Reader's Recollections

Reproduced here are extracts from just some of the hundreds of letters from people that I have received (plus a few competition entries), revealing how Thriller has made an indelible mark on viewers from all over the world in both English and non-English speaking countries. It is also clearly remembered fondly by both sexes, and several people have also commented that their young children are hooked on it too!

I have removed any personal information from these recollections; however if anyone objects to their remarks being reproduced here then please let me know and I will remove them.

My immense gratitude goes to everyone who has ever written a word of encouragement or thanks, and also to those who have written in to share valuable information with other readers. When I first joined the internet in 2000, there was barely any mention of the series anywhere, let alone any factual documentation. Now many tv websites are at last listing the programme in their guides, and lapsed fans everywhere are rediscovering this supposedly "forgotten" gem. And most importantly of all, the series is now being given a dvd release on three continents - a scenario that would have been utterly inconceivable only a few years ago.

I grew up in the 70's and remember looking forward to watching this with my Mom every week, we loved it. Sadly she's not here any more but I just know how many memories are going to come flooding back when I get these fantastic stories on DVD next year. I was a kid but I remember them being original, scary and very, very good. Your website is tremendous and I found it easily. Well done and thanks so much. Gabrielle H.

I'm a Thriller fan from Buenos Aires, Argentina. I would like to thank you for your marvellous website, which I've enjoyed so much. I've found it thanks to a British friend of mine, who help me to remember the name of the TV show after all these year. Thriller was aired in Argentina during the middle-late seventies and despite it was transmitted with the original music theme and "fisheye lens" titles, the name "Thriller" was wiped out and substituted for the Spanish one, TENSIÓN. The anthology always seemed a gem, one of the best British TV productions ever. It had a unique style and a subtle yet effective way to create different atmospheres and states of minds in the audience. I really loved it.
Carlos P.

I've just seen and been very impressed by the website - congratulations. It's been long overdue. I've been trying to get details on the series for years, but I feared it was just lost, given the apparent lack of interest on cult TV websites. When Laurie Johnson was spoken of, it was merely for The Avengers or This Is Your Life themes, but never for his finest moment, the signature to the greatest credits sequence in television history. I got the impression that I was the only person who remembered the programme. I think it's fair to say that my first exposure to Thriller (the "Possession" episode in April 1973) was a life-changing moment. I was 9 years old and my parents were too busy installing some "Ladderex" furniture to bother about me watching TV past 9 pm. It completely opened up my imagination. I was so enthusiastic that my parents were happy for me to watch subsequent episodes. It's good to see there is indeed still a following for a truly "cult" TV series. Again, congratulations. Alex

First can I say a very big thank you for all the hard work you have put into making your totally wonderful "Thriller" site? I began to think it was only me and my cousin who could remember "Thriller". We used to love watching it when we were about 9 years old in the 1970s. We loved the spooky theme tune! We always said it sounded like our church organist playing the piano and being pushed down the stairs at the same time :-) I managed to catch a couple of repeats on the old style "Bravo" on Sky but that began to think I would never see the show or hear that creepy music ever again. I did a search on Ebay and managed to get the two videos. Then I found your site :-) Wow! It is so interesting and very well laid out! The episode I remember best is "Sleepwalker". I have told people about the story but they always say "Mmm that sounds good but I NEVER saw it!" I began to think I had dreamed it!! Thanks for a great site. Can't wait until the DVD come out!
Paul T.

My name is Gonzalo, I'm fro Ecuador. Since I was a kid, I saw many chapters of this fantastic TV Series Thriller. Gonzalo J.

What a wonderful website and what a surprise to learn that two of my favorite suspense films (See No Evil , And Soon The Darkness) were penned by Brian Clemens ! I have only recently rediscovered Thriller and was am pleased to hear that it will be officially released in September of 2004. I still remember watching Thriller on late night television and being absolutely glued to the screen. Reading your synopses brings back such wonderful memories. Thank you !
Susan D.

Thanks for putting together a great 'THRILLER' website. I've been a long time fan of the series since it was first aired way back in 1973. Interestingly enough my most vivid memories of Thriller are of the opening titles - that strange "ball" effect gave me nightmares!!!!! Your wealth of information on your site led me to a film I'd not heard of before - 'And Soon The Darkness'. I rushed over to Virgin during my lunch break today to pick up the DVD - can't wait to get home and watch it tonight!
Kevin H.

Thanks for the brilliant 'Thriller' site - particularly worthwhile is the detailed listing for each episode. I desperately need to see this series again. I only got to see it on it's original run and I have strong memories of it, but only fragmented parts from various episodes. It was easily my favourite programme when it was shown, nothing since has matched it for suspense & eerie atmosphere. I was a teenager at the time and usually saw it while babysitting for neighbours, so I was in someone else's house & effectively 'alone'. This added to the unsettling feeling created by the programe. Keep up the good work. Like many others, it seems, I pray for the day that someone has the vision to release all available episodes on DVD.
Adrian T.

