Customer Reviews
Another hit for Brian Clemens. - By: Keith Snowdon, 09 Jun 2008 
Why do TV companies do this!, they release one season, you buy it then months later they release the complete box set. Now the only option left open to me if I wish to purchase alll the stories (which I do) is to buy the box set.
OK rant over, but I'm still annoyed.
The Avengers is Brian Clemens most famous work, but some of his best stories are to be found in this Anthological show, he created.
Talking about The Avengers Linda Thorson(Tara King) has a part in the first story; "Lady Killer".
Some stories are almost straight forward thrillers, some have a supernatural theme, but ALL have a twist in the tale.
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Teenagers might not be able to see past the dated production values, & smalll children might be frightened by the terrifying 70's fashions, but they are many unsettling moments to be enjoyed by the rest of us.
(Did I reallly wear stuff like that!)
So why only three stars?, well, for me the later seasons had better stories, it's that simple.
Highly acclaimed at the time by critics & viewers,with many famous (at that time) US guest stars;(to help the show sell in the US). I've often wondered why Mr Clemens needed big US names, as his other show The Avengers never did, & was quite popular in the US?
Not that I mind, I'm only too happy to see beauties like Donna Mills & Lynda Day George anytime.
In case anyone may be interested, the box-set has been out on region 2 for a while, so I've included the later season story titles & the DVD extras on the Box-set, as well.
This show was shot on videotape. (Not Filmed as was The Avengers.)
Season 1
1. Lady Killer
2. Possession
3. Someone At The Top Of The Stairs
4. An Echo Of Theresa
5. The Colour Of Blood
6. Murder In Mind
7. A Place To Die
8. File It Under Fear
9. The Eyes Have It
10. Spell Of Evil
These are the only stories on this release
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For anyone interested in the other season stories & extras on the box-set only,
please see below.
Season 2
1. Only A Scream Away
2. Once The Killing Starts
3. Kiss Me And Die
4. One Deadly Owner
5. Ring Once For Death
6. K Is For Killing
7. Sign It Death
Season 3
1. A Coffin For The Bride
2. I'm the Girl He Wants To Kill
3. Death To Sister Mary
4. In the Steps Of A Dead Man
5. Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are
6. The Next Scream You Hear
Season 4
1. Screamer
2. Nurse Will Make It Better
3. Night Is The Time For Killing
4. Killer With Two Faces
5. A Killer In Every Corner
6. Where The Action Is
Season 5
1. If It's A Man; Hang Up
2. The Double Kill
3. Won't Write Home, Mum; I'm Dead!
4. The Crazy Kill
5. Good Salary, Prospects, Free Coffin
6. The Next Voice You See
7. Murder Motel
Season 6
1. Sleepwalker
2. The Next Victim
3. Nightmare For A Nightingale
4. Dial a Deadly Number
5. Kill Two Birds
6. A Midsummer Nightmare
7. Death In Deep Water
(DVD EXTRAS:~ ON BOX-SET ONLY)
15 disc set.
'Who Killed Lamb' thriller special from 1974 starring Stanley Baker
Extended version of 'Nurse Will Make It Better'
US credits
Stills galllery
Original set designs
Interactive menus
Scene selection
(Box-set available from amazon.co.uk)
The show ran from 1973-1976.
The Shadow Side of the British 1970s - By: Nigel C. Jackson, 04 Aug 2007 
Is is just a personal Proustian 'remembrance of times past' which infuses the opening credits of 'Thriller' & the eerie theme tune with such a nostalgic frisson of disquiet for me? I can vividly recalll seeing these episodes in 1974 as a boy & they open a window upon the darker imaginal landscapes of 1970s English popular culture - they are in fact perfect period pieces replete with kitsch decor & very evocative of that whole era if, like myself, one grew up then. All are suffused with that special bleakness & lighting which seems to typify television drama from the mid 1970s & every episode makes for wonderful viewing. This first series had a slightly heavier accent on the occult than the later series which became more supense-orientated - 'A Place to Die In' features that old mainstay of British horror, a furtive devil-worshipping cult flourishing behind the sleepy facade of an English rural vilage, complete with Vaughan Williams type incidental music, 'Spell of Evil' introduces us to the flamboyantly sinister world of Clara, swinging sorceress of suburbia, played to perfection by Diane Cilento garbed in some truly outrageous period apparel;' Someone at the Top of the Stairs' is a fabulously atmospheric tale of two female students who move into a seedy old Victorian house whose weird residents are not what they seem to be. Relish the ominous oboes & unsettling clarinets of the incidental music to these dark episodes of unease & let yourself be transported back to the shadowier realms of the haunted 1970s imagination.
