Montclair TV34 Is Hosting A ‘Halloween Film Fright Fest’

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Get ready for the fright of your life this Halloween as Montclair TV34 celebrates the spooky season with local horror film aficionado Ilmar Vanderer. Ilmar will present a very special lineup of Hollywood’s horror classics starring the master of the genre, Boris Karloff.

Halloween 2021 is the perfect time to reflect on Boris Karloff’s legacy because this year marks the 90th anniversary of Universal Studio’s 1931 film “Frankenstein,” the movie that catapulted the actor to fame.

As a special treat, Ilmar will provide the TV34 viewer audience an exclusive interview with the daughter of the “King Of Horror” – Sara Karloff, who is visiting Montclair on Tuesday, October 26 to host a special screening of the 2021 documentary “Boris Karloff: the Man Behind the Monster” at Montclair State University (watch the trailer here https://youtu.be/TjNPEw8KKhU). Ms. Karloff is one of a few remaining connections to classic Universal monster films. She is a popular guest at monster-themed events promoting and paying tribute to her father's legacy as a horror film icon.

Sara is also a frequent commentator and interview subject in documentary films and TV programs, reflecting on her father's life and career, and offering insights and anecdotes on the history and enduring appeal of Universal's monster movies. More recently she was interviewed for the “Boris Karloff: the Man Behind the Monster” documentary.

The list of Boris Karloff films to be aired is provided below. The film fright fest begins at 5:00 p.m. on Halloween. Each film will be prefaced with a brief introduction. So stay tuned for a full evening of some of the best Hollywood horror classic films of the silver screen.

1 – The Old Dark House - 5:00 PM (1932, B&W, 1 Hour & 12 Minutes)
This model for spooky house movies and inspiration for The Rocky Horror Picture Show follows stranded travelers who spend a stormy night with a ghoulish household, and stars Boris Karloff as a monstrous butler. With Melvyn Douglas, Gloria Stuart, Charles Laughton, Raymond Massey.

2 – The Ghoul - 6:15 - 6:30 PM (1933, B&W, 1 Hour & 20 Minutes)
Boris Karloff's first British horror film is a follow-up to The Mummy about an Egyptologist who vows to return from the grave and haunt those who have betrayed him and robbed his priceless treasures. With Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Sir Ralph Richardson, Ernest Thesiger, Anthony Bushell.

3 – House of Frankenstein - 7:55 - 8:05 PM (1944, B&W, 1 Hour & 10 Minutes)
Boris Karloff headlines this all-star monster epic and prototype for modern-day crossover films as a mad scientist who continues Dr. Frankenstein's experimenting with Dracula, The Wolf Man and Frankenstein's monster. With Lon Chaney, Jr., John Carradine, Lionel Atwill, George Zucco.

4 – The Haunted Strangler - 9:10 PM - 9:20 PM (1958, B&W, 1 Hour & 18 Minutes)

A fascinating variation on Jekyll & Hyde and Jack The Ripper features Boris Karloff as a novelist whose growing obsession with investigating the identity of a notorious strangler has bizarre and horrifying consequences. With Jean Kent, Anthony Dawson, Desmond Roberts, Elizabeth Allan.

5 – The Terror - 10:40 - 10:50 PM (1963, Color, 1 Hour & 19 Minutes)
Producer Roger Corman's legendary, low-budget thriller casts Boris Karloff as a mysterious and macabre baron who inhabits an eerie castle where gruesome happenings attract the attention of a stranded Napoleanic soldier. With Jack Nicholson, Sandra Knight, Dick Miller, Jonathan Haze.

6 – The Comedy of Terrors - 12:00 AM - 12:15 AM (1964, Color, 1 Hour & 23 Minutes)
An all-star slapstick horror spoof and historic teaming of Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, and Peter Lorre as comically conniving undertakers who ghoulishly conspire to improve their business by creating their own customers. With Basil Rathbone, Joyce Jameson, Joe E. Brown, Alan DeWitt.

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