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The BBC2 Horror Double Bills were seasons of classic horror movies broadcast annually in the UK on BBC2 television between 1975 and 1983, with a revival in 1993. They provided rare opportunities (in a pre-VHS or DVD era) to see some of these films.
Each Saturday night during the summer (usually July and August), two horror, science-fiction or fantasy movies would be shown, the majority of which were from Universal and Hammer studios, though lesser known movies were also featured. The first season was broadcast in 1975, under the title "Midnight Movie Fantastic", [1] though the season title would vary throughout the years ("Horror Double Bill," "Monster Double Bill," "Dracula, Frankenstein & Friends"). The third season in 1977 ("Dracula, Frankenstein & Friends"), featured the best known Universal monster titles (paired with each other or a Hammer/AIP title), whilst the final original season in 1981 consisted of titles from Val Lewton's horror cycle made for RKO paired with more obscure modern titles.
After seven years, there was no season in 1982. A final series of Double Bills was broadcast during the summer of 1983, although this season was entirely made up of the classic Universal horrors from the 1930s and 1940s, all of which had been shown before, predominantly in the 1977 season "Dracula, Frankenstein & Friends."
After 1983, the BBC rested the format. However the Double Bills returned in 1993 following the success of an all-night Halloween horror marathon on BBC2 a year earlier. The marathon was introduced and linked by Dr. Walpurgis, played by Guy Henry and created by Kim Newman. The other event of that evening was the broadcast of Ghostwatch on BBC1 starring Michael Parkinson, Mike Smith & Sarah Greene. During this evening, it was intended that Dr. Walpurgis would have the privilege of introducing for the first time on British TV the uncut version of Curse of the Werewolf (Hammer 1960), which the doctor described as having "extra stalk and slash scenes." However, problems led to the showing of the usual cut version of the film. The uncut version aired a few months later.
Dr. Terror's Vault of Horror was broadcast on Fridays on BBC1 between September and December 1993 and featured Guy Henry's character, though he was renamed Dr. Terror. The Double Bills only ran one year, although Dr. Terror would return to introduce individual horrors in 1994 and 1996.
Date | Time | Title | Detail |
---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 2 August 1975 | 22.55 - 00.05 | The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari | Decla Productions (1919) |
00.05 - 01.20 | Quatermass 2 | Hammer (1957) | |
Saturday, 9 August 1975 | 22.45 - 00.00 | The Tell Tale Heart | Danziger (1960) |
00.00 - 01.20 | The Premature Burial | AIP (1961) | |
Saturday, 16 August 1975 | 23.15 – 00.20 | Noah's Ark | (1928) |
00.20 – 01.20 | Man and His Mate | (1940) | |
Saturday, 23 August 1975 | 22.40 - 00.05 | This Island Earth | Universal (1955) |
00.05 - 01.25 | Barbarella | Dino de Laurentis/Marianne Productions (1968) | |
Saturday, 30 August 1975 | 22.55 - 00.05 | The Cat and The Canary | Paramount (1939) |
00.05 - 01.25 | The Comedy of Terrors | AlP (1963) | |
Saturday, 6 September 1975 | 22.35 - 00.00 | The Beast With Five Fingers | Warner Brothers (1947) |
