Before we get to today’s 1940 feature presentation, let’s stop off at the most excellent anthology series, Thriller, hosted by your friend and mine, Boris Karloff. This episode is based on the short story by Robert E. Howard, “Pigeons From Hell.” It may sound like Bert’s greatest nightmare, but it’s much more sinister than that. Speaking of sinister, Karloff is so damn good you don’t even care that he’s obviously reading off of cue cards.
Next we have a reading of Poe‘s poem “Annabel Lee” by Basil Rathbone. I’m not sure where this was available…the Caedmon Poe collection (which also features Price) doesn’t have a track listing on it and I couldn’t lay hands upon mine without strip-mining my CD collection.
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And now, the feature film for tonight: Chamber of Horrors, also known by the source material’s name–The Door With Seven Locks by Edgar Wallace. (Wallace is credited as co-creator of King Kong.) When a wealthy aristocrat dies, it’s not going to be easy to get at his treasure–it’s locked in his tomb behind, you guessed it, a door with seven locks. And there are seven keys. And more than one person wants to have at them…thus, hijinks and murder ensue. Enjoy.
Roan released this on DVD several years back and it’s available for cheap from Amazon.
