Late-night horror series The Classic Ghosts has rarely been seen since airing on ABC’s Wide World of Mystery in 1973, but that’s about to change.
The UCLA Film & Television Archive has preserved all five installments, coming to Blu-ray on October 29 via Kino Lorber’s Kino Cult line. Watch the exclusive trailer below.
Produced by broadcast pioneer Jacqueline Babbin (Sybil, All My Children), The Classic Ghosts was celebrated upon its debut for being made by a predominantly female crew, including trailblazing television directors Gloria Monty (General Hospital) and Lela Swift (Studio One).
Shot on videotape in the style of a soap opera, with expressive and colorful production design, The Classic Ghosts has an immediacy and otherworldliness akin to Dark Shadows — not surprising since two of the directors (Swift and Henry Kaplan) directed hundreds of episodes of the classic horror TV series.
The two-disc set includes interviews with Mark Quigley (John H. Mitchell Television Curator of the UCLA Film & Television Archive), Maya Montañez Smukler (Head of the UCLA Film & Television Archive Research and Study Center), and film and TV historian Amanda Reyes, as well as a demonstration by DC Video’s David Crosthwait of the technology required to reclaim the program from the now-obsolete 2″ videotape format.
“The Haunting of Rosalind” (65 min) is directed by Swift, based on a story by Henry James. Pamela Payton-Wright, Susan Sarandon, Beatrice Straight, and Frank Converse star.
“The Screaming Skull” (67 min) is directed by Monty, based on a story by Francis Marion Crawford. David McCallum, Vince Gardenia, and Carrie Nye star.
“The Deadly Visitor” (66 min) is directed by Swift, based on a story by Fitz-James O’Brien. Perry King, Gwen Verdon, and James Keach star.
“The House and the Brain” (65 min) is directed by Monty, based on a story by Edward Bulwer-Lytton. Carol Williard, Hurd Hatfield, Keith Charles, and Maryce Carter star.
“And the Bones Came Together” (66 min) is directed by Kaplan, based on a story by Sholomo Keil. Robin Strasser, Laurence Luckinbill, and Herbert Berghof star.
