Description

Two years before Thriller, Boris Karloff hosted The Veil, a never-broadcast ten-episode pilot of a TV horror anthology for the Hal Roach Studios in 1958. Boris also starred in nine of The Veil's ten episodes, making this a rare treat for Karloff fans. This special double-disc set includes all ten 26-minute episodes, directed by such genre luminaries as George Waggner (The Wolf Man) and Herbert L. Strock (I Was a Teenage Frankenstein), and starring such familiar faces as Patrick Macnee (The Avengers), Robert Hardy (Psychomania), Niall MacGinnis (Curse of the Demon), Clifford Evans (Kiss of the Vampire), Morris Ankrum (Earth vs. the Flying Saucers), Eve Brent (Gun Girls), and even a young George Hamilton. So please join Boris Karloff for another journey into the world of the unexplainable which lies behind...The Veil. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Quite a Surprise
I had never heard of this program before I found the DVD an Amazon, and decided to order it. When I finally viewed the programs, I was quite surprised at a number of things.

1. The prints are very high quality, especially considering that this was a 1950's made for TV series.

2. The series was never broadcast. This is amazing considering that the episodes could have easily been in One Step Beyond or Twilight Zone if you blinked and missed the opening credits. More to the point, The Veil predates both of its more well remembered cousins.

3. They made 10 episodes as opposed to a pilot and one or two other shoots. As such, there is enough material here to really give the viewer a feel for what this series would have been had it been picked up by one of the networks at the time.

4. Appearances by actors you know. For example, Patrick Macnee (later of Avengers fame) plays a constable in one episode.

5. Karloff's range in the various roles. Having only really having seen Boris in Frankenstein and a couple of Thrillers, I didn't realize how deeply talented he was. You get to see him in a variety of roles here, and when he needs to look menacing, he does, usually through facial expressions and body language. But it left me with the opinion that he was a brilliant actor.

Bottom line is that if you like Twiliight Zone, One Step, even X Files, this is a must have. You''ll never get to see it on TV, and it's a fun DVD to watch with the family.

Interesting Rarity from TV's Golden Age
Although superficial similarities make it tempting to regard the Hal Roach Studios ten-episode series pilot THE VEIL as a sort of trial run for the later TV series THRILLER (a.k.a. BORIS KARLOFF'S THRILLER), that is really an inaccurate and unfair comparison. It's true that both shows are hosted by venerable horror star Boris Karloff and that he appears in several of the dramatizations--in fact, he appears in all but one dramatization on THE VEIL--and it's also true that both series deal with the supernatural. But unlike the stories presented on THRILLER--which are completely fictional horror stories, many based on previously published works by popular horror and science writers of the 1950s and early 1960s such as Robert E. Howard, Robert Bloch, August Derleth, Cornell Woolrich, and the like--the stories on THE VEIL are presented as "true" stories about real people who have had a brush with supernatural phenomenon like ghosts, reincarnation, psychic prognostication, and similar spooky irregularities. But true or not, the stories on THE VEIL are, of course, purely dramatic "reenactments" with no scholarly research or backup information provided to the audience, and it is therefore more accurate to see THE VEIL as a precursor to the more contemporary THE X FILES rather than as a dress rehearsal for THRILLER.

That said, THE VEIL is certainly an entertaining anomaly from television's golden era, and its high-quality production values makes one wonder why it wasn't picked up as a regular series. In fact, the show per se was never broadcast. However, in the late 1960s, 10 years or so after the original production, blocks of three or four episodes each were hastily stitched together--ironically, much like the Frankenstein monster character that originally made host Boris Karloff a star--and licensed to local TV stations for broadcast as movies on late-night TV. So this two-disc DVD from Something Weird video is likely the first time THE VEIL has been made available to the general public in the show's original 10-episode format, and Karloff fans, horror fans, fans of THE X FILES, and, yes, even fans of THRILLER should find the show very enjoyable, and most will want to add it to their DVD collections.

