New York TV Monster Movie Memories:
CREATURE FEATURES
By Greg Stevens
Like a lot of monster fans, some of my fondest childhood memories involve keeping my eyes glued to the TV as I waited impatiently for the start of that week’s horror movie. Growing up in North Jersey, my weekly fix would usually come courtesy of Creature Features on WNEW, Channel 5.
Although Chiller Theater on WPIX had been a tri-state staple for years, it would bounce around Channel 11’s schedule, sometimes late on Saturday night and other times airing earlier in the evening. TV viewing competition for the Saturday night horror movie crown began in late 1969 with the appearance of Creature Features.
Each Saturday night at 8:30, I’d insist my family’s living room television be tuned to Channel 5. As creepy music (courtesy of the soundtrack of It Came from Outer Space) started to play, a series of dissolves filled the TV screen with an awful-looking face (I’m told it was a still of Glenn Strange as the Frankenstein monster, but the image was so highly contrasted it was hard to tell; in my memory it’s almost an inkblot from a Rorschach test).
After this intro, a man would appear. Sitting on a stool under harsh studio lights, he wore no outlandish make-up or bizarre costume so typical of the usual horror movie host. No, the only thing slightly sinister about him were the sunglasses he’d never take off. He was known simply as “The Creep.” (Years later I learned his actual name was Lou Steele. Born Louis Ferraioli, former actor Steele’s voice became familiar to Channel 5 viewers as the guy who started off the 10 o’clock news by asking “It’s 10 p.m.; do you know where your children are?” My father would always answer him back with, “Yeah, I know where they are – on their way to bed.” It was Dad’s way of telling my brothers and me that our monster movie viewing pleasure was over for the night).
At various times, The Creep would conduct contests that involved coming up with trivia questions, made-up quotes spoofing notable horror film titles, or flashing parts of a title at select times throughout that night’s movie. Contests winners were announced on air. (I remember sending in a postcard for one, although I’ve long forgotten for which individual contest it was).
Although I don’t have many vivid individual memories of The Creep, I do remember the movies he showed. Like many fans growing up in the New York/New Jersey area in late 1960s/early 1970s, it was here that I got my first exposure to all the Universal horror classics. The original Frankenstein, Dracula, The Invisible Man, etc. – Creature Features aired them all. I also remembered them showing the Universals in some semblance of release order – one week would be Frankenstein, followed the next week by Bride of Frankenstein, and then later would come Son of Frankenstein. Wow, I thought, this Frankenstein guy has a whole family. It became like a continuing weekly series, as regular as any network sitcom or drama. Creature Features soon became a Saturday night staple for many horror movie fans
When exactly did it start? What films did it show each week? Return with me now to the summer of 1969…
(The following is a checklist and brief broadcast history of the Creature Features horror movie showcase. Each airing is, unless noted, on Saturday night at 8:30 p.m.)
While WPIX had Chiller Theater airing at 7:30 p.m., WNEW entered the fray with these titles:
July 19, 1969 – “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms”
July 26, 1969 – “The Creeping Unknown”
August 9, 1969 – “Dr. Cyclops”
August 16, 1969 – “The Unknown Terror”
August 23, 1969 – “Kronos”
August 30, 1969 – “The Beast of Hollow Mountain”
Note how the movies are almost exclusively 1950s sci-fi films. Strangely, WNEW stopped airing monster movies on Saturday night for the next two months, going instead with repeats of the TV western “The Big Valley” and the sitcom “Mothers-in-Law” (imagine that for Halloween viewing!).
