Boris Karloff

It's a 'Thriller': A few columns back, we waxed nostalgic about the early '60s sci-fi anthology series "The Outer Limits," which ran for two seasons alongside its kissing cousin "The Twilight Zone." But 1960 saw the premiere of another anthology, "Thriller." Hosted by horror ... morelegend Boris Karloff, the NBC show initially began with crime/mystery stories but evolved rapidly into a horror series (sprinkling some non-supernatural tales over its 67-episode run). And did it ever: Stephen King called it "the greatest horror series to ever air on television," and the show acquired a cult following for its brooding, eerie atmosphere and ghoulish narratives.

Many "Thriller" episodes were based on classic horror tales, such as Robert E. Howard's "Pigeons from Hell" (often cited as the series' best), Robert Bloch's "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" and Edgar Allan Poe's "The Premature Burial." "Thriller" pushed the envelope for macabre television, and many of its episodes stand the test of time well, retaining a frightening hold on the viewer (unless you're looking for "Saw"-type shocks, of course).

"Thriller" was canceled suddenly during its second season (Alfred Hitchcock reportedly saw it as competition for his own NBC show and asked for it to be axed) and has been virtually unavailable on home video except for a long out-of-print laserdisc set of six episodes. But Image Entertainment has at last issued the complete series on a 14-disc DVD set this week -- without question one of the most important horror and TV releases of the year. I'm just delving into my copy now, and can't wait to rediscover its morbid pleasures.

Speaking of morbid pleasures, director Sam Raimi's iconic "The Evil Dead" made its Blu-ray debut this week. Issued three previous times on DVD, the movie's low-budget production values don't exactly make it prime Blu-ray demo material. Raimi, however, has supervised both an original full-frame transfer and a pretty spiffy widescreen version for this release, as well as a terrific new sound mix, helping the movie look and sound its best. The set also features a brand-new commentary from Raimi, producer Rob Tapert and star Bruce Campbell, while a separate DVD retains many of the earlier discs' bonus features. The film remains an indie horror classic, mixing Raimi's comic-book energy with pitch-black humor and nasty, truly unsettling imagery. If you have never experienced "The Evil Dead" (and you should), this is a fine place to start.

(Image Entertainment)

Don Kaye covers film, TV, and entertainment for MSN.com.