Although very young when Thriller started (I'm now 35) I've often thought of the series over the years.  I was a spoilt child to say the least and was always allowed to watch what I wanted, which included the fabulous Thriller. One episode stands out - "I'm The Girl He Wants to Kill". I found it absolutely terrifying and had nightmares for weeks after, I was convinced the killer was going to get hold of me somehow. Your website is truly a thriller!
Brenda J.

I had to e-mail you after I looked at your site devoted to Thriller. I love this series, I'm 31 years old and I remember watching some of the episodes on tv here in Illinois when I was about 9 or 10. I used to watch this on Saturday nights, right after Saturday Night Live, on the local NBC Affiliate, this was a great show, very suspenseful, very eerie ,the music, the acting, I personally liked the fact that this was shot on videotape, I think it made it seem more suspenseful, although some people today would fault that, I think they used videotape because it was a British show, and it was low budget, but that doesen't make this show any less great. I hope that it is restored to its original British version, with the British titles, and released on dvd.
Brian G.

As a boy I used to love it when the trailer would advertise a new series of Thriller (the trailer would be the red fisheye with a mouth screaming). I remember so many and would discuss the most recent episode with my mates at school the following Monday. One Deadly Owner is the one that everyone nowadays remembers 'cos of the white roller in the story. I have the two vids officially released and "Come Out ,Come Out, Wherever you Are" and The Colour of Blood" on video from the Bravo repeats. I also have the two books from the 70's. It will always be one of my most loved and vivid memories as a kid.
John G.

Thanks for the site - terrific to relive those memories when ITV had a decent Saturday night TV programme.
Dave T.

Hi, thank you for the two minute clip of "I'm The Girl He Wants To Kill". I remember this as one of the most suspenseful movies I had ever seen. It was so great to see your site on this.
Cathy D.

What a fantastic site. Thriller was essential viewing for me and my two brothers on a Saturday night, a special treat if we behaved. the most vivid story I remember was Possession. The creepy house and the haunting melody "Greensleeves" stayed with me for a long time. It also brought about my refusal to venture down my gran's cellar for a long time after as I was certain she had a psychic buried down there too. Seeing a few of the episodes on bravo a few years back brought back terrifyingly happy memories. Keep up the good work.
Jon P.

Just discovered your THRILLER site and am amazed at all the detail. Being an 'old timer' I can remember watching all of the original Saturday evening UK screenings, I never missed a single one, even the inferior Yorkshire programme 'Who Killed Lamb?" which as I remember was tagged onto the end of a run under the heading of THRILLER! Do you also remember 'The Eyes Have It' winning some kind of television award? I do, as I can remember watching it again about a year after it's original broadcast, the only episode - to my knowledge - to be repeated at the time. I recall wanting to see my favourite episode 'Someone at the Top of the Stairs' repeated so I could see it again as it frightened hell out of me the first time. This however didn't occur until 1984 in our region. I was also highly delighted when the proper version was released as a VHS cassette.
Rosalyn C.

I just want to say that "Thriller" was shown in Spain, in the (then) only one broadcast (TVE, and I think it was in TVE1). It's just a slight and vague memory I have, but I think it was released in the last 70s, early 80s. Spanish title was TENSIÓN. Since then, I've been trying to find a single cue about the show, and I didn't found it 'till now, in your website. I work in TV, and I had the chance to look for tapes of THRILLER/TENSIÓN in TVE archives; there were no sight of them, so it'd probably be erased too (in Spanish TVE erasing of old tapes was a policy, too).
Pablo O.

I just discovered your excellent 'Thriller' website today - well done. Thriller is the coolest programme - ever! Seriously, Thriller is probably, at a pinch, my favourite TV series of all time. It was always an absolute joy to watch - the creepy, brooding music & locations, coupled with the ingenious scripts and guest stars made for an unforgettable way to finish Saturday evenings in the mid-seventies. I can still remember the anticipation of watching a new story unfolding before my eyes. Many of my friends are fans too - and also my seven year-old son! If only it could be 'networked' on Saturday evenings now - it's the antithesis of the endless juvenile pap & 'reality' programmes we have to endure these days. Maybe the series would have better long-term life if it had been shot on film, as opposed to videotape? Who knows. Anyway, keep up the excellent work with the website - and the episode guide is indispensable. Thanks so much. Thriller rules!!!
Steve C.