Meanwhile, WPIX’s Chiller Theater left the air for a few months. When it eventually returned in January of 1970, it would fill a much later Saturday timeslot – 11 p.m. It was Creature Features that filled the early evening void. When it came back in November 1969, it was back to stay. Soon Saturday night became Monster Night on Channel 5 in New York. And not only that, the bulk of the Creature Features line-up would now feature many of the great Universal monster classics from the 1930s and 1940s! Here’s what followed:
November 1, 1969 – “The Mummy”
November 22, 1969 – “The Invisible Man”
November 29, 1969 – “Frankenstein”
December 6, 1969 – “Dracula”
December 13, 1969 – “The Bride of Frankenstein”
December 20, 1969 – “Werewolf of London”
January 3, 1970 – “The Mummy’s Hand”
January 10, 1970 – “The Invisible Ray”
January 17, 1970 – “The Night Monster”
January 24, 1970 – “It! The Terror from beyond Space”
February 7, 1970 – “Son of Frankenstein”
February 14, 1970 – “Son of Dracula”
February 21, 1970 – “Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man”
February 28, 1970 – “Dracula’s Daughter”
March 7, 1970 – “House of Frankenstein”
March 14, 1970 – “House of Dracula”
March 21, 1970 – “Ghost of Frankenstein”
March 28, 1970 – “The Black Cat”
April 4, 1970 – “Black Friday”
April 11, 1970 – “The Black Room”
April 18, 1970 – “The Mummy”
April 25, 1970 – “The Wolf Man”
May 2, 1970 – “The Invisible Man”
May 9, 1970 – “Frankenstein”
May 16, 1970 – “Dracula”
May 23, 1970 – “Bride of Frankenstein”
May 30, 1970 – “Werewolf of London”
June 6, 1970 – “The Invisible Man Returns”
June 13, 1970 – “The Mummy’s Hand”
June 20, 1970 – “Island of Lost Souls”
June 27, 1970 – “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms”
July 4, 1970 – “The Invisible Ray”
July 11, 1970 – “Night Monster”
July 18, 1970 – “Son of Frankenstein”
July 25, 1970 – “Son of Dracula”
August 1, 1970 – “House of Dracula”
August 8, 1970 – “The Unknown Terror”
August 15, 1970 – “Dracula’s Daughter”
August 22, 1970 – “The Man They Could Not Hang”
August 29, 1970 – “Dr. Cyclops”
September 5, 1970 – “Kronos”
September 12, 1970 – “Corridors of Blood”
September 19, 1970 – “The Haunted Strangler”
September 26, 1970 – “Fiend without a Face”
Starting in September, Chiller Theater returned to earlier in the night, now airing directly opposite Creature Features. It also kept its late night showcase, so now there were two Chiller Theaters each night, one at 8:30 p.m. and another at midnight.
WNEW responded the following week by adding another dose of Creature Features, but this would be earlier in the day – 12 noon to be exact.
October 3, 1970 –
12 noon – “The Mummy’s Hand”
8:30 p.m. – “The Monster” (1962)
October 10, 1970 –
12 noon – “The Boogie Man Will Get You”
8:30 p.m. – “The Beast with Five Fingers”
October 17, 1970 –
12 noon – “The Night Monster”
8:30 p.m. – “Mark of the Vampire” (1957) aka The Vampire
October 24, 1970 –
12 noon – “The Black Cat”
8:30 p.m. – “The Walking Dead”
October 31, 1970 –
12 noon – “Ghost of Frankenstein”
8:30 p.m. – “Frankenstein”
November 7, 1970 –
12 noon – “Son of Dracula”
8:30 p.m. – “The Wolf Man”
November 14, 1970
12 noon – “The Invisible Man Returns”
8:30 p.m. – “Dracula”
November 21, 1970
12 noon – “The Black Room”
8:30 p.m. – “Bride of Frankenstein”
November 28, 1970 –
12 noon – “Kronos”
8:30 p.m. – “The Mummy”
December 5, 1970 –
12 noon – “Dr. Cyclops”
8:30 p.m. – “The Invisible Man”
December 12, 1970 –
12 noon – “The Unknown Terror”
8:30 p.m. – “Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man”
December 19, 1970 –
12 noon – “Dracula’s Daughter”
8:30 p.m. – “Werewolf of London”
December 26, 1970 –
12 noon – “The Black Sleep”
8:30 p.m. – “Donovan’s Brain”
January 2, 1971 –
12 noon – “Fiend without a Face”
8:30 p.m. – “The Monster That Challenged the World”
With the beginning of the New Year, WPIX dropped their earlier showing of Chiller Theater, so monster lovers no longer had to choose or flip madly back and forth between channels during commercial breaks.