Whether due to restoration or just because the source material was rarely used, the picture and sound quality on the DVD set is just fantastic! The liner notes include a synopsis of each episode, as well as some interesting historical background material about the show. Bonus materials on the discs themselves include a few episodes of 13 DEMON STREET, a foreign-produced TV show in the same vein as THE VEIL and from the same era. That show was hosted by Lon Chaney, Jr., and the production quality is obviously not as high as that of THE VEIL. Indeed, the source used for the DVD transfer is washed and sometimes jittery, but the episodes are, if nothing else, interesting for their historical value.

This DVD set is a must-own for Karloff fans and for those who have a strong interest in or love for classic television. Fans of more contemporary shows like THE X FILES and MILLENNIUM may also enjoy THE VEIL, especially in light of the fact that shows like this are the true progenitors of the modern fare.

For Karloff Fans Only
If you love Boris as I do then this set is worth your time and money. It is nowhere near on a level with the Twilight Zone or it's offshoots such as Outer Limits but Boris is Boris and what more needs to be said?

Great Box!
If you enjoyed old TV shows such as Thriller (clearly inspired by this show), Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, Hitchcock Presents you cannot miss this rare release.
The DVD quality is very good and the box comes with a little booklet presenting all episodes. Also it includes all the episodes ever released (plus few episodes of anothere series).
A Great Box not to be missed either by the casual viewer and the collector!

Not great but not bad...
Although I am not sorry I brought it, I find it now where near as enjoyable as the Mr Wong collection.

The sound on this, whilst acceptable is by no means great.. ... Read more

Description

Women of Earth, beware! This cosmic vixen has come for your husbands, boyfriends and brothers. Her mission is to bring men back to Mars to mate with a planetful of sex-starved she-devils who need fresh breeding stock to repopulate the red planet. And men, if you don't perform, you might just be incinerated by Chani the Robot or heaved into the atomic pile that powers their ship. A beautifully crafted production, unique special effects, inspired production design, and classy international beauty Hazel Court make this

a true gem of Atomic Age entertainment. Hugh McDermott, Patricia Laffan, Peter Reynolds, Joseph Tomelty, Adrienne Corri, Hazel Court. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Great Sci-Fi British Camp Film
I saw this film in the theater as a kid and never forgot it.As far as I'm concerned it's a classic and a must see for any sci-fi buff.It starts out a little slow in the beginning but once the "Devil Girl" makes the scene the movie really gets rolling.This movie in my opinion is grossly overlooked and should be ranked right up there with the original Godzilla and Forbidden Planet.

Surprsing Special Effects
Quite honestly I'd never bothered to check this movie out until recently and was really surprised! The special effects are very good for 1955 (or 1954 or 1958? Different sources have different dates for this film). The space ship alone is well worth checking out the film (minus the phallic landing gear which are good for a laugh). Her robot is really interesting too and has joined my top ten trippy sci fi robots list although his head does look like a light bulb. Impressive effects over all. True this film borrows heavily from Day The Earth Stood Still and only starts once the space ship arrives and does become very predictable by the end but if you're a collector of freaky cool space ship/aliens/robot movies then this is one worth owning. She arrives in a biogenic ship which is a concept decades away from Star Trek Next Generation. She sets up a force field around the Inn which is well done and the enterance to the space craft is so impressive I paused the DVD to figure out how they did it- it reminds me of the first Star Wars movie where R2 D2 is kidnapped in the desert by the Jawas(sp?). Way a head of the fifties in ideas although she dresses like an S/M Cat Woman and over explains her plans to the stupid humans, a character flaw that will lead to her demise! The funniest thing for me is she can easily travel in the 4th dimension with a blink of an eye and yet she constantly walks from her ship to the Inn. Sort of pointless don't you think?

Oooh baby, make me yours!
Solemn, indeed totally serious movie (based on a play, of all things) about an evil Martian woman, dressed all in shiny, tight-fitting black leather, who travels to Earth to snatch all the Earthmen, since all the Martian guys have become, ahem, sorta
impotent. Accompanying this babe as her enforcer is a 15-foot-tall robot who bears a striking resemblance to a refrigerator with a police light on his head. The special effects are really not that bad, although the "science" in the dialogue is just babble. The ship's pretty cool, though--its "skin" heals itself. Definitely worth a look.

