The Veil Volume 2

Boris Karloff, the master of horror, hosts a macabre collection of strange stories (all based on "true" incidents) in this rarely-seen series that was intended for television back in 1958. Made a few years before Karloff's better-known "Thriller" show, "The Veil" featured the veteran actor performing in many of the chilling episodes in a variety of creepy roles. While the program was never aired, some of its episodes were plucked and edited into feature-length movies that were sold to television, reminiscent of theatrical releases like Tales From The Crypt and The Vault Of Horror. Exceptionally entertaining and well-made, "The Veil" evokes the same type of edge-of-your-seat thrills as "The Twilight Zone" and "One Step Beyond."

Episode 1 - "The Gloucester Captain": Having gone mad after many long years at sea, Captain John Elwood returns home to Massachusetts with thoughts of brutally murdering his devoted wife.

Episode 2 - "The Doctor" Angelo, the son of an elderly doctor, attempts to save the life of a deathly ill young girl. After his father unexpectedly arrives to help her, Angelo realizes he has had a brush with the supernatural.

Episode 3 - "The Crystal Ball": Edmond Valye is hopelessly in love with a beautiful but greedy woman. When he discovers a mystical crystal ball, Edmond learns the scandalous secrets of her deceitful nature.

Episode 4 - "Two Sons": Rival brothers battle each other for the estate of their recently departed father. When the conflict turns violent, the dead father's restless spirit returns to save his family from total destruction.

Volume 1 and Volume 2 contain eight of the ten episodes produced of this series. The remaining two episodes can be found on the DVD Lights Out! And Other Supernatural Tales, Volume 1 (ALP 4832D).

In 1958, Boris Karloff introduced a series of creepy horror-inflected tales for a television series known as THE VEIL. THE VEIL never made it to air, so this is a rare chance to witness Karloff as he ushers in four episodes from the aborted show. "The Gloucester Captain" follows a demented former sea captain as he harbors murderous thoughts on returning home to his wife; "The Doctor" sees a ghostly deceased doctor returning to the world of the living to help out his son; a crystal ball gives a worrying indication of the true nature of a woman in "The Crystal Ball;" and, finally, a dead father returns to settle a matter between his warring sons.