January 9, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Beast with Five Fingers”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Atomic Submarine”
January 16, 1971
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Mark of the Vampire” (1957)
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Mummy’s Hand”
January 23, 1971
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Man They Could Not Hang”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Horror Hotel”
January 30, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Black Friday”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Creeping Unknown”
February 6, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Mummy”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Gamera”
February 13, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Dracula”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Attack of the 50-Foot Woman”
February 20, 1971
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Frankenstein”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “House on Haunted Hill”
February 27, 1971
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Indestructible Man”
March 6, 1971
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Bride of Frankenstein”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake”
March 13, 1971
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Wolf Man”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Neanderthal Man”
March 20, 1971
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Invisible Man”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Curse of the Faceless Man”
On March 27th, Chiller Theater returned to the 8:30 p.m. slot, again forcing monster fans to choose their horror movie for the night. Aaaghh! Where were those VCRs when you needed them?
March 27, 1971
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Atomic Submarine”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Invisible Man Returns”
April 3, 1971
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Haunted Strangler”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Creation of the Humanoids”
April 10, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Invisible Ray”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Night Caller from Outer Space”
April 17, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Werewolf of London”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Castle of Evil”
April 24, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Son of Frankenstein”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “First Man into Space”
May 1, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “House of Dracula”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Monster and the Girl”
May 8, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “House of Frankenstein”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “It! The Terror from Beyond Space”
May 15, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Black Cat”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Dracula”
May 22, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Boogie Man Will Get You”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Black Sleep”
May 29, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Night Monster”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Unknown Terror”
June 5, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Walking Dead”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Attack of the Crab Monsters”
June 12, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Island of Lost Souls”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Donovan’s Brain”
June 19, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Beast of Hollow Mountain”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Castle of Terror” (w/Barbara Steele)
June 26, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Creeping Unknown”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Man without a Body”
July 3, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Riders to the Stars”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Nightmare Castle”
July 10, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Castle of Evil”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Death Curse of Tartu”
July 17, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Kronos”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Fiend without a Face”
July 24, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Monster and the Girl”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Brain from Planet Arous”
July 31, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Creation of the Humanoids”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Not of This Earth”
August 7, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Indestructible Man”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Terror in the Haunted House”
August 14, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Manster”
August 21, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Neanderthal Man”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Queen of Outer Space”
August 28, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Curse of the Faceless Man”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “War of the Satellites”
September 4, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Dr. Cyclops”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Night Caller from Outer Space”
September 11, 1971 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Night Caller from Outer Space”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Curse of Dracula” (1957) aka Return of Dracula
Starting on September 11th, the 12 noon horror movie would usually be a repeat of the previous Saturday night’s title (only exceptions to that are hereby listed).
September 18, 1971 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Creeping Unknown”
September 25, 1971 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Beast of Hollow Mountain”
October 2, 1971
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Mark of the Vampire” (1957) aka The Vampire
October 9, 1971
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Horror Hotel”
October 16, 1971
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “It! The Terror from Beyond Space”
October 23, 1971
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Gog”
October 30, 1971
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Frankenstein 1970”
November 6, 1971
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Magnetic Monster”
November 13, 1971 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “I Bury the Living”
November 20, 1971 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Gamera”
November 27, 1971 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Neanderthal Man”
December 4, 1971 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Black Sleep”
December 11, 1971 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Curse of the Faceless Man”
December 18, 1971 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake”
January 1, 1972 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Donovan’s Brain”
January 8, 1972 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Indestructible Man”
January 15, 1972 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Castle of Terror”
January 22, 1972 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Man without a Body”
January 29, 1972 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Attack of the Crab Monsters”
February 5, 1972 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Terror in the Haunted House”
February 12, 1972 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “World Without End”
February 19, 1972 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Giant Behemoth”
February 26, 1972 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Not of This Earth”
March 4, 1972 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “House on Haunted Hill”
March 11, 1972 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Kronos”
March 18, 1972 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Monster That Challenged the World”
March 25, 1972 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Walking Dead
April 1, 1972 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Invisible Invaders”
April 8, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Invisible Invaders”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Voodoo Island”
Beginning on April 8th, Chiller Theater moved to 7:30 p.m., so now monster fans could at least get part of the each of the competing horror showcases.
April 15, 1972 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Face of Marble”
April 22, 1972 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Nightmare Castle”
April 29, 1972 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – WNEW aired a beauty pageant
May 6, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Death Curse of Tartu”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Brain from Planet Arous”
May 13, 1972 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “War of the Satellites”
May 20, 1972 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Attack of the 50-foot Woman”
May 27, 1972 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Mad Monster Party”
June 3, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Dr. Cyclops”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – Billy Graham Crusade
Starting on June 10th, Creature Features started airing at 7:30 p.m., so it and Chiller Theater were again in head-to-head competition.