00.00 - 01.20 | The Maze | Allied Artists (1954) | |
Date | Time | Title | Detail |
---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 14 August 1976 | 22.55 - 00.10 | The Phantom of the Opera | Universal 1925 |
00.10 - 01.40 | Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | Paramount 1932 | |
Saturday, 21 August 1976 | 22.00 - 23.20 | Devil Doll | MGM 1932 |
23.20 - 00.50 | Frankenstein Created Woman | Hammer 1967 | |
Saturday, 28 August 1976 | 11.00 - 00.05 | The Hounds of Zaroff | RKO 1932 |
00.05 - 01.25 | Hound of the Baskervilles | Twentieth Century Fox 1939 | |
Saturday, 5 September 1976 | 22.55 - 00.10 | The Mad Genius | Warner 1931 |
00.10 - 01.30 | The Pit and The Pendulum | AlP 1961 | |
Saturday, 14 September 1976 | 22.50 - 23.55 | The Walking Dead | Warner 1936 |
23.55 - 01.20 | Dracula Prince of Darkness | Hammer 1966 | |
Date | Time | Title | Detail |
---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 2 July 1977 | 23.05 - 00.25 | Dracula | Universal 1931 |
00.25 - 01.35 | Frankenstein | Universal 1931 | |
Saturday, 9 July 1977 | 22.50 - 00.00 | Bride of Frankenstein | Universal 1935 |
00.00 - 01.25 | Brides of Dracula | Hammer 1960 | |
Saturday, 16 July 1977 | 22.45 - 11.55 | The Mummy | Universal 1932 |
00.15 - 01.05 | The Wolf Man | Universal 1940 | |
Saturday, 23 July 1977 | 22.10 - 23.45 | Son of Frankenstein | Universal 1938 |
23.45 - 01.10 | Kiss of the Vampire | Hammer 1964 | |
Saturday, 30 July 1977 | 22.35 - 00.05 | Dracula's Daughter | Universal 1936 |
00.05 - 01.30 | Plague of the Zombies | Hammer 1966 | |
Saturday, 6 August 1977 | 22.50 - 23.55 | The Ghost of Frankenstein | Universal 1942 |
22.55 - 01.10 | The Premature Burial | AlP 1961 | |
Saturday, 13 August 1977 | 23.05 - 00.05 | The Raven | Universal 1935 |
00.05 - 01.10 | The Black Cat | Universal 1934 | |
Saturday, 20 August 1977 | 22.00 - 23.15 | Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman | Universal 1943 |
00.05 - 01.35 | The Raven | AlP 1963 | |
Saturday, 27 August 1977 | 22.20 - 23.10 | House of Frankenstein | Universal 1944 |
00.05 - 01.35 | The Reptile | Hammer 1966 | |
Saturday, 3 September 1977 | 21.55 - 23-10 | Son of Dracula | Universal 1943 |
23.45 - 01.10 | Evil of Frankenstein | Hammer 1964 | |
Saturday, 10 September 1977 | 22.05 - 23.15 | House of Dracula | Universal 1945 |
23.20 - 00.35 | Fall of the House of Usher | AlP 1960 | |
Date | Time | Title | Detail |
---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 8 July 1978 | 22.55 - 23.55 | Murders in the Rue Morgue | Universal 1933 |
23.55 - 01.25 | The Man Who Could Cheat Death | Hammer 1959 | |
Saturday, 15 July 1978 | 22.40 - 23.55 | The Fantastic Disappearing Man | Gramercy Pictures 1958 |
00.00 - 01.15 | X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes | AlP 1963 | |
Saturday, 22 July 1978 | 22.00 - 23.20 | The Quatermass Xperiment | Hammer 1955 |
23.50 - 01.35 | The Crazies | Cambist 1973 | |
Saturday, 29 July 1978 | 23.15 - 00.15 | Man Made Monster | Universal 1940 |
00.15 - 01.15 | The Mummy's Curse | Universal 1945 | |
Saturday, 5 August 1978 | 22.40 - 23.55 | White Zombie | Halperin 1932 |
00.00 - 01.25 | House of Wax | Warner 1953 | |
Saturday, 12 August 1978 | 21.40 - 23.10 | Them! | Universal 1954 |
