A scene from the classic Horror/Science Fiction anthology TV series, 'The Outer Limits' (1963 - 1965)[/caption]Well we all know of the truly legendary shows such as, 'The Outer Limits'... I mean it is truly unfortunate that this show has been off the air for so long now... The truth is, is this show and it's 90s remake were just truly awesome shows that combined all of the best elements of horror and science fiction to make a show that is both scary and keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time that you are watching it... And some of the guest stars they have had... Such as: 'Beau Bridges' (Stargate SG1) to name one... Well to say the least, this series was truly amazing, and I hope someday they can bring this type of magic back to the small screen, or maybe even do for the big screen! (like what Twilight Zone did,) with a truly amazing anthology movie!
And as for, 'The Twilight Zone'... What can I say about this franchise that hasn't already been said? I mean the show has truly terrifying moments, some very edge of your seat moments, and even some moments that warm your heart... And the talent that has been assembled for various episodes and the movie... Well it is a virtual who's who... William Shatner (Star Trek: The Motion Picture) who was in the original series, John Lithgow (3rd Rock From The Sun), who was in the movie, and heck... Even Forrest Whitaker (The Body Snatchers) got to sit in the Captain's Chair (figuratively speaking), what with being given the narrators position for the most recent remake of the series... And while I will say that I haven't seen to much of the first remake series that came out around the 80s or early 90s, I have heard that this series really just was not great... The episodes I saw were, and I suspect the rest of the series will be as well!
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The Twilight Zone... Another truly fantastic series![/caption]Now you might be wondering why I am basically singing praises about those two series... Well simply put, those two shows are probably the most recognized horror/science fiction anthology shows of all time, and I thought it might be fun to check out a few of the lesser known ones.
Now this first one I would say pretty well rivals the first two, but is still lesser known... And that is, 'The Alfred Hitchcock Hour' (1962 - 1965).
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Alfred Hitchcock doing, 'The Alfred Hitchcock Hour'.[/caption]This brought legendary master of horror, 'Alfred Hitchcock' (Psycho) out as the host of the series for weekly 30 minute episodes that were... well if not always scary, then frequently suspenseful, but I found to be almost always fun!
For more information on this awesome anthology series, please check out this scene from: The Alfred Hitchcock Hour!
[embed]http://youtu.be/__MuNu6jD6U[/embed]
The next one that I thought that I would mention here is, 'Freddy's Nightmares'... Now this show came together with the immense international success that the, 'A Nightmare On Elm Street' series found on the big screen.
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Freddy came to the small screen in, 'Freddy's Nightmares'![/caption]This show featured Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) as the host of the series... Now there is something weird about this series... The truth is, is that it had a ton of great horror actors and actresses that were really starting to make a name in the genre, and the stories were getting just better and better, butt he problem is, is that this series got canceled surprisingly early, having produced 44 episodes, and having been canceled after only 3 seasons!
For more information on this TV series, please check out the opening credits for: Freddy's Nightmares (1988 - 1990):
[embed]http://youtu.be/O8WaBAPzDsw[/embed]
The next show that I wanted to mention is a little bit of an odd one... And is one of those that I have since come to realize is one of those ones where you really can't judge a book by it's cover. What do I mean by this? Well this is R.L. Stein's show...
Before I continue on, let me say this, 'R.L. Stein' is a good author of horror novels, the problem is, is that a lot of his horror novels are meant for young children, and so the scary elements are seriously toned down... And well I have to say as a horror fan, really means that not a lot of his works translate well for children as they get older...
With that said though, I have come to discover that his show, which is called: 'The Nightmare Room' is actually a great show!
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Shia LaBeouf is just one of the laundry list of celebrities to have made this horror anthology interesting![/caption]I mean it is pretty nicely patterned off of classics like, 'The Twilight Zone' or, 'Outer Limits', but it is created in a fashion where the horror is still toned down (I mean it is a kids show after all!)
But, where as the horror is toned down a fair amount, the story's are still a lot of fun,and have included talent such as: Shia Labeouf (Transformers) and Amanda Bynes (Robots)!
For more information on this show, please check out this scene for: The Nightmare Room (2001 - 2002):
[embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntufO2gpAdQ&list=PLE6C05F573F98522F&feature=share&index=4[/embed]
This last one, I really don't know much of, it came on when I was a kid, and I remember the few episodes that I did see were fun... This show being: Are You Afraid Of The Dark (1991 - 20o0).
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If you were a kid in the 1990s, then this show was would likely have scared the hell out of you![/caption]This had a group of kids that would go out to a local campfire at night and tell ghost stories!
You might be wondering why I am mentioning a show that I really don't know much about... Well despite the fact that I personally don't know much about this series, it was a pretty popular series, having spanned 9 seasons!
For more information on this series, I thought that you guys might enjoy the opening credits for: Are You Afraid Of The Dark (1991 - 2000):
[embed]http://youtu.be/jitg-3xbmKU[/embed]
There are other anthologies out there that I know I am leaving out, here is just a few to wet your whistle while you get started on your spooktastic entertainment... Before I go, I dare you to watch these series late at night and not jump just a little bit at the more terrifying moments... I just dare you to try!