June 10, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Monster and the Girl”
Channel 5, 7:30 p.m. – “Castle of Evil”
June 17, 1972 –
Channel 5, 7:30 p.m. – “Island of Lost Souls”
June 24, 1972 –
Channel 5, 7:30 p.m. – “Horror Hotel”
July 1, 1972 –
Channel 5, 7:30 p.m. – “The Unknown Terror”
July 8, 1972 –
Channel 5, 7:30 p.m. – “The Evil Brain from Outer Space” (Starman!)
July 15, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12:30 a.m. – “Gamera” (note – a late-night showing).
July 22, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Carnival of Souls”
No Saturday night movie.
July 29, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Terror Beneath the Sea”
Channel 5, 7:30 p.m. – “Planets against Us”
August 5, 1972 –
Channel 5, 7:30 p.m. – football
August 12, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Night Caller from Outer Space”
Channel 5, 7:30 p.m. – football
August 19, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Creation of the Humanoids”
Channel 5, 7:30 p.m. – “Fiend without a Face”
August 26, 1972 –
No Saturday night horror movie.
September 2, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Atomic Submarine”
Channel 5, 7:30 p.m. – beauty pageant
When Creature Features returned to Saturday nights, it was now airing in a late night slot, usually at 11:30 p.m.
September 9, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Indestructible Man”
Channel 5, 11:30 p.m. – “Corridors of Blood”
September 16, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Man without a Body”
Channel 5, 11:30 p.m. – “House on Haunted Hill”
September 23, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Castle of Terror”
No Saturday night horror movie.
September 30, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Attack of the Crab Monsters” “
Channel 5, 11:30 p.m. – “The Manster”
Starting on October 7th, Creature Features aired only in its Saturday 12 noon timeslot.
October 7, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Curse of Dracula” (aka Return of Dracula)
October 14, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Gog”
October 21, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “I Bury the Living”
October 28, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Human Monster”
November 4, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Tobor the Great”
November 11, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Maze”
November 18, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Satan’s Satellites”
November 25, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The New Invisible Man” (1962)
December 2, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Flight to Mars”
December 9, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Dr. Cyclops”
December 16, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Wizard of Mars”
December 23, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “First Man into Space”
December 30, 1972 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Flight to Mars”
With the beginning of the New Year, Creatures Features made a welcome return to Channel 5’s Saturday night line-up as it resumed its old 8:30 p.m. timeslot. The January 30th edition of The Monster Times even remarked on this with an article headlined “Return of the Creep.”
Also worth noting is that Chiller Theater was by now airing even earlier in the evening. With it starting at 7 p.m. and Creature Features coming on at 8:30, monster fans effectively had a Saturday night horror double feature.
January 6, 1973 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Queen of Outer Space”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Not of This Earth”
January 13, 1973 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “World Without End”
January 20, 1973 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “From Hell It Came”
January 27, 1973 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Frankenstein 1970”
February 3, 1973 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Beginning of the End”
February 10, 1973 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Attack of the 50-foot Woman”
February 17, 1973 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Giant Behemoth”
February 24, 1973 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Planet on the Prowl”
March 3, 1973 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”
March 10, 1973 –
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Donovan’s Brain”
The March 10th airing of “Donovan’s Brain” was the last showing of Creature Features for some time. Next week saw special St. Patrick’s Day parade coverage, while the following six Saturdays featured installments of the miniseries The Six Wives of Henry VIII.
March 17, 1973 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Donovan’s Brain”
March 24, 1973 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – baseball special
March 31, 1973 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Brain from Planet Arous”
April 7, 1973
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Attack of the Crab Monsters”
Channel 5, 11:30 p.m. – “Devil Bat”
April 14, 1973
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Destination Moon”
April 21, 1973
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Indestructible Man”
April 28, 1973
Channel 5, 12 noon – “House on Haunted Hill”
May 5, 1973
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Corridors of Blood”
May 12, 1973
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Cape Canaveral Monsters”
May 19, 1973
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Castle of Terror”
May 26, 1973
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Fire Maidens of Outer Space”
June 2, 1973
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Human Monster”
June 9, 1973
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Man Who Lived Twice”
June 16, 1973
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Before I Hang”
As summer began, Creature Features returned to Saturday night.