23.45 - 01.05 | The Incredible Shrinking Man | Universal 1957 | |
Saturday, 19 August 1978 | 22.00 - 23.15 | Voodoo Island | Bel Air 1957 |
23.20 - 00.45 | Phantom of the Rue Morgue | Warner 1953 | |
Saturday, 26 August 1978 | 22.00 - 23.35 | King Kong | RKO 1933 |
23.40 - 01.10 | Superbeast | A & S Productions 1972 | |
Date | Time | Title | Detail |
---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 14 July 1979 | 22.35-23.50 | Doctor X | Warner 1932 |
23.55-01.20 | The Curse of Frankenstein | Hammer 1956 | |
Saturday, 21 July 1979 | 22.30-23.30 | Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman | 20th Century Fox 1944 |
00.00-01.30 | The Hound of the Baskervilles | Hammer 1959 | |
Saturday, 28 July 1979 | 22.15-23.25 | Night Monster | Universal 1942 |
23.30.01.10 | The Devil Rides Out | Hammer 1968 | |
Saturday, 4 August 1979 | 23.00.00.05 | Black Friday | Universal 1940 |
00.05.01.35 | The Mummy | Hammer 1959 | |
Saturday, 11 August 1979 | 22.05.23.25 | The Strange Door | Universal 1951 |
23.25-01.00 | Blood from the Mummy's Tomb | Hammer 1971 | |
Saturday, 18 August 1979 | 22.35-23.40 | The Mummy's Hand | Universal 1944 |
00.10-01.35 | The Satanic Rites of Dracula | Hammer 1973 | |
Saturday, 25 August 1979 | 22.00-23.20 | It Came From Outer Space | Universal 1951 |
23.25-01.05 | Quatermass and the Pit (film) | Hammer 1967 |
Date | Time | Title | Detail |
---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 28 June 1980 | 22.30.00.00 | Night of the Demon | Sabre 1957 |
00.02-01.35 | The Ghoul | Tyburn 1975 | |
Saturday, 5 July 1980 | 10.10-11.35 | The Beast With Five Fingers | Warner 1947 |
23.50-01.30 | Chamber of Horrors | Warner 1966 | |
Saturday, 12 July 1980 | 22.40-23.45 | The Mad Ghoul | Universal 1943 |
23.50-01.30 | Dr. Terror's House of Horrors | Amicus 1964 | |
Saturday, 19 July 1980 | 22.35-23.50 | The Devil Doll | MGM 1936 |
23.55-01.25 | Daughters of Satan | UA 1972 | |
Saturday, 26 July 1980 | 22.10-23.40 | Curse of the Werewolf | Hammer 1960 |
23.55-01.35 | From Beyond The Grave | Amicus 1974 | |
Saturday, 2 August 1980 | 22.35-23.50 | Paranoiac | Hammer 1963 |
12.00-01.35 | Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter | Hammer 1973 | |
Saturday, 9 August 1980 | 22.35-23.55 | The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms | Warner 1953 |
00.00-01.20 | Night of the Lepus | MGM/A.C. Lyles 1972 | |
Saturday, 16 August 1980 | 22.20-23.40 | The Bat | UA 1959 |
23.45-01.20 | Legend of the Werewolf | Tyburn 1974 | |
Saturday, 23 August 1980 | 22.40.00.00 | Tower of London | Universal 1939 |
00.00-01.20 | The Skull | Amicus 1965 | |
Saturday, 30 August 1980 | 00.00-01.35 | The Beast Must Die | Amicus 1974 |
Date | Time | Title | Detail |
---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 4 July 1981 | 22.35-23.10 | I Walked with a Zombie | RKO 1943 |
00.10.01.10 | Zoltan, Hound of Dracula | Crown International 1978 | |
Saturday, 11 July 1981 | 23.05-00.15 | Cat People | RKO 1942 |
00.15-01.35 | Mystery of the Wax Museum | Warner 1933 | |
Saturday, 18 July 1981 | 22.55-00.05 | The Seventh Victim | RKO 1943 |
00.05-01.35 | Race With The Devil | Saber 1970 | |
Saturday, 25 July 1981 | 21.20-22.30 | Isle of the Dead | RKO 1940 |
23.40-01.25 | The Crazies | Cambist 1973 | |
Saturday, 1 August 1981 | 22.30-23.45 | Bedlam | RKO 1946 |