Just discovered your website, and I must say it's brilliant! Earlier today, my mom and I were discussing movies and recalled Someone At the Top of the Stairs. I decided to do an internet search to see if I could obtain a copy of the teleplay, and links led me to your "marvellous" site! I first saw Someone At the Top of the Stairs in 1973. At that time, I was seven years old (!) It was telecast on ABC late night here in America as part of the ABC's Wide World of Entertainment program. I found it suitably (and memorably) creepy. Eight years later in late 1981, it turned up again on Chicago's independent station WGN-TV as part of their late-night movie series. I vividly recall staying up until three AM on a school night to watch with my mother. I remembered it instantly from my initial viewing way back in 1973. However, it was NOT until tonight that I realized it -as well as many other telefilms I'd loved as a child- were in fact part of a British TV series entitled Thriller! The funny thing is, my mother only saw this one time in 1981. Even after 22 years, when something spooky or odd occurs, she'll affect a dazed look on her face and say, "Marvelloussss" -just as they did in the telefilm. Obviously it has had an impact on many people, as it appears quite frequently in your reader's poll of favorite episodes. I'm having a ball perusing your website and learning so much information about telefilms I enjoyed so very long ago. It's even more delightful to realize others continue to appreciate these programs, too. I seem to be one of the few who even remember the old Wide World of Entertainment. I can tell you that the "fisheye credits" were retained, as well as Laurie Johnson's memorable theme. Both of those initially drew me to the series of films. As a youngster, distorted camera angles and discordant music always disturbed me, but I loved every second. I did not realize that these films were part of a series. I knew they had a similar format, the same production values, and were all produced by ATV, but I was a kid and simply assumed that this was a standard practice for the production company (much like the similarity Hammer produced films). Of course, the Thriller films were interspersed with American-produced knock-offs (also recorded on videotape) and other British telefilms (American Dark Shadows producer Dan Curtis did several adaptations of classics, one of the most memorable being a multi-part adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray starring Shane Briant). Thanks So Much for the trip down memory lane.
Mark F.

I am from the Philippines and just wanted to let you know that "Thriller" was an immense and almost indelible part of my childhood, as much as "UFO", "The Professionals" (Doyle and Bodie) and "The Night Stalker" was. In manila, "Thriller" was lamely re-titled "Sunday Suspense Theatre" but I still remember it fondly. The theme music has permanently set up camp in my consciousness and so has the name of Brian Clemens. I have a few favorite episodes (haunted car, girl on wheelchair stalked by killer in empty apartment, "Nurse Will Make It Better", blind kids stopping an assassination attempt etc. etc.) whose titles I'll be checking out. Just wanted to let you know there's a fan on the other side of the world and was wondering if A & E or any other enterprising video company has a DVd set of this in the pipeline? The show was ;pretty popular back then. It ran for a good three or four years then was revived later on, on another day, and retitled, I think "Thursday Suspense Theatre". It had a brief revival after that as an afternoon program. I think the programs were aired as is, not dubbed nor subtitled. I've been trying to get some info on these shows for ages and I just stumbled , by happy accident, on your site. It's been a revelation and a delight.
Eduardo D.

What an excellent web sight! Ironically I was looking on the Internet about the 1980's series "Tales of the unexpected" when I came across yours. Just reading about some of the episodes has brought back some great memories of Saturday evenings back in the 70's. The thing I liked about thriller was it was either supernatural, crime, mystery or a combination of all three which had twists in them. Although only ten years old when thriller started I could normally predict which characters were going to get 'done in' but was often surprised by the who the killers or the evildoers would be. It was great to see normally 'goody-goody' characters such as Gary Collins, or 'too good to be true' Christopher George and the 'mild mannered' John Le Mesurier turn out to be the bad guys. Being so young at the time I am prepared to admit that often I went to bet with a light on in my room after watching thriller i.e."someone at the top of the stairs" in particular gave me the willies! Another episode that I found traumatizing was "Screamer" and "Nurse will make it better". My parents even tried to ban me watching the show when they discovered that I was not sleeping too well afterwards!
Graham W.

I always remember Thriller on TV and how scary it was to watch but couldn't take my eyes off the screen. The music well eerie just thinking about it now makes me want to keep all the lights on when I go to bed. Great to see a web site going for the show and the news  about its release on DVD. Amazing I did`nt know that Brian Clemens and Laurie Johnson were involved.
Melvin.