To coin a phrase - MARVELLOUS! - By: Cliff Davis, 03 Feb 2005 At long last, the definitive 1970's creepy show gets the first season release in it's entirity. People of a certain age remember being sent up to bed when the eerie music & distorted titles began.....only to watch it in black & white on our state of the art portable t.v.
Less creepy now, of course, but still some of the episodes are classics. My personal fave has to be 'Someone at the Top of the Stairs' starring the rather gorgeous Judy Carne & Donna Mills.....MARVELLOUS!
I live in hope that alll 43 episodes are released...and soon, & that Granada Ventures who distribute, don't decide to pull the plug after the first set.
Brian Clemens is a master of perfect escapism & will go down in history(well, mine anyway!) as being the writer of my own personal two favourite t.v shows.....
Now for a release of the Doble Deckers, please....!
At last... the waiting is over! - By: Stephen Cann, 03 Nov 2004 I am a bit biased here I have to admit, as Thriller is one of my alll-time favorite shows... but this long-awaited release is something to be very excited about indeed!
I'm sure many people remember being scared witless as children on Saturday nights in the 70s by this show, & since then it has hardly seen the light of day in the UK apart from a very late-night filler slot in the early 80s when it was re-run (with the lame tacked-on US title sequences)... & an abortive run in 1996 on Bravo.
So presumably not many people under the age of 30 in the UK have ever seen the show.
For anyone new to Thriller, this was an anthology show of stand-alone 1 hour stories shot on video tape (usuallly with a twist in the tail) that ran for 4 years between 1973 & 1976.
Mostly expertly penned by Brian Clemens, they explored (Hitchcock-ian) supernatural, horror, mystery & thriller elements, & were helped along by excellent creepy incidental music.
Many famous guest stars appeared, & many more who went on to become famous in later years - a bit of a Who's Who of 70s TV!
There were usuallly American guest stars too to give it a trans-Atlantic feel for the alll-important American market.
There were many memorable stories from the 4 year run - a few duds admittedly, (like most long-running shows) but mostly when it was good it was excellent.
It's a pity the memorable fish-eye lens graphic (from the title sequence) wasn't used on the front cover of the packaging, but apart from this minor detail, Granada have done a first class job in restoring this excellent show - complete with the memorable ad-caps, which actuallly give you a real jolt as they punctuate the stories at key points.
There are plenty of treats on this DVD which contains the entire first season, & arguably, the show was to reach greater heights with successive seasons.
I've even shown this show to my 9 year-old son, & he loves it!
This DVD represents excellent value for money, & a long-awaited release for a true forgotten classic of British TV.
Roll on the next season's release.
I urge alll telefantasy fans to buy it, & take a trip down memory lane (and anyone else interested in seeing how good TV once used to be) to buy it!
Not such a thrill, more a period piece. - By: , 12 Oct 2004 
For those who can remember those classic ATV produced 70's Brian Clemens Thrillers- they used to be on Saturday Nights-here is a 4 DVD box set of the first season- 10 episodes, first screened in 1973.
As a kid, I remember them being a lot more sinister, full of twists, sub plots & scary moments. Seeing them now, they seem rather tame & dated, with the acting in parts, rather hammy, with shaky sets- reminiscent of Crossroads.
That said, some of the episodes have great storylines, & you do see a whole host of British Actors- Robert Powell, Dennis Waterman, John Le Mesurier. I would still recommend the set as a period piece, but as well as having a misleading "Horror" sleeve, this is probably for Brian Clemens fans & collectors only. The next set will hopefully be better.