23.45-01.30 | Bug | Paramount 1975 | |
Saturday, 8 August 1981 | 22.50-23.55 | The Leopard Man | RKO 1943 |
23.55-01.35 | The Shuttered Room | Warner 1966 | |
Saturday, 15 August 1981 | 22.35-23.40 | The Curse of the Cat People | RKO 1943 |
23.40-01.10 | Eye of the Cat | Universal 1969 | |
Saturday, 22 August 1981 | 22.30-23.40 | The Body Snatcher | RKO 1945 |
23.40-01.25 | Theatre of Blood | Harbor Productions/Cineman [2] 1973 | |
Date | Time | Title | Detail |
---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 9 July 1983 | 10.00-11.10 | Dracula | Universal 1931 |
11.15-12.30 | Frankenstein | Universal 1931 | |
Saturday, 16 July 1983 | 11.45- 01.05 | The Bride of Frankenstein | Universal 1935 |
Saturday, 23 July 1983 | 10.05-11.15 | Dracula's Daughter | Universal 1936 |
11.20-01.35 | Son Of Frankenstein | Universal 1939 | |
Saturday, 30 July 1983 | 10.35-11.45 | The Mummy | Universal 1932 |
11.45-01.00 | Ghost of Frankenstein | Universal 1942 | |
Saturday, 6 August 1983 | 10.40-11.50 | The Wolfman | Universal 1941 |
11.55-01.10 | Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman | Universal 1943 | |
Saturday, 13 August 1983 | 10.15-11.35 | Son of Dracula | Universal 1943 |
11.40-12.55 | House of Frankenstein | Universal 1944 | |
Saturday, 20 August 1983 | 10.05-11.10 | The Mummy's Hand | Universal 1940 |
11.15-12.25 | House of Dracula | Universal 1945 | |
Saturday, 3 September 1983 (titled Horror Triple Bill) | 9.45-10.50 | The Black Cat | Universal 1934 |
11.30-12.30 | Murders In The Rue Morgue | Universal 1932 | |
12.30-01.35 | The Raven | Universal 1935 | |
A festival of terror, hosted by Dr Walpurgis, for Hallowe'en. Producers Mark Deitch, Nick Freand Jones
Time | Title | Detail | |
---|---|---|---|
11.00 - 11.20 | Introduction by Dr. Walpurgis / What's behind the Door, Mummy? | Leading figures in horror discuss what it is that scares people. | |
11.20 - 11.25 | Tales from EC | A look at the 1950s horror comic | |
11.25 - 01.25 | Creepshow | Laurel Entertainment 1982 | |
01.25 - 01.30 | The Art of Illusion | With special effects and make up artist Tom Savini | |
01.30 - 01.40 | The Unholy Trinity | A discussion on horror's leading men – Freddie, Jason & Pinhead | |
01.40 - 03.10 | The Curse of the Werewolf | Hammer 1961 | |
03.10 - 03.15 | Prime Evil | Sam Raimi & Bruce Campbell talk about The Evil Dead | |
03.15 - 03.20 | Terror on the Page | Stephen King and other authors open their books. | |
03.20 - 04.30 | The Bride of Frankenstein | Universal 1935 | |
04.30 - 04.35 | The Horror of Sex | Women's role in horror | |
04.35 - 04.45 | Dario's Friends | Dario Argento at work on his new film Trauma | |
04.45 - 06.10 | Death Line | Harbor Ventures/K-L Productions 1972 | |
06.10 - 07.25 | Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein | Universal 1948 | |
07.25 - 07.30 | Close by Dr. Walpurgis | ||
Date | Time | Title | Detail |
---|---|---|---|
Friday, 10 September 1993 | 11.15-12.50 | Vamp | Balcor Film Investors, Planet Productions 1986 |
12.50-02.20 | The Mask of Satan | Alta Vista, Galatea Film, Jolly Film 1960 | |
Friday, 17 September 1993 | 11.25-12.55 | The Guardian | Universal/Nanny Productions 1990 |
12.55-02.10 | From Hell It Came | Allied Artists 1957 | |
Friday, 24 September 1993 | 11.30-12.55 | The Curse of Frankenstein | Hammer 1956 |