I watched this great series of films in Canada when I was young and I adore it.
Alain C

I came across your site purely by chance after logging onto a Classic TV forum. I've been a big fan of Thriller for a number of years and it's wonderful to finally see a website dedicated to this brilliant programme - and what a website! I have just spent the last hour or so reading through the various pages, catching up on the background history of the show and learning of the various versions of the episodes that exist. Some of the opening titles to the 'movie' versions are simply laughable - completely over the top and not 'frightening' at all - especially those ones by Dolphin Productions(!) Whoever designed the Murder Motel titles must've been on some kind of illegal substance! I hope that Carlton in the UK give the original ATV Thriller series the honour of a DVD release. I for one, would have no problem whatsoever buying the complete box set (likely to be on 14 or 15 discs and retail for well over £200). Another Thriller-type series I enjoyed was Thames TV's 'Armchair Thriller'. The episode 'Quiet As A Nun' still haunts a lot of people (even though it's never been repeated since its original transmission). Mark McM.

Having been a researcher and collector of classic television for years, I have to say that your website is fantastic, informative and beautifully researched. I am myself an avid Thriller fan, having stumbled across two video's in a store back in 1993, from then I have never looked back.
Steve B.

My name is Gianluca and I live in Rome, Italy. I've seen THRILLER many years ago on RTI, an local television of Rome and i loved this series. Thanks for your "memory-archive"!
Gianluca

Saw your great site - Brilliant! I am in the UK. If ever any of the episodes are aired, please advertise that on your site and I hope the series makes it to DVD.
Mark

Just wanted to write and say thanks for a fantastic web site. I was a fan of thriller in the early 70's and grew up with them. I have searched for ages on the internet in the past and found nothing about them. Now, at last, I have found your brilliant site and read story summaries that reminded me of all the nightmares I had as a kid!
Roger H.

Just a short e-mail to say how much I have enjoyed going through your Thriller website. It brought back a lot of memories. I first started watching Thriller in 1975 - the first episode I saw was the one with Judy Geeson and the disappearing body on the train. After that I watched it regularly until its demise in 1976. Many of them were shown in their American format on ITV during the 1980s; I preferred the English version with the spooky intro. My favourite episode and the one which scared me the most was 'Dial A Deadly Number'. I'll never forget that sequence where Peter Schofield - as the mild-mannered detective - walked up the stairs and straight towards the camera lens, blotting out everything else, only to stumble back seconds later - his shirt blood-soaked and a look of surprise and horror on his face. He then tumbled down the stairs dead and a hand is shown holding a blood-stained dagger. I didn't sleep too well that night I remember.
Jimmy K. (Ireland)

Thanks for your great website. The series is one of the best I have ever seen.
(unknown)

Just writing to say how much I have enjoyed looking through your site. This programme was riveting viewing in the early 1970s and so much so that some episodes have stayed in my memory even though I have not seen the episodes in 30  years. I was 9 when the series started and was allowed to stay up to watch an episode which I now realise was probably "Someone at the top of the stairs". Unfortunately I was so scared that I had problems sleeping for a few nights and nightmares to go with it. This resulted in me being banned from watching "Thriller" for some time. It didn't help that I lived in a creepy old house which belonged to my grandmother which was full of passages, gloomy landings and blind corners. She was not keen on us turning the lights on upstairs so we had to navigate the upstairs floor often in the pitch black ! Eventually I was able to see more of them. "I'm the girl he wants to kill" was intensely scary and the episode which I most remember vividly was "Screamer". That was a nasty one. I was hoping that you could tell me which episode this scene appears in; I think it may well be from "Screamer" but either way the memory is still vivid : A girl gets off a train at a country station and walks home while being aware she is being followed. As she speeds up to get away she gets to her house, gets inside ,and slams the door shut. Then the camera zooms in on the outside of the front door. She has left the keys hanging out of the lock !!! A man outside is trying to get in and shortly afterwards she realises that not only has she left the keys outside, but they are no longer hanging there. I remember this so clearly, and thought of it often , this scene alone sums up for me the essence of the Thriller series.
Jon S.

Your information on Thriller is fascinating. Thriller reminded me of Armchair Thriller which I adored (even though it scared me s***less).
Eamon

I have really enjoy your web-site of the Brian Clemens thrillers The Belgium television have broadcast this thrillers early 90's all of them. So I was very happy to read that this thrillers will be available next year on dvd. My favourite after all this years is "Night is time for killing. It makes me always laughing because of the appear of Charles Gray (Hilary Vance) who steal the show in this episode....(unfortunately dies in 2000)
Gerdi K.

Congratulations on a marvellous site devoted to the much underrated gem of a series 'Thriller'. I loved the twist in the tale storylines and the sheer suspense and menacing scenes that were a feature of this classic series. Laurie Johnson's music score was unique. My absolute favorite episode is 'Kill Two Birds'. I saw a repeat of this on Thames TV in the early 80's when they were showing quite a few of the episodes. I really hope the series is repeated soon and not consigned to the archives. I remember watching some of the episodes a while back on Bravo before they changed their station format. Thanks again for bringing back some wonderful memories
Rob D.

