''Shock Theater'' (marketed as ''Shock!'') is a package of 52 pre-1948 classic horror films from

Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...

released for

television syndication Broadcast syndication is the practice of content owners leasing the right to broadcast their content to other television stations or radio stations, without having an official broadcast network to air it on. It is common in the United States whe ...

in October 1957 by

Screen Gems Screen Gems is an American film production company owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate, Sony Group Corporation. ''Screen Gems'' has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the de ...

, the television subsidiary of

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

. The ''Shock Theater'' package included ''

Dracula ''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...

'', ''

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a Sapience, sapient Frankenstein's monster, crea ...

'', '' The Mummy'', ''

The Invisible Man ''The Invisible Man'' is an 1897 science fiction novel by British writer H. G. Wells. Originally serialised in '' Pearson's Weekly'' in 1897, it was published as a novel the same year. The Invisible Man to whom the title refers is Griffin, a s ...

'' and '' The Wolf Man'' as well as a few non-horror spy and

mystery film A mystery film is a film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, ...

s. A second package, Son of Shock, was released for television by Screen Gems in 1958, with 20 horror films from both Universal and Columbia.

Horror hosts

''Shock Theater'' usually aired on late night television on weekends, and in many markets was introduced by a costumed

horror host A horror host is a person who acts as the host or presenter of a program where horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal w ...

; a well-known example was Zacherley (John Zacherle) on

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

WCAU-TV WCAU (channel 10) is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is owned and operated by the NBC television network through its NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Mount Laurel, New Jersey–licensed Tel ...

(as 'Roland') in 1957-58, and New York's

WABC-TV WABC-TV (channel 7) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the ABC network. Owned and operated by the network's ABC Owned Television Stations division, WABC-TV maintains studios in the Hudson Square neighborhood ...

in 1958-59. Prior to Zacherely's arrival at WABC-TV, Shock Theater was hosted off-camera by ABC staff announcer Scott Vincent and three other ABC staff announcers who worked in rotation. ''Shock Theater'' continued the American tradition of horror film television shows that originated with Vampira (

Maila Nurmi Maila Elizabeth Syrjäniemi (December 11, 1922 – January 10, 2008), known professionally as Maila Nurmi, was an American actress best known for creating the Camp (style), campy 1950s character Vampira. She was raised in Astoria, Oregon, where ...

) at

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

KABC-TV KABC-TV (channel 7) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship station of the ABC network. Owned and operated by the network's ABC Owned Television Stations division, the station mai ...

in 1954-55. ''Shock Theater'' programs in major cities were often introduced by local hosts in the style of Zacherley or Vampira such as Terry Bennett's Marvin on Chicago's WBKB-TV. With the varying lengths of the features ranging from the 58 minutes of '' The Cat Creeps'' to the 99 minute '' Son of Frankenstein'', the host's sequences could pad out the broadcast to a standard time slot. Screen Gems acquired a 10-year lease of the television rights to 550 Universal Pictures features in June 1957, with the intention of packaging them by formats and stars, including horror, crime, and comedy. The first Shock package was an instant success nationwide. Viewership measurements in five key television markets (New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, San Antonio) showed the program boosting ratings anywhere from 38 percent to 1,125 percent.Huge Ratings Jumps Show Dialers Flocking to 'Shock!'
, ''Billboard'', Oct. 14, 1957, p. 8.

Films

Shock Theater

Films sourced from the book ''Universal Horrors''. *''

'' (1931) *''

'' (1931) *'' Murders in the Rue Morgue'' (1932) *'' The Mummy'' (1932) *'' The Secret of the Blue Room'' (1933) *''

'' (1933) *'' The Black Cat'' (1934) *'' Secret of the Chateau'' (1934) *'' The Mystery of Edwin Drood'' (1935) *''

The Raven "The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. First published in January 1845, the poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a distraught lover who is paid a visit ...

'' (1935) *'' The Great Impersonation'' (1935) *''

Werewolf of London ''Werewolf of London'' is a 1935 horror film directed by Stuart Walker (director), Stuart Walker and starring Henry Hull as the titular werewolf. The supporting cast includes Warner Oland, Valerie Hobson, Lester Matthews, and Spring Byington. ...