12.55-02.05 | Blood of Dracula | AIP/Carmel 1957 | |
Friday, 1 October 1993 | 11.05-12.30 | Horror Express | Benmar/Granada 1972 |
12.30-01.50 | The Comedy of Terrors | AIP 1963 | |
Friday, 8 October 1993 | 11.00-12.25 | Crucible of Terror | Glendale 1971 |
12.25-02.05 | The Beast With Five Fingers | Warner 1946 | |
Friday, 15 October 1993 | 11.15-12.40 | Twins of Evil | Hammer 1971 |
12.40-01.55 | Terror from the Year 5000 | La Jolla Productions 1958 | |
Friday, 22 October 1993 | 11.50-01.20 | Blood of the Vampire | Artistes Alliance Ltd 1958 |
01.20-02.50 | I Don't Want to Be Born | Rank 1975 | |
Friday, 29 October 1993 | 11.30-12.45 | The Gate | New Century Entertainment/Vista/Alliance 1987 |
12.45-02.00 | I Was a Teenage Frankenstein | Santa Rosa 1957 | |
Friday, 5 November 1993 | 11.10-12.40 | The Haunted House of Horror | Tigon 1969 |
12.40-01.55 | House on Haunted Hill | William Castle Productions 1959 | |
Friday, 12 November 1993 | 11.15-12.45 | The Lost Boys | |
12.45-02.05 | I Was a Teenage Werewolf | ||
Friday, 19 November 1993 | 11.40-01.05 | April Fool's Day | Paramount/Hometown Films 1986 |
01.05-02.35 | Cat's Eye | Dino De Laurentiis/Famous Films 1985 | |
Friday, 3 December 1993 | 11.05-12.35 | Countess Dracula | Hammer 1971 |
12.35-01.55 | Voodoo Woman | AIP 1957 | |
Date | Title | Detail |
---|---|---|
Friday, 9 September | The Fog | AVCO Embassy 1980 |
Friday, 16 September | The Ghoul | Tyburn 1974 |
Friday, 23 September | The Unnameable Returns | Unnamable Productions/Yankee Classic 1992 |
Friday, 30 September | Taste the Blood of Dracula | Hammer 1970 |
Friday, 7 October | A Study in Terror | Compton Films 1965 |
Friday, 14 October | Legend of the Werewolf | Tyburn 1975 |
Friday, 28 October | Body Parts | Vista Street Entertainment 1991 |
Friday, 4 November | Curse of the Crimson Altar | Tigon 1968 |
Friday, 11 November | The Mummy | Hammer 1959 |
Friday, 18 November | The Legacy | David Foster Prods/Pethurst Ltd/Turman-Foster 1978 |
Friday, 2 December | Dr Terror's House of Horrors | Amicus 1964 |
Friday, 9 December | Alligator | Alligator Inc 1980 |
Friday, 16 December | The Serpent and the Rainbow | Universal 1988 |
Date | Title | Details |
---|---|---|
Friday, 27 September | The House of Seven Corpses | Television Corporation of America 1974 |
Friday, 4 October | The Asphyx | Glendale 1973 |
Friday, 11 October | Devils of Darkness | Planet 1965 |
Friday, 18 October | The Beast in the Cellar | Tigon 1968 |
Friday, 25 October | A Child For Satan | 1991 |
Friday, 1 November | Ghost Story | Universal 1981 |
Friday, 8 November | Dr. Giggles | Dark Horse/ JVC/ Largo 1992 |
Friday, 15 November | Phantasm | New Breed Productions 1978 |
Friday, 29 November | Nothing But The Night | Charlemagne 1972 |
Friday, 14 December | The People Under the Stairs | Alive Films/Universal 1991 |
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is a 1948 American horror comedy film directed by Charles Barton. The film features Count Dracula who has become partners with Dr. Sandra Mornay, as Dracula requires a "simple, pliable" brain to reactivate Frankenstein's monster. Dracula discovers that the "ideal" brain belongs to Wilbur Grey who is wooed by Mornay to the operating table, despite the warnings of Lawrence Talbot.