I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed your "Thriller" website. It brought back a lot of memories for me (generally memories of being terrified but unable to look away from the screen!). Your site has enabled me to put a title to one of the scariest things I can recall seeing as a kid - "I'm the Girl He Wants To Kill". I have often thought about this story over the years. The one with Diana Dors as a witch always sticks in my mind, too. I managed to catch a couple of the "Bravo" broadcasts a few years back, including the second episode (sorry, forgotten the title) with the couple that move into the country house. That was another one which had always stuck in my mind although seeing it again made me realised that as a child (well, in my early teens) I didn't really grasp the plot.
Peter Fr.

Just a few words to say how much I enjoyed your site. I certainly didn't realise that so many of the episodes existed in their original UK format. I'm sure it will be a big seller when released on DVD.
Simon W.

Well done on your Thriller website. Long overdue! It is a series I have a great affection for being the first series I was allowed to stay up late and watch as a child.
Alan S.

Just a quick word to say keep up the good work. I am enjoying the growing information on your site about this forgotten show, so thanks again.
Martin W.

I just wanted to say that your site is excellent. I'm a 27-year-old English teacher in France and Thriller was one of the programmes I liked most when I was a teenager. I think I must have been the only one in my school, other kids watching Airwolf or K2000 (yuck !)... But since I was a child, I have always been fascinated by suspense and mystery, which made me a big fan of The Avengers and Thriller, even 20 years after their creation. Now, as a teacher, I have based one of my lessons on my favourite episode "A coffin for the bride". I try to do it every two years. My students seem to like it. And they don't expect the end, so it proves that the show is still great, doesn't it ?
Patrick M.

I have just visited your Thriller web site, and it all came flooding back. The BEST series ever to grace tv; people must be made aware that there is a loyal following of the cult series, and that it must be made available to buy on DVD or Video.
Mark P.

Well done on getting the Thriller site together. I have very fond memories of being scared to death every Saturday night. I remember certain episodes vividly especially "Someone at top of the stairs" and "Nurse will make it better." Not bad considering I was nine of ten at the time. I dearly hope they will be released on DVD one day. Here's hopin'. Keep up the good work.
Lee B.

THRILLER was THE event each weekend in 1973 for me. I was 12 and it was the best TV around, gripping and unpredictable (at the time), had me on the edge of my sofa frequently. The first season was the best as far as I am concerned, with the exception of the first Season 2 story ONLY A SCREAM AWAY. I lived in a windmill in 1973 in Kent, very very similar to the windmill conversion done by Howard Heston AKA Giles Darcy, and the scenes were he is chasing Sam down the spiral stairs gave me nightmares for months. Our windmill was never the same again at night, especially when my parents were out and my grandma was babysitting, with the trees knocking against the windows, and the dark shadows on the spiral stairs. The episode is truly excellent, superb Gary Collins performance, especially in the final 15 minutes.
Jason

After 35 years I do not remember too many plot details from this wonderful series, but I do recall that it was perhaps the finest thriller series EVER. Wonderful suspense and surprise endings. I do recall one macabre ending (I forget the title of the episode) where the killer ends up locked in an abandoned house or basement with no escape possible and nobody knows he is there. A truly gruesome ending.
George C.

When it comes to favourite scenes, I'm actually torn between two: The one is taken from "Sleepwalker", where Katie, sleepwalking, finds the passage to the house next door through the mirror; the whole scene as she sleepwalks with the toys in the attic taking on a sinister look had me refusing to go to sleep for weeks afterwards (I was eleven or twelve at the time). The other is taken from "Dial a deadly number", which had the same effect as "Sleepwalker", only worse: One scene I remember more clearly than any other is the one where Dave Adams goes down into the cellar and peeks behind the wine rack only to gaze into the dead eyes, beneath cellophane wrapping, of [SPOILER REMOVED] Unlike the graphic, gory horror films of today's age of technological perfection, the "Thriller" series of the 70's were targeted to tickle the psyche, something which, of course, also may have to do with the fact that they're British and not American.
Diane F.

"I'm The Girl He Wants to Kill" is my favourite and I thought the scariest. I saw this as a young girl back in 1974 in the Philippines. My siblings and I made sure we had our supper first and then brush our teeth before the show start as no one would dare go to the bathroom after the show! As a 12 year old girl, I found this too much to take but Thriller was the only show that gave me the feeling of fear that I wanted to experience over and over again. I've seen other suspense movies years later but they never had the same plotline and appeal that Thriller possesses. Having developed a taste for horror and suspense genre in entertainment because of early exposure to Thriller, I'd say that nothing so far had surpassed the quality that will draw me like Thriller did.
Susan K.

