds of requests for the return of Chiller Theatre. We are extremely excited to resurrect Chiller for our viewers with the special airing of “Tarantula,” said Betty Ellen Berlamino, WPIX/CW11 President and General Manager.

The original Chiller Theatre aired in all of its ghoulish glory on WPIX in 1961-1978 and again from 1980-1982.

Chiller Theatre:The Back Story...

Chiller Theatre was a Saturday night show on Channel 11 WPIX in that showed classic horror movies. It actually began on WPIX during 1961 and in 1963 included Zacherley ("The Cool Ghoul") as the on-air host. However, by 1965, Zacherley left the show and a new opening was created using a montage of clips from various 1950s sci-fi films. This montage of clips started with the classic scene from Plan 9 from Outer Space with Vampira coming out of the woods. Then, the clip from The Cyclops showing Actress Gloria Talbot just inside a cave looking at The Cyclops.

Various other clips continued throughout the montage, concluding with the classic "goof" from The Attack of the 50ft Woman with the alien from outer space, picking up one brand of car and then shown throwing a completely different brand of car into a ditch. Many baby boomers from this era growing up in the New York metro area, have said that this opening provided many nightmares and sleepless nights, forcing some to change the channel when this opening began.

The montage opening served until 1971 when a claymation six-fingered hand was used combined with an animated swamp (with an eerie looking dead tree along the side). The word "CHILLER" magically grows in clay out of the animated swamp. A six-fingered creature then swallows the letters and then it lets out a deep and roaring "CHILLLLLLLERRRRRRRRRRR!!!" This opening was used throughout the the remainder of the show's run. Combined with the eerie special effects, this was an equally memorable intro, along with the mid-1960's montage opening, among various Chiller Theatre fans.

The program usually aired at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday nights, but for a time in 1974 it was aired at 11:30 p.m. It went off the air at the end of 1978 and returned in early 1980 at 2:00 a.m. Sunday mornings. It was finally cancelled in 1982. The WPIX program showed very much the same classic horror and science fiction movies.

Since 1995 New Jersey has been the host of the Chiller Theater Convention, which has become one of the largest horror conventions in the eastern U.S.A.

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SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Don't forget to watch tonights WPIX/CW11 airing of "CHILLER THEATRE" and its showing of the movie "Tarantula" with Zacherly "The Cool Ghoul" as well as the 2 vintage Openings (The Original Monster Montage and the 6 Finger Hand). Pleasant Nightmares for everyone to follow.

[Stepjam 118]

I know I'm dating myself a bit, but if we can get Fox-5 (the old WNEW Metromedia 5) to resurrect "Creature Feature" at 8pm on Friday nights, TV will definitely take a giant cultural leap in the right direction.

I've taken to buying old TV series on DVD, because TV basically sucks. I just bought a VHS knock-off on DVD of "Ghost Story", which ran for a couple of seasons starting in 1972. Each episode opened with an intro by Sebastian Cabot in much the same way as Rod Serling opened "Night Gallery" and "The Twilight Zone." These shows were great!