Hammer Film Productions Ltd. is a British film production company based in London. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic horror and fantasy films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Many of these involve classic horror characters such as Baron Victor Frankenstein, Count Dracula, and the Mummy, which Hammer reintroduced to audiences by filming them in vivid colour for the first time. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir and comedies, as well as, in later years, television series.
Terence Fisher was a British film director best known for his work for Hammer Films.
Jacinto Molina Álvarez, September 6, 1934 – November 30, 2009) known by his stage name Paul Naschy, was a Spanish film actor, screenwriter, and director working primarily in horror films. His portrayals of numerous classic horror figures—The Wolfman, Frankenstein's monster, Count Dracula, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Fu Manchu and a mummy—earned him recognition as the Spanish Lon Chaney. Naschy also starred in dozens of action films, historical dramas, crime films, TV shows and documentaries. He also wrote the screenplays for most of his films and directed a number of them as well, signing many of them "Jacinto Molina". Naschy was bestowed Spain's Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts in 2001.
Son of Frankenstein is a 1939 American horror film that was directed by Rowland V. Lee and stars Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. The film is the third in Universal Pictures' Frankenstein series and is the follow-up to the 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein. Son of Frankenstein stars Rathbone as Baron Wolf von Frankenstein who, with his wife Elsa and son Peter, returns to his late father's estate. Near the castle lives Ygor, a crazed blacksmith whose neck was broken in an unsuccessful hanging attempt. Among the castle's remains, Frankenstein discovers the remains of the monster and decides to try to save his family name by resurrecting the creature to prove his father was correct. He finds, however, the monster only responds to Ygor's commands.
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man is a 1943 American horror film directed by Roy William Neill and starring Lon Chaney Jr. as the Wolf Man and Bela Lugosi as Frankenstein's monster. This was the first of a series of later called "monster rallies" combining characters from several film series. This film's script written by Curt Siodmak follows The Ghost of Frankenstein and The Wolf Man. The film involves Larry Talbot who is brought back to life. Seeking a way to return to his death to escape his werewolf curse, he meets with gypsy Maleva who advises him that the only way to stay dead is to confer with Dr. Frankenstein. The doctor is long dead but his equipment is in working condition, leading Talbot to seek the help of scientist Dr. Mannering and Frankenstein descendant Baroness Elsa Frankenstein. Talbot then attempts to have his life sucked from his body and transferred into Frankenstein's monster.
House of Frankenstein is a 1944 American horror film starring Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr. and John Carradine. Based on a story by Curt Siodmak, it was directed by Erle C. Kenton and produced by Universal Pictures. The film is about Dr. Gustav Niemann, who escapes from prison and promises to create a new body for his assistant Daniel. Over the course of the film, they encounter Count Dracula, Larry Talbot, the Wolf Man, and Frankenstein's Monster.
House of Dracula is a 1945 American horror film released and distributed by Universal Pictures. Directed by Erle C. Kenton, the film features several Universal Horror properties meeting as they had done in the 1944 film House of Frankenstein. The film is set at the castle home of Dr. Franz Edelmann, who is visited first by Count Dracula and later by Larry Talbot, the Wolf Man, who are trying to cure their vampirism and lycanthropy, respectively. Talbot is eventually cured, which leads him to discover the body of Frankenstein's monster in a cave below the base of the castle. Edelemann takes the monster's body back to his laboratory but finds Count Dracula has awakened and by attacking his assistants, he captures Edelmann and forces a reverse blood transfusion, which gives Edelmann a split personality and makes him a killer.
The Horror of Frankenstein is a 1970 British horror film by Hammer Film Productions that is both a semi-parody and semi-remake of the 1957 film The Curse of Frankenstein, of Hammer's Frankenstein series. It was produced and directed by Jimmy Sangster, starring Ralph Bates, Kate O'Mara, Veronica Carlson and David Prowse as the monster. It was the only film in the Frankenstein series which did not star Peter Cushing. The original music score was composed by Malcolm Williamson.