Congratulations on a fabulous website ! Excellent. The Thriller series was always one of my favorites and your site is a great tribute. Whenever I discuss the subject of the series with friends we end up having hours of nostalgic memories, remembering fragments of : the one with the white car, the one with the man upstairs who spies on two girls in a bedsit, the one with the cloven hoof at the finale etc. Wed always discuss them the following Monday at school waxing lyrical for ages. For me they are a major enjoyable memory. It now seems strange to think that the first one I saw when I was 9 years old and now 31 years later it still leaves a huge impression in my mind !
David H.

I just had to write to congratulate you on your superb Thriller site. I am most impressed with the very detailed 'Episode Index' which brought back many great memories. One of my favorite episodes is 'The Next Voice you see' . I was a young lad when the show was first aired in the UK and would be allowed to stay up and watch as a weekly treat! Great times!! Mark B.

 I'm 22 years old and live in Cincinnati, Ohio. I remember staying up late and watching this series in its "TV- movie" form on WGN- TV in the late '80's, sometimes staying up until 4 in the morning because that's when they usually ran it. It was while watching this series that I "discovered" some of my now favorite British actors, including Pamela Franklin, Judy Geeson, Hayley Mills, Patrick Magee, Charles Gray, and Jeremy Brett. It was an absolutely fascinating series to me and I have nothing but fond memories of it. Since I have hardly seen or heard anything of the series since then, you can guess how delighted I was when I found your wonderful website. Thank You so bringing back those great memories. Chad E.

One of the great memories of my teens was gathering around the tv every Sunday night with part of my family to watch MISTERIO (that was the title chosen for Venezuelan tv )..looking for information about Brian Clemens i knew its real title was THRILLER..I remember clearly the episode of Sister Mary and The Carnation Murderer but l liked the all series. Hope one dayI could get the series on dvd....in Venezuela THRILLER was aired in 1976.....it was a great to find this page... thank you. Jorge C.

Brian Clemens + Laurie Johnson + Horror, Mystery and Suspense = Brilliance! And you can add to the mix superb direction, fine acting and inspired design. "Thriller" had it all. No fancy special effects, no catalogue of corpses, no explicit violence. In short, no gimmicks, just great television. We've never seen anything like it!  Alan B.

 I think your site is fantastic. I used to watch the programme "Thriller" with my gran many years ago on a Friday or Saturday night from memory. I must have been only 9 or 10. Funnily enough, I dreamt about the programme last night, having not thought about it for years. Decided to do an internet search for it and hey ho, found your site. I didn't realise it had such a cult following!!  Martin F.

I just wanted to say I found your site a few days ago and the memories of me and my sister being allowed to stay up on a Saturday night to watch it came flooding back. The attention to detail is brilliant, this has to be one of the best laid out sites I have visited! Well done.
Rob T.

Just found your website and have to say "about time" I am nearly 40 years old now but even though I have just played the opening clip here at work it still gave me the old hair standing up on the back of the kneck treatment. also great work on your armchair thriller site. still creepy.
Dean F.

All right dude, nice work on THRILLER, I grew up with all those old series and was well chuffed to see that Thriller is at last available on DVD.
Steve

Fantastic informative web site, really, really good. From age 6-9 I remember being absolutely terrified watching 'THRILLER' on Saturday night, I'm sure it's not just nosalgia and being young and niaeve 'at the time' that I keep such strong memories of the spine tingler, and that I have a fond memory for the stories that really did have depth and originality, and a very intimate unerving effect that has never in my opinion been bettered. I thought I had gone mad, or was the oldest person on earth, when I ask around no one can seem to recall the show, I have been waiting for this for what seems like forever, many thanks again...and here's to Sept 20th when the DVD is released I believe...
Simon T.

I was doing a websearch on Brian Clemens tonight and stumbled upon your spectacular Thriller site. Well done! I watched that entire series in the mid-70's during it's initial US network run. It is driving me buggy that I can not recall the name that ABC gave to their stateside airings of Thriller. I found the atmosphere of those programs with the exterior shots of mg's, austin healeys and other brit cars racing along winding country lanes with massive old estates nestled back in the hedgerows absolutely intoxicating. As I remember the exteriors were shot on film while the interior shots were all on tape. That sort of production work looked very foreign (and appealing) to me. Brian Clemens screen credit was always the thing that really stuck in my head whenever I watched and that is how my friends and I referred to the show back in those days, "Hey did you see Brian Clemens last night?" As I recall the name they chose may have been a bit weaker than "Thriller". I am thinking that it was a two word title that included the word "Strange" I keep coming back to "Strange Voices". I remember the title being understated like that, something that would put you just a little bit ill at ease - just like those eerie opening credits. Thanks again for the wonderful Thriller site.
Mark B.