June 23, 1973
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Monster and the Girl”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “My Son, the Vampire”
June 30, 1973 –
Channel 5, 12 noon – “My Son, the Vampire”
Channel 5, 9 p.m. – “Satan’s Satellites”
July 7, 1973
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Satan’s Satellites”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Night Caller from Outer Space”
July 14, 1973
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Night Caller from Outer Space”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Horror Hotel”
July 21, 1973
Channel 5, 12 noon – “Horror Hotel”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Mad Monster”
July 28, 1973
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Mad Monster”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The Monster That Challenged the World”
August 4, 1973
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The Monster That Challenged the World”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “The House on Haunted Hill”
August 11, 1973
Channel 5, 12 noon – “The House on Haunted Hill”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – football
August 18, 1973
Channel 5, 12 noon – “World Without End”
Channel 5, 8:30 p.m. – “Nightmare Castle”
Again, Creature Features was dropped from its nighttime slot and replaced by football games and other programming (although the Saturday at noon horror movie continued as did WPIX’s Chiller Theater). When horror movies eventually returned to Saturday night, they would usually air in a late night timeslot.
Creature Features would resurface at odd intervals, even surprising viewers with a sudden reappearance during 1979-1980, but none of these runs lasted for very long. Sadly, Lou Steele, The Creep himself, died of a heart attack in February 2001.
Putting this broadcast history together brought back to me plenty of great memories – of the pregnant needle spacecraft in It! The Terror from Beyond Space eerily gliding through space, of those squishy brain creatures inching around the woods in Fiend without a Face, and, of course, all the continuing Universal adventures that featured the Frankenstein Monster, Dracula, the Wolf Man, et al. It also provided a glimpse of how channels 5 and 11 programmed and counter-programmed against one another with their monster movie rerun showcases. It also showed that how, during its heyday, Creature Features became appointment television for horror movie enthusiasts, feeding our love for the genre and providing many younger fans like myself with our first exposure to the Universal classics.
Monster movie memories don’t get much better.
THE RETURN OF CREATURE FEATURES
Late in 1979, viewers of Channel 5 in New York were pleasantly surprised by the return of an old friend – Lou Steele, aka “The Creep,” host some years ago of its Saturday night horror showcase, Creature Features.
Instead of airing in its old 8:30 p.m. slot, Creature Features was now a late night showcase. What’s more, it aired not one horror movie, not two, but three – a triple feature! The first airing went out under the familiar Creature Features name, the second movie was Son of Creature Features and the third film was shown as Revenge of Creature Features.
Here’s the line-up for what was seen:
Saturday, November 24, 1979
Channel 5, 12 midnight – “Dracula’s Great Love”
Channel 5, 1:34 a.m. – “Phantom of the Rue Morgue”
Channel 5, 3:21 a.m. – “Horror of Party Beach”
Saturday, December 1, 1979
Channel 5, 12 midnight – “Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed”
Channel 5, 2:02 a.m. – “Trog”
Channel 5, 4 a.m. – “The Monster Maker”
Saturday, December 8, 1979
Channel 5, 12 midnight – “Gargoyles”
Channel 5, 1:34 a.m. – “Dracula, Prince of Darkness”
Channel 5, 3:31 a.m. – “The Maze”
