The Veil

The Veil
Starring Boris Karloff
"The world of the unexplainable which lies . . . behind the veil."

Sometimes called one of the best TV series which never was!
Like One Step Beyond which was shortly to appear, The Veil presented stories of the weird and supernatural which were reputedly true . . . Karloff not only hosts the episodes, but appears in them as a character (except for one). A very few times, his age makes him seem slightly out of place for the role, but still -- he is the inimitable Karloff.

Each episode opens and closes with Karloff in a formal, but homelike, setting. Most are before a fireplace in a castle-like hall, two are in a more modern office-like study or library. He offers a brief introduction to the story to follow, reminding the viewer that it is based on actual events, and concludes with a brief observation on what has preceded, inviting the viewer then to "Please join me again for another journey into the world of the unexplainable which lies . . . behind the veil." The stories examine such phenomena as precognition, reincarnation, vengeance from beyond the grave, clairvoyance, and other supernatural staples.

Aside from Karloff himself, the cast differ each episode and are largely unremarkable. Two exceptions are Patrick MacNee, later known as John Steed in The Avengers (“Vision of Crime”) and a very young George Hamilton in what is possibly his first film appearance (“The Return of Madame Vernoy”) . . .


We present here a total of 12 episodes as The Veil. One, "The Vestris", is NOT, strictly speaking, a part of the series. Likewise from Hal Roach Studios, it does feature Karloff and is considered the "pilot" episode, if one can speak of a pilot for a series which never took off. "What Ever Happened To Peggy" is truly a Veil episode, but was lost for many years. Many collections of The Veil include only ten episodes and omit these two.

Speaking personally, I found these two to be possibly the best, or at least my favorites . . .

The sources of these "true" stories are virtually untraceable; one is recognizable as a variation on a ghost story so well-known it has earned the title of "urban legend". . . these episodes are well made, the video quality very good, and perfect for watching on a dark and stormy night!

Along with these, we also offer a little Bonus Boris. . . We present to you here a small sample of TV's "Suspense", from 1949. Be advised that the technical quality is far less than "The Veil"; these were episodes performed and broadcast live, and recorded as kinescopes.

1) A Night At An Inn: a tale of supernatural vengeance
-from a story by Lord Dunsany
2) The Black Prophet: an account of the last hours of Russian Orthodox monk Rasputin
-co-starring Leslie Nielsen (Yes, I'm very serious!)

Also, two short clips, one a silent color clip of Karloff in makeup as "Son of Frankenstein", and a B&W interview with him about "Frankenstein" (evidently for a Dutch program).
Enjoy responsibly!

This collection is offered to you by The Penny Robinson Fan Club, now celebrating the 50th anniversary of the launch of Lost In Space! Please visit our online home at https://pennyrobinsonfanclub.net/ and consider making a small contribution to help fund our efforts. Thank you!

(This summary is slightly edited for space from the full version which is offered in the collection itself.)