With the help of the VRT belgian television crew, I found your website! I was 13 when I saw in the early '90 the Thriller episodes on de begian national television and these movies where amazing to me at that time. I still remember an episode about a satanic village where they all had clubfeets... In another episode, I remember a full hidden house behind a room...
Tom

HI can fondly remember THRILLER as the TV series which really scared me as a child (I was 10 when the first episodes aired) on a Saturday night - and indirectly me to pursue a hobby devoted to horror and the macabre - I can still remeber the theme and it was with great excitement that I learned the other day that the first series would finally be released on DVD. Few episodes remain clearly in my memory, having all been a blur at the time (due to probably hiding behind a cushion)... except one which, having scanned the episode guide on your tremendous website I have pinned down to I'M THE GIRL HE WANTS TO KILL - I can still remeber the woman frantically fleeing up and down the stairs in the building and eventually coming face to face with the would-be killer... very scary...
Carl

I have been visiting the Thriller website and firstly would like to say how much I enjoyed it. Thriller was probably my favourite programme on TV as a child, eagerly awaited every Saturday. I am delighted that the first series is shortly to be released on DVD. I have been fascinated reading all the episode synopses, and many memories have been brought back. Many thanks for a great website!
Joe K.

My name is Brad, I'm 26 and I live in Australia. I'm emailing after just discovering your website and just wanted to say that it is a dream come true for me seeing such a detailed website on Thriller. Me and my older brother have been big fans of Thriller since we saw it on TV in Australia in the late 80's. I was so excited to see on your Death In Deep Water page that it was shot in Totnes as I have always wondered where in England that cottage is. It's wonderful to see that so many people still like Thriller as I often wondered if me and my brother were the only ones on earth who liked the show, thanks to the internet it's good to know were not alone.
Brad P.

I just wanted to say that I was amazed to see a Thriller box set at Play ... which I ordered of course ... and then I discovered your website. I'm almost too scared to look at it! I'm an ageing 39 now but I remember watching an episode of Thriller when I was about 8 or 9 when a negligent friend was supposed to be babysitting ... it involved someone saying 'cat's cradle' and I was scared witless. I saw a few more (incl one where someone plummets from the roof of a manor house?) and my (smaller!!) brother and I used to terrify each other by singing the music at the worst possible moments ... I'm getting a chill just thinking about it. (Although not as bad as the all-over total body freeze I get every time I describe Don't Look Now to anyone ... ) Anyway, I must be brief now, but your site influenced me to send for And Soon The Darkness too, and probably Blind Terror (See No Evil) soon, although I haven't seen that (I remeber it being advertised for its first tv screening though).
David S.

Just wanted to drop you a line to say how much I like the site. This series was essential and compulsive (albeit TERRIFYING) viewing as I was growing up in the 70s, and influenced my own writing tastes and helped cement the genre that I would enjoy working in the most (my writer's website: http://clik.to/chrisharveywebsite ). Always been a big fan of Clemens' work, and indeed Laurie Johnson's music.
Chris H.

Just saw your site and I must admit I was a very impressed. Well done. Bravo. I am 29 year man and 'Thriller' was of course before my time. But I always liked the old anthology series. I remember watching 'Tales of the Unexpected' as a child and brought a DVD set of that. I also bought a DVD boxset of 'Hammer House of Horrors' although I don't remember any of that at all. I never really heard of 'Thriller' before. I only just bought it yesterday night. I already watched two episodes 'Lady Killer' and 'Spell of Evil' and throughly enjoyed them. I just watched the first part of 'Possesion' and it is looking promising. Keep up the good work. Bless your heart!
Layin M.

I was really glad to come upon your site. I remember being in grammar school (in the US) and re-enacting "Marvelous..." for my schoolmates the day after I saw it on TV. I remember being at a loss trying to express just how scary this movie I saw on TV actually was (it was "Someone at the Top of the Stairs"). The film's title has stayed in my head for 25 years now - I recently looked it up on IMDB.

I live in NYC now and I'm going to write a letter to the execs at the new Horror Cable channel (scheduled to start-up here in the states in the next year or so) suggesting they pick up the whole series for re-broadcast. Also, the Mystery channel (cable) would be perfect for showing the whole series. Thanks again for having a great site!
Brian D.

I just want to thank you for your fantastic Thriller website.It's amazing.So much information and such dedication.I can only remember a few episodes mainly "Possession".There were shown on Irish tv in the 80's.
Stephen L.

