LJ27

If you are reading this, there's a good chance you found out about the existence of this episode because it was endorsed by no less an authority on all things horrific, than Stephen King who said something to the effect of it being, "the single most terrifying hour of broadcast television." I sought it out based on such a strong statement, and I knew not to expect to agree with King's assessment of it, but I can certainly imagine that it must've given unsuspecting viewers a few nights of restless sleep, back in the days of it's initial airing. The story is adapted from a short story by Robert (PSYCHO) Bloch, which makes it all the more puzzling at it's inclusion in this series. For those who have never seen it before, BUS STOP appears to be a precursor of the show, LAW & ORDER. It has a sheriff and a district attorney as regular recurring characters but you won't see much of them in this episode. The director of this episode also directed four episodes of the 1960s Boris Karloff-hosted anthology series, THRILLER, and one of them was the one of the most frightening episodes of THRILLER, "Pigeons From Hell," so the audience is in good hands with him as director of "I Kiss Your Shadow." I don't suspect that the same people who watched THRILLER (1960-1961) were the same audience who watched BUS STOP. Although THRILLER never really knew exactly whether it wanted to be a crime drama or a horror show, because former Universal Pictures monster, Boris Karloff hosted it, most audiences probably figured that the story would lean towards the horrific. BUS STOP seems more drama than anything else, with a dose of PERRY MASON and HIGHWAY PATROL mixed in, so I wondered how this particular story ever got approved for inclusion. However, there's more going on in "I Kiss Your Shadow," than meets the eye. I don't wish to spoil it for anyone who hasn't yet had the pleasure of watching it. I'm glad I got to see it without spoilers. I had to watch it a couple of times to catch everything. It's tough to find and the quality of the copy that I saw was extremely dark and low-resolution, with lots of digital artifacts littered throughout but it's a compelling piece and one wishes that someone could digitally remaster the series and preserve it on Bluray. Still, even low-res, dark shows will keep me interested if the storyline is a good one and this is one of the very best horror stories ever told, even if it was told in a series that wasn't technically considered a horror/supernatural series. It's definitely worth seeking out and undeserving of it's current obscurity. There's another episode of BUS STOP that was apparently considered to be too strong for prime time audiences, called, "A Lion Among Us," that looked even worse (dark and artifact-filled) than this one in the version I saw, but it's another episode worth seeking out, if you enjoy stories with twists and turns.

I guess I'm too old to appreciate modern horror films. This movie is yet another where two unlikeable people live together and one goes to a job he hates and the other stays in their haunted house. The house is always dark, even in the daylight and they never turn on any lights. The woman does very little. She rides her exercise bike but mostly sleeps, or lays awake or stands in the kitchen drinking, while staring blankly at nothing, but is in school. When he's home, he is always angry about his job and blows up at her frequently for no actual reason. He supposedly loves her but never gives her the benefit of the doubt if the cabinets are all suddenly opened by supernatural forces. I don't see that whatever boogeyman is wreaking havoc could be much worse than the jerk she lives with who has only one emotion...anger. They don't play music or watch TV or movies. They never leave their cold, dark, sterile house, not together at least. Demons, or not, stalking her, one thing is certain...she's already in hell. She could pack her things and move out. Her life could only improve as a result. Why she wants to stay with that volatile plank of wood of a boyfriend of hers, is anyone's guess. Her girlfriend tells her she should leave him but she refuses. If you enjoy watching boring, irritating people sit around and talk or yell at each other, then this is the movie for you.

I watched the AIP dub of this movie and found it to be a highly enjoyable, fun little movie that moves at a decent pace. It has impressive sets and night-for-night cinematography. It's a shame that these movies are not shown more often. The main characters are likeable and the storyline is interesting enough to keep your attention throughout its roughly 90 minute run time. I'll be checking out more of these Samson/Santo movies at the first opportunity. This one was just plain fun, escapist entertainment, which is becoming much more difficult to find these days. Hopefully this film will someday be released on DVD or Bluray.