Commander USA's Groovie Movies is an American movie showcase series that ran weekend afternoons on the USA Network.
Los Monstruos del Terror, also known as Dracula vs. Frankenstein and Assignment: Terror, is a 1970 Spanish-German-Italian horror and Sci-Fi film co-directed by Tulio Demicheli and Hugo Fregonese.. Eberhard Meichsner was also credited as a director only in the British promotional material, but by all accounts he was not actually involved.
Creature Features is a generic title for a genre of horror TV format shows broadcast on local American television stations throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The movies broadcast on these shows were generally classic and cult horror movies of the 1930s to 1950s, the horror and science-fiction films of the 1950s, British horror films of the 1960s, and the Japanese kaiju "giant monster" movies of the 1950s to 1970s.
Midnite Movies is a line of B movies released first on VHS and later on DVD by MGM Home Entertainment. The line was begun by MGM in March 2001 following its acquisition of Orion Pictures, which bought out Filmways, the owner of American International Pictures. AIP had a library of B movies from the 1950s and 1960s that were science fiction, horror, and exploitation films. The Midnite Movies collection was primarily derived from the AIP library but also included Hammer Film Productions, Amicus Productions, United Artists, Cannon Films, and Empire International Pictures films as well. The DVDs were first released as single films, but most later releases would be double features on single double-sided discs. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment later became owners of the MGM library and continued the "Midnite Movies" line with distributor 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. All double feature titles released on the 20th Century Fox label were two-disc packages. By 2011, no new titles were forthcoming; the previous catalog titles slowly went out of print and the Midnite Movies website was taken down.
Creature Features a classic horror film show broadcast in the New York Metropolitan Area, on WNEW, Channel 5. It was hosted by Lou Steele, who became familiar to Channel 5 viewers for starting off the 10 o'clock News by asking: "It's 10 p.m.; do you know where your children are?"
Shock Theater is a package of 52 pre-1948 classic horror films from Universal Studios released for television syndication in October 1957 by Screen Gems, the television subsidiary of Columbia Pictures. The Shock Theater package included Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man and The Wolf Man as well as a few non-horror spy and mystery films. A second package, Son of Shock, was released for television by Screen Gems in 1958, with 20 horror films from both Universal and Columbia.
Frankenstein is a film series of horror films from Universal Pictures based on the play version by Peggy Webling and the 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley. The series follow the story of a monster created by Henry Frankenstein who is made from body parts of corpses and brought back to life. The rest of the series generally follows the monster continuously being revived and eventually focuses on a series of cross overs with other Universal horror film characters such as The Wolf Man. The series consists of the following films: Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Son of Frankenstein (1939), The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), House of Frankenstein (1944), House of Dracula (1945) and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).
Frankenstein is a British horror-adventure film series produced by Hammer Film Productions. The films, loosely based on the 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley, are centered on Baron Victor Frankenstein, who experiments in creating a creature beyond human. The series is part of the larger Hammer horror oeuvre.
Dracula is a film series of horror films from Universal Pictures based on the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker and its 1927 play adaptation. The series is a loose collection of films, with historians stating that the films all reference characters, events or at least passing knowledge of the 1931 English-language production of Dracula, with historians noting that Dracula's Daughter and Son of Dracula are more closely related to the 1931 film while the character of Dracula would make smaller appearances in later films such as House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula. After Dracula's Daughter, the character of Dracula and other vampires in the series became more Americanized starting with the release of Son of Dracula, and the later House of films. The character of Dracula appears in all the films outside of Dracula's Daughter, where he is portrayed by Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., and John Carradine in the House of films.
The history of horror films was described by author Siegbert Solomon Prawer as difficult to read as a linear historical path, with the genre changing throughout the decades, based on the state of cinema, audience tastes and contemporary world events.