I've just been reading your thriller page and all I can say is how much it made me smile with fondness! I remember the show very well although I was only 13 when the show started I was already up for anything remotely scary!!!! UNDERSTATEMENT!! I cant tell you how much me and my brother would wait up till about 9ish on a saturday night, switch on to ITV and then those chilling cords of music would fill the air!! And that was it for an hour and a bit!! Sheer terror!! I loved those shows and so did my brother, we have many laughs huming the theme!!! I kid you not!! I love the stuff brian clemens used to write,they had an uneasy air to the stories and the mood was pitch perfect!! I love horror and mystery movies and I hav a huge library of movies and tv shows, but nothing compares to THRILLER!!!!! AT THIS POINT HUM THE THEME!! 
Allyson B.

Congratulations on a marvellous site devoted to the much underated gem of a series 'Thriller'. I loved the twist in the tale storylines and the sheer suspense and menacing scenes that were a feature of this classic series. Laurie Johnson's music score was unique and i loved the long trailers in and out of the episodes! My absolute favorite episode is 'Kill Two Birds'. I saw a repeat of this on Thames TV in the early 80's when they were showing quite a few of the episodes. I really hope the series is repeated soon and not consigned to the archives. I remember watching some of the episodes a while back on Bravo before they changed their program format. Thanks again for bringing back some wonderful memories
Rob D.

Well I always remember Thriller on TV and how scary it was to watch but could`nt take my eyes off the screen. The music well eerie just thinking about it now makes me want to keep all the lights on when I go to bed. Great to see a web site going for the show and the newa about its release on DVD. Amazing I did`nt know that Brian Clemens and Laurie Johnson were involved.
Melvin

What can I say!! Visited your site from Memorable TV's link. What a find. Being a child of the 60's and 70's' Thriller' and indeed 'Armchair Thriller' were two of my all-time favourite programmes. Ecstatic that Thriller is to be released on DVD; I for one can't wait and will be buying the lot. Congratulations again on two fantastic sites, and for keeping the memory of these two sometimes forgotten classics alive.
Ricky C.

I am writing to say how much I appreciate your 'Thriller' website. I only discovered it about a month ago and it is without doubt the most comprehensive source of data on this wonderful series that I have found. I watched Thriller when it was originally screened in the UK from the 2nd episode (Possession) through to the end. I also saw most of the repeats on Southern TV/TVS in 1981/82 and the 17 episodes shown on Bravo in 1996.

I can well remember being genuinely scared by many of the episodes when I first saw them (I was only 10 in 1973) and can well remember that it was the most popular series amongst me and my other school friends at the time. I have always been amazed but how little reference there is to the series in many books about UK TV and equally by how few people remember what was in its day a highly successful primetime Saturday evening series. This is no doubt mostly down to the reformatting of the original ATV episodes into the movie format before they were ever repeated. I don't think that the original ATV episodes have ever been repeated on UK terrestrial television.

Even though it is over 20 years since I last saw many of the episodes I still vividly recall many of them. The teaser to 'Sign it death' with the lady hiding behind the curtains is one particular thing that I remember. I also recall being sacred stiff by 'Possession' which is still one of my favourites. One of my other favourites is 'I am the girl he wants to kill' which is a wonderfully produced drama which keeps you on the edge of your seat all the way through. Never mind being behind the sofa for Doctor Who, I spent far more time behind the sofa when watching Thriller! Keep up the excellent work.
Robert J.

Thank you for the information about "Thriller" in the web. "Thriller" was broadcasted in Germany in 1982, when I was 16 and since then it has been my favourite series and I have hoped all the years that it would be broadcasted again. I was so happy to read that "Thriller" will be recorded on DVD next year.
Carmen M.

what a wonderful website and what a surprise to learn that two of my favorite suspense films (See No Evil , And Soon The Darkness) were penned by Brian Clemens ! I was very pleased to hear that the series would be officially released in September of 2004. I still remember watching Thriller on late night television and being absolutely glued to the screen. Reading your synopses brings back such wonderful memories. Thank you !
Susan D.

[Note that since some of these comments were made, Thriller has begun to appear on DVD]

Special Thanks To:

Ian Kerr, who's early-90's article in "Timescreen" was for years the only material available on the subject. As well as being a mine of information, he has campaigned for twenty years to gain the series more recognition and was partly responsible for the ATV versions finding their way onto Bravo in 1996.

Franz Antony Clinton, for donating a mountain of reference material to the site and for allowing me to use his taped interview with Brian Clemens.

Mark Faulkner, for settling once and for all the prickly question of what exactly was shown in the US in the early 70's.

Martin Marshall, for general help and encouragement.

Alan Briscoe, for loads of reviews.

Werner Schmitz, for screencaps and info on "If It's A Man - Hang Up!"

Jon Scott for a load of TV Times scans.

Mark McMillan for hosting the site and general support.

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