Sexy, Sensuous Devil Girl!!
A Great Spook Film about a beautiful sexy interplantary woman looking for a man.It should'nt be too difficult!!

a thinker's movie
I saw in the opening credits that this screenplay was originally a play. keeping that in mind i watched the movie thinking "now how did they do this scene on stage?" This attitude helped keep me amused.
Perhaps because it once was a play, the characters spoke like people in a play--a lot more clever than in real-life.
The premise of the story gets lost at times. Like when the "devil girl" marched the hero off to her ship I was saying to myself--"He's going to Mars to impregnate thousands of Martian women--tall statuesque women in black leather So what's the problem?" ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Great Sci-Fi British Camp Film
I saw this film in the theater as a kid and never forgot it.As far as I'm concerned it's a classic and a must see for any sci-fi buff.It starts out a little slow in the beginning but once the "Devil Girl" makes the scene the movie really gets rolling.This movie in my opinion is grossly overlooked and should be ranked right up there with the original Godzilla and Forbidden Planet.

Surprsing Special Effects
Quite honestly I'd never bothered to check this movie out until recently and was really surprised! The special effects are very good for 1955 (or 1954 or 1958? Different sources have different dates for this film). The space ship alone is well worth checking out the film (minus the phallic landing gear which are good for a laugh). Her robot is really interesting too and has joined my top ten trippy sci fi robots list although his head does look like a light bulb. Impressive effects over all. True this film borrows heavily from Day The Earth Stood Still and only starts once the space ship arrives and does become very predictable by the end but if you're a collector of freaky cool space ship/aliens/robot movies then this is one worth owning. She arrives in a biogenic ship which is a concept decades away from Star Trek Next Generation. She sets up a force field around the Inn which is well done and the enterance to the space craft is so impressive I paused the DVD to figure out how they did it- it reminds me of the first Star Wars movie where R2 D2 is kidnapped in the desert by the Jawas(sp?). Way a head of the fifties in ideas although she dresses like an S/M Cat Woman and over explains her plans to the stupid humans, a character flaw that will lead to her demise! The funniest thing for me is she can easily travel in the 4th dimension with a blink of an eye and yet she constantly walks from her ship to the Inn. Sort of pointless don't you think?

Oooh baby, make me yours!
Solemn, indeed totally serious movie (based on a play, of all things) about an evil Martian woman, dressed all in shiny, tight-fitting black leather, who travels to Earth to snatch all the Earthmen, since all the Martian guys have become, ahem, sorta
impotent. Accompanying this babe as her enforcer is a 15-foot-tall robot who bears a striking resemblance to a refrigerator with a police light on his head. The special effects are really not that bad, although the "science" in the dialogue is just babble. The ship's pretty cool, though--its "skin" heals itself. Definitely worth a look.

Sexy, Sensuous Devil Girl!!
A Great Spook Film about a beautiful sexy interplantary woman looking for a man.It should'nt be too difficult!!

a thinker's movie
I saw in the opening credits that this screenplay was originally a play. keeping that in mind i watched the movie thinking "now how did they do this scene on stage?" This attitude helped keep me amused.
Perhaps because it once was a play, the characters spoke like people in a play--a lot more clever than in real-life.
The premise of the story gets lost at times. Like when the "devil girl" marched the hero off to her ship I was saying to myself--"He's going to Mars to impregnate thousands of Martian women--tall statuesque women in black leather So what's the problem?" ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Four episodes of The Veil anthology
Presented here are four tales of suspense that I believe were part of a ten episode series created by Hal Roach Studios called The Veil, a series that was never broadcast on television. The show stars Boris Karloff, who presents each story, and then appears at the conclusion to wrap it up. He also appears in three of the four stories available here.