Saturday, December 15, 1979
Channel 5, 12 midnight – basketball
Channel 5, 3:00 a.m. – “Frankenstein Created Woman”
Channel 5, 3:59 a.m. – “Dead Men Walk”
Saturday, December 22, 1979
Channel 5, 12 midnight – “The Legend of Boggy Creek”
Channel 5, 2:01 a.m. – “The Mummy” (1959)
Channel 5, 3:52 a.m. – “Mask of Diijon”
Saturday, December 29, 1979
Channel 5, 12 midnight – “Scars of Dracula”
Channel 5, 2:01 a.m. – “The Face of Fu Manchu”
Channel 5, 3:58 a.m. – “The Man Who Lived Twice”
Saturday, January 5, 1980
Channel 5, 12 midnight – “Blood on Satan’s Claw”
Channel 5, 1:59 a.m. – “Superargo vs. Diabolicus”
Channel 5, 3:54 a.m. – “Before I Hang”
Saturday, January 12, 1980
Channel 5, 12 midnight – football
Channel 5, 3 a.m. – “Return of the Vampire”
Saturday, January 19, 1980
Channel 5, 1 a.m. – “Dr. Blood’s Coffin”
Channel 5, 2:58 a.m. – “Corridors of Blood”
Saturday, January 26, 1980
Channel 5, 12 midnight – “My Son, the Vampire”
Channel 5, 1:35 a.m. – “Blood of the Vampire”
Channel 5, 3:23 a.m. – “To Love a Vampire”
Saturday, February 2, 1980
Channel 5, 12 midnight – “The Black Room”
Channel 5, 1:30 a.m. – “Face Behind the Mask”
Channel 5, 3 a.m. – “Psychomania”
Saturday, February 9, 1980
Channel 5, 12 midnight – “The Beast with Five Fingers”
Channel 5, 1:46 a.m. – “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms”
Channel 5, 3:21 a.m. – “The Beast in the Cellar”
Saturday, February 16, 1980
Channel 5, 12 midnight – “The Human Monster”
Channel 5, 1:36 a.m. – “Behind the Mask”
Channel 5, 3:05 a.m. – “The Man They Could Not Hang”
Saturday, February 23, 1980
Channel 5, 12 midnight – “Them”
Channel 5, 2:01 a.m. – “The Sound of Horror”
Channel 5, 3:43 a.m. – “Planet on the Prowl”
Saturday, March 1, 1980
Channel 5, 12 midnight – “The Devil’s Own”
Channel 5, 1:57 a.m. – “Kronos”
Channel 5, 3:30 a.m. – “The Man Who Haunted Himself”
Saturday, March 8, 1980
Channel 5, 12 midnight – “Crucible of Horror”
Channel 5, 1:57 a.m. – “The Devil Doll” (1964)
Channel 5, 3:40 a.m. – “Curse of the Voodoo”
Saturday, March 15, 1980
Channel 5, 12 midnight – “Dr. Blood’s Coffin”
Channel 5, 2 a.m. – ““Dr. Blood’s Coffin” (obviously a misprint, no correct info is available)
Channel 5, 3:58 a.m. – “Fiend Without a Face”
Saturday, March 22, 1980
Channel 5, 12 midnight – “Dracula Has Risen from the Grave”
Channel 5, 1:37 a.m. – “The Asphyx”
Channel 5, 3:41 a.m. – “Creation of the Humanoids”
Saturday, March 29, 1980
Channel 5, 12 midnight – “Sasquatch” documentary
Channel 5, 1:47 a.m. – “The Man in Half Moon Street”
Channel 5, 3:31 a.m. – “Shadow of the Cat”
Saturday, April 5, 1980
Channel 5, 12 midnight – “Dead of Night”
Channel 5, 2:12 a.m. – “The Climax”
Channel 5, 4:01 a.m. – “The Monster and the Girl”
Saturday, April 12, 1980
Channel 5, 12 midnight – “Journey to the Center of Time”
Channel 5, 1:43 a.m. – “Night Creatures”
Channel 5, 3:27 a.m. – “Slaughter of the Vampires”
Saturday, April 19, 1980
Channel 5, 12 midnight – “The Lost Continent” (1968)
Channel 5, 1:56 a.m. – “The Vengeance of Fu Manchu”
Channel 5, 3:54 a.m. – “The Projected Man”
Saturday, April 26, 1980
Channel 5, 1 a.m. – “The Face of Fu Manchu”
Channel 5, 2:48 a.m. – “Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster”
Saturday, May 3, 1980
Channel 5, 12 midnight – “The Curse of Frankenstein”
Channel 5, 1:46 a.m. – “Curse of the Living Corpse”
Channel 5, 3:33 a.m. – “The Haunted Strangler”
Saturday, May 10, 1980 –
Channel 5, 12 midnight – Kojak reruns started airing here.
Channel 5, 1 a.m. – a couple of Hitchcock thrillers followed.
Channel 5, 3:54 a.m. – “The Flesh Eaters”
Starting with the next week, Hitchcock thrillers or Sherlock Holmes mysteries filled the timeslot. The Creature Features triple feature was gone.
If anyone out there has any photos of Lou Steele (aka The Creep) please contact us immediately!