Terror Television

Although horror shows on television are popular in the 1990s thanks to the success of Chris Carter’s The X-Files, such has not always been the case. Creators Rod Serling, Dan Curtis, William Castle, Quinn Martin, John Newland, George Romero, Stephen King, David Lynch, Wes Craven, Sam Raimi, Aaron Spelling and others have toiled to bring the horror genre to American living rooms for years. This large-scale reference book documents an entire genre, from the dawn of modern horror television with the watershed Serling anthology, Night Gallery (1970), a show lensed in color and featuring more graphic makeup and violence than ever before seen on the tube, through more than 30 programs, including those of the 1998-1999 season. Complete histories, critical reception, episode guides, cast, crew and guest star information, as well as series reviews are included, along with footnotes, a lengthy bibliography and an in-depth index. From Kolchak: The Night Stalker to Millennium, from The Evil Touch to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Twin Peaks, Terror Television is a detailed reference guide to three decades of frightening television programs, both memorable and obscure.

John Kenneth Muir is an American literary critic and award-winning author. As of 2022, he has written 30 reference books in the fields of film and television, with a particular focus on the horror and science fiction genres.

John Kenneth Muir
Format: softcover (7 x 10 in 2 vols.)
Pages: 685
Bibliographic Info: appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2008 [2001]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3884-6
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0416-9
Imprint: McFarland

• Volume 1 •

Introduction 1

PART I: THE HORROR SERIES

1. Rod Serling’s Night Gallery (1970–1973) 7

2. The Sixth Sense (1972) 32

3. Ghost Story/Circle of Fear (1972–1973) 44

4. The Evil Touch (1973–1974) 54

5. Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974–1975) 64

6. Quinn Martin’s Tales of the Unexpected (1977–1978) 77

7. The Next Step Beyond (1978–1979) 82

8. Cliffhangers: The Curse of Dracula (1979) 91

9. Darkroom (1981–1982) 96

10. The Hitchhiker (1983–1991) 103

11. Tales from the Darkside (1984–1988) 119

12. Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1985–1990) 139

13. Werewolf (1987–1988) 161

14. Friday the 13th: The Series (1987–1990) 173

15. Freddy’s Nightmares: A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Series (1988–1990) 195

16. Monsters (1988–1991) 208

17. Tales from the Crypt (1989–1997) 226

18. Twin Peaks (1990–1991) 248

19. Dracula: The Series (1990–1991) 266

20. She Wolf of London/Love and Curses (1990–1991) 274

21. Stephen King’s The Golden Years (1991) 285

22. Dark Shadows (1991) 292

23. Beyond Reality (1991–1993) 302

24. Nightmare Cafe (1992) 314

25. Forever Knight (1992–1996) 320

• Volume 2 •

26. The X-Files (1993–) 345

27. American Gothic (1995–1996) 397

28. Kindred: The Embraced (1996) 410

29. Poltergeist: The Legacy (1996–1999) 418

30. Dark Skies (1996–1997) 441

31. The Burning Zone (1996–1997) 455

32. Millennium (1996–1999) 467

33. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–) 497

34. Sleepwalkers (1997) 519

35. Prey (1998) 522

36. Charmed (1998–) 530

37. Brimstone (1998–1999) 541

38. Strange World (1999) 552

39. G vs E (1999–) 557

40. Angel (1999–) 564

PART II: IF IT LOOKS LIKE HORROR, SOUNDS LIKE HORROR…

The Anthologies 569

1. Amazing Stories (1985–1987) 569

2. The Twilight Zone (1985–1987; 1988–1989) 574

3. The Outer Limits (1995–2000) 580

4. The Ray Bradbury Theater (1985–1992) 585

5. Nightmare Classics (1989) 586

6. Welcome to Paradox (1998) 586

“Man-on-the-run” Series 588

1. Dead at 21 (1994) 588

2. Nowhere Man (1995) 589

Horror Lite 592

1. Tucker’s Witch (1982–1983) 592

2. Shadow Chasers (1985–1986) 593

3. The Munsters Today (1988–1991) 594

4. Free Spirit (1989–1990) 596

5. Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996–) 596

6. Baywatch Nights (1996) 597

Pseudo-Reality TV 598

1. Sightings (1994–1997) 598

2. Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal (1996–) 600

Space … the Horrific Frontier 605

Space: 1999 (1975–1977) 605

PART III: FURTHER THOUGHTS

Conclusion 611

Appendix A: The Fifty Most Common Concepts in Modern Terror Television 615

Appendix B: The Terror Television Hall of Fame 624

Appendix C: The Ten Best Terror Television Programs (1970–1999) 629

Appendix D: The Five Worst Terror Television Programs (1970–1999) 630

Appendix E: The Hosts 631

Appendix F : The Partners 632

Appendix G: The Soaps 633

Appendix H: The Vampires 634

Notes 635

Bibliography 641

Index 645

Booklist Editors’ Choice
“Muir is well versed in his subject…thorough research…useful…indepth”—Booklist; “highly readable, extremely literate…definitive…a thorough evaluation of each program…all film libraries will want a copy”—ARBA; “massive…a complete episode guide to each series…a lot of information here…a good format…Muir has obviously done his homework…excellent analysis of shows…indispensable…useful”—Chiller Theatre; “the writing is both thoughtful and witty throughout…excellent…an essential purchase”—Reference & User Services Quarterly; “analyses are first-rate…superlative television history”—Big Reel; “substantial”—Classic Images; “exhaustive”—Interzone; “definitive…well compiled and researched…informative”—Rue Morgue.