Obscure series featuring the great Boris Karloff
z hayes | TX | 12/24/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
""The Veil" was a rare made-for-television series which never aired, and was hosted by the great Boris Karloff. "The Veil" actually preceded Karloff's "Thriller" show and the format was quite typical for similar shows of the period - Karloff would be the host who introduced the story, and then the actual story was shown (with Karloff making an appearance in the story itself). Karloff would also appear at the end with some commentary on the story. I did a bit of research about this series and found that the show was created and produced by Frank Bibas, who also had a keen interest in the supernatural. All of the stories presented in "The Veil" are based on supposedly true accounts. Unfortunately, Roach Studios which financed the show ran into financial difficulties, and the show never got aired. However, in the vein of shows like Tales from the Crypt etc, the episodes were edited and made available for television in the form of feature length movies like "Jack the Ripper", etc.
This particular DVD set, "The Veil: Volume 2" (1958) contains 4 episodes:
"The Gloucester Captain" - A seasoned sea captain, Captain John Elwood returns home after many years at sea. Trouble is, he is now an unbalanced individual with murderous designs on his wife.
"The Doctor" - Angelo, whose father is a doctor, tries to save the life of a seriously ill young girl, and has a supernatural experience.
"The Crystal Ball" - A man falls hopelessly in love with a beguiling and greedy woman, and with the aid of a crystal ball, he discovers her duplicitous nature.
"Two Sons" - Two brothers battle over their late father's estate, and the only thing that can possibly put an end to their violent sparring is the spirit of their dead father.
The total running time of the DVD is 103 minutes, and all the episodes are in B&W. The audio quality is clear, with no static/background noise, and the picture quality is average (actually it's not bad - considering some other movies of this time period which can appear grainy). Recommended for fans of the classic horror genre and those who like collecting obscure TV shows/movies."