The first episode deals with a bachelor who witnesses from his apartment window a crime that happens in the building across the way. When he contacts the police to investigate, they discover the apartment is empty, and no one has lived there for quite awhile. The police, thinking the man has a screw loose, take him to a mental hospital, where Karloff plays a psychiatrist. When the crime actually happens the next day, the man is considered the prime suspect, even though he can accurately describe the perpetrator to a tee. Can this man see events before they happen? Or is he the actually the man behind the crime?

The second story is about a family living on a farm and the father passes on. After his death, it is discovered that there are two wills, one leaving everything to the older, more responsible brother who wants to keep the farm and care for his mother, and a second that names the younger, reckless, self-involved brother who wants to sell the farm, keep the money, and put the mother into an old folks home. Which one is real? A spectral vision will tell for sure. Karloff plays the family lawyer in this episode.

The third episode tells the tale of a cold-hearted sea captain and his tumultuous relationship with his wife. The love has left the marriage, and the captain sees an opportunity to finance a new ship in the arms of another woman, one who has recently come into a large sum of money. If only he wasn't married...What to do? Karloff stars in this episode as the sea captain.

The fourth and final episode is a story about a man who has dreams about Jack the Ripper. He sees the crimes before they occur, and can give great detail about the events. The police are skeptical, and then believe the man may be the Ripper due to his intimate knowledge of the crimes, but soon discover otherwise as the crimes continue despite the man with the visions being locked up. Do they discover the identity of the Ripper before he kills again? Karloff does not appear in this last episode at all, only prior to the story starting and then again at the end, to wrap things up.

This isn't a bad little collection of made for television stories with a slight, macabre twist. The stories aren't really all that shocking, but I suspect the passage of time may have lessened the overall effect. Of the four stories here, the first two are pretty tame, the third having a bit more juice, and the forth being quite tasty and atmospheric. I really enjoyed seeing Karloff, and he added much to those episodes he was in, always presenting a point of interest for the viewer. The title of this collection, obviously used for the sensational appeal, may be misleading to some thinking that this would be an entire movie or something about Jack the Ripper, but it isn't. Only the last episode deals with that subject. There is another release, one by Image Entertainment called The Veil (1958) that has all ten episodes of the unreleased television show, along with some extras worth looking into, and is available here, on this website. It cost a little more, but you get a whole lot more. Karloff fans and anyone else interested would probably be better off searching that out rather than settling for this partial release.

Cookieman108

3 chilling tales from Karloff's TV show~
Karloff's unsold TV anthology "THE VEIL" is where these 3 spine~tinglers originate from.Story One concerns a father,a son,a will & a message from beyond the grave!Story two (my favorite) Karloff is a sea captain who ignores his wife until,finally,he kills her but she gets revenge from the grave!Story 3 concerns a clairvoyant who can "see" Jack the Ripper's murders as they happen!LOTS OF FUN!

JACK THE RIPPER
This was the best video I have ever seen in my life. A look at the notorious killer. ... Read more

Description

Fond of the whip, the isolation chamber, straight jackets and starvation tactics, Squire Meadows is the sadistic governor of a Victorian prison who relishes making the lives of his prisoners a torturous hell. He's also a dishonorable lecher scheming to marry Susan, a beautiful village girl. She's deeply in love with someone else - a handsome but poverty-stricken man named George, who is forced to work in far-away Australia so he can earn enough money to wed her. The evil squire intercepts George's long-distance love letters and coerces Susan into marrying him. News reaches the squire that George is making his way back home (and is now a wealthy man). Learing exposure, Meadows determines to destroy George before he can return.A gruesome and deliciously lurid thriller, Never Too Late To Mend places the spotlight firmly on Tod Slaughter, an often-overlooked British horror film star whose performances are always bursting with over-the-top melodrama. The film is based on the writings of Charles Reade, which inspired Queen Victoria to overhaul the deplorable conditions of the era's prison system. Scottish-born director David MacDonald later helmed the unusual British sci-fi thriller Devil Girl From Mars, as well as episodes of the eerie Boris Karloff TV-series "The Veil." Script writer H.F. Maltby also wrote the dialogue for Tod Slaughter's Sweeney Todd and Crimes At The Dark House. ... Read more