'' (1935) *'' Chinatown Squad'' (1935) *'' The Invisible Ray'' (1936) *'' Dracula's Daughter'' (1936) *'' Night Key'' (1937) *'' The Man Who Cried Wolf'' (1937) *'' Reported Missing!'' (1937) *'' The Spy Ring'' (1938) *'' The Last Warning'' (1938) *'' Son of Frankenstein'' (1939) *'' Mystery of the White Room'' (1939) *'' The Witness Vanishes'' (1939) *''

The Invisible Man Returns ''The Invisible Man Returns'' is a 1940 American horror science fiction film directed by Joe May. The film stars Cedric Hardwicke, Vincent Price, Nan Grey and John Sutton. The film is a sequel to the 1933 film ''The Invisible Man'', and the ...

'' (1940) *'' Enemy Agent'' (1940) *'' The Mummy's Hand'' (1940) *'' Man-Made Monster'' (1941) *'' A Dangerous Game'' (1941) *'' Horror Island'' (1941) *'' Sealed Lips'' (1942) *'' The Wolf Man'' (1941) *'' The Mad Doctor of Market Street'' (1942) *'' The Strange Case of Doctor Rx'' (1942) *'' Night Monster'' (1942) *'' The Mystery of Marie Roget'' (1942) *'' The Mummy's Tomb'' (1942) *''

Nightmare A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety, disgust or sadness. The dream may contain situations o ...

'' (1942) *'' Destination Unknown'' (1942) *'' Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man'' (1943) *'' The Mad Ghoul'' (1943) *'' Son of Dracula'' (1943) *'' Calling Dr. Death'' (1943) *'' The Mummy's Ghost'' (1944) *''

Weird Woman ''Weird Woman'' is a 1944 noir- mystery horror film, and the second installment in '' The Inner Sanctum Mysteries'' anthological film series, which was based on the popular radio series of the same name. Directed by Reginald Le Borg and star ...

'' (1944) *'' Dead Man's Eyes'' (1944) *'' The Frozen Ghost'' (1945) *'' Pillow of Death'' (1945) *''

House of Horrors A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

'' (1946) *'' She-Wolf of London'' (1946) *'' The Spider Woman Strikes Back'' (1946) *'' The Cat Creeps'' (1946) *'' Danger Woman'' (1946)

Son of Shock

* '' Before I Hang'' (1940) * '' Behind the Mask'' (1932) * '' Black Friday'' (1940) * '' The Black Room'' (1935) * '' The Boogie Man Will Get You'' (1942) * ''

Bride of Frankenstein ''Bride of Frankenstein'' is a 1935 American Gothic science fiction horror film, and the first sequel to Universal Pictures' 1931 film ''Frankenstein''. As with the first film, ''Bride of Frankenstein'' was directed by James Whale starring ...

'' (1935) * '' Captive Wild Woman'' (1943) * '' The Devil Commands'' (1941) * '' The Face Behind the Mask'' (1941) * ''

The Ghost of Frankenstein ''The Ghost of Frankenstein'' is a 1942 American horror film directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring Cedric Hardwicke, Lon Chaney Jr. and Bela Lugosi. It is the fourth film in the ''Frankenstein'' series by Universal Pictures, and the follow-u ...

'' (1942) * '' House of Dracula'' (1945) * '' House of Frankenstein'' (1944) * ''

The Invisible Man's Revenge ''The Invisible Man's Revenge'' is a 1944 American science fiction horror film directed by Ford Beebe and written by Bertram Millhauser. The film stars John Carradine as a scientist who tests his experiment on a psychiatric hospital escapee, pl ...

'' (1944) * '' Island of Doomed Men'' (1940) * '' Jungle Captive'' (1945) * '' The Man They Could Not Hang'' (1939) * '' The Man Who Lived Twice'' (1936) * '' The Man with Nine Lives'' (1940) * '' The Mummy's Curse'' (1944) * ''

Night of Terror ''Night of Terror'' is a 1933 American pre-Code horror film directed by Benjamin Stoloff, and starring Bela Lugosi, Sally Blane, Wallace Ford, and Tully Marshall. Despite receiving top billing, Bela Lugosi has a relatively small part. The fi ...

'' (1933)

References

Sources