''Creature Features'' a classic

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

show broadcast in the

New York Metropolitan Area The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban area, urban landmass, at , and one of the list of most populous metropolitan areas, most populous urban agg ...

, on WNEW, Channel 5 ( Metromedia Broadcasting). It was hosted by

Lou Steele Louis J. "Lou" Steele (March 7, 1928 – February 25, 2001) was an American actor, radio, and television announcer. Career Born Louis Ferraioli in 1928, he was an announcer on Armed Forces Radio during the Korean War, and was the voice who inf ...

(The Creep), who became familiar to Channel 5 viewers for starting off the ''10 o'clock News'' by asking: "It's 10 p.m.; do you know where your children are?"

History

''Creature Features'' first aired from July to August 1969 on a test run, and was found to be a hit. The movies broadcast were taken from the classic horror movies of the 1930s and 1940s, the horror and science-fiction films of the 1950s, British horror films of the 1960s, and the Japanese "giant monster" movies of the 1960s, and early 1970s. It was continued on the air from November 1969 to August 1973, but was cancelled due to poor ratings and competition from

WPIX WPIX (channel 11) is a television station in New York City. Owned by Mission Broadcasting, it is operated under a local marketing agreement (LMA) by Nexstar Media Group, making it a ''de facto'' owned-and-operated station and flagship (broadcas ...

's ''

Chiller Theatre ''Chiller Theatre'' may refer to: * ''Chiller Theatre'' (1961 TV series), a US television show airing 1961–1982 and later * ''Chiller Theatre'' (1963 TV series), a US television show airing 1963–1983 * ''Chiller Theatre'' (1974 TV series), a US ...

''.

The movies

''Creature Features'' normally showed classic

Universal Horror Universal Classic Monsters (also known as Universal Monsters and Universal Studios Monsters) is a media franchise based on a series of horror films primarily produced by Universal Pictures from the 1930s to the 1950s. Although not initially concei ...

, like ''

Dracula ''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...

'', ''

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ex ...

'', ''

Bride of Frankenstein ''Bride of Frankenstein'' is a 1935 American science fiction horror film, and the first sequel to Universal Pictures' 1931 film ''Frankenstein''. As with the first film, ''Bride of Frankenstein'' was directed by James Whale starring Boris Karlo ...

'', ''

The Mummy A mummy is an unusually well preserved corpse. Mummy or The Mummy may also refer to: Places *Mummy Range, a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States *Mummy Cave, a rock shelter and archeological site in Par ...

'', plus many

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established h ...

and

Bela Lugosi Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó (; October 20, 1882 – August 16, 1956), known professionally as Bela Lugosi (; ), was a Hungarian and American actor best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the 1931 horror classic ''Dracula'', Ygor in ''S ...

films and others. They also aired all the movies produced and distributed by

American International Pictures American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing fi ...

. This included all the

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...

B-movies A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...

of the 1950s and 1960s like ''

The Raven "The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. First published in January 1845, the poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a distraught lover who is paid a myste ...

'', and ''

The Terror The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, ...

'', plus most of the Japanese "

monster movies A monster movie, monster film, creature feature or giant monster film is a film that focuses on one or more characters struggling to survive attacks by one or more antagonistic monsters, often abnormally large ones. The film may also fall unde ...

" produced by

Toho Studios is a Japanese film production company that is a subsidiary of Toho Co., Ltd. Founded in November 8, 1971 as , the company originally served as a spin-off of Toho's original production department, and produced over 160 films. In December 2020, ...

, and

Daiei Motion Picture Company Daiei Film Co. Ltd. (Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ''Daiei Eiga Kabushiki Kaisha'') was a Japanese film studio. Founded in 1942 as Dai Nippon Film Co., Ltd., it was one of the major studios during the postwar Golden Age of Japanese cinema, producing n ...

(famous for their ''

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film ''Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films produc ...

'' and ''

Gamera is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. Debuting in the 1965 film ''Gamera, the Giant Monster'', the character and the first film were intended to compete with the success of Toho's ''Godzilla'' film ...

'' movies). They also broadcast all the best British horror films by

Hammer Film Productions Hammer Film Productions Ltd. is a British film production company based in London. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic horror and fantasy films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Many of these involve clas ...

, like

The Quatermass Xperiment ''The Quatermass Xperiment'' (a.k.a. ''The Creeping Unknown'' in the United States) is a 1955 British science fiction horror film from Hammer Film Productions, based on the 1953 BBC Television serial ''The Quatermass Experiment'' written by Ni ...

'', ''

The Curse of Frankenstein ''The Curse of Frankenstein'' is a 1957 British horror film by Hammer Film Productions, loosely based on the 1818 novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus '' by Mary Shelley. It was Hammer's first colour horror film, and the first of t ...

'', '' Dracula: Prince of Darkness'', ''

The Phantom of the Opera ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pierr ...

'', ''

The Curse of the Werewolf ''The Curse of the Werewolf'' is a 1961 British horror film based on the novel ''The Werewolf of Paris'' by Guy Endore. The film was made by the British company Hammer Film Productions and was shot at Bray Studios on sets that were constructed ...

'', and ''

The Hound of the Baskervilles ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set i ...

''. Also

Amicus Productions Amicus Productions was a British film production company, based at Shepperton Studios, England, active between 1962 and 1977. It was founded by American producers and screenwriters Milton Subotsky and Max Rosenberg. Films Prior to establishi ...

, and

Tigon British Film Productions Tigon British Film Productions or Tigon was a film production and distribution company, founded by Tony Tenser in 1966. It is best remembered for its horror films, particularly ''Witchfinder General'' (directed by Michael Reeves, 1968) and '' ...

films such as ''

Dr. Terror's House of Horrors ''Dr Terror's House of Horrors'' is a 1965 British anthology horror film from Amicus Productions, directed by veteran horror director Freddie Francis, written by Milton Subotsky, and starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. It was the fi ...

'', and ''

The House That Dripped Blood ''The House That Dripped Blood'' is a 1971 British anthology horror film directed by Peter Duffell and distributed by Amicus Productions. It stars Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Nyree Dawn Porter, Denholm Elliott, and Jon Pertwee. The ...

''. But what became most well known about ''Creature Features'' is the airing of all the 1950s science fiction movies. These included ''

Them! ''Them!'' is a 1954 American black-and-white science fiction film, science fiction monster film from Warner Bros. Pictures, produced by David Weisbart, directed by Gordon Douglas (director), Gordon Douglas, and starring James Whitmore, Edmund ...

'', ''

The Thing from Another World ''The Thing from Another World'', sometimes referred to as just ''The Thing'', is a 1951 American black-and-white science fiction-horror film, directed by Christian Nyby, produced by Edward Lasker for Howard Hawks' Winchester Pictures Corporati ...

'', ''

It Came from Outer Space ''It Came from Outer Space'' is a 1953 American science fiction horror film, the first in the 3D process from Universal-International. It was produced by William Alland and directed by Jack Arnold. The film stars Richard Carlson and Barbara ...

'', ''

It! The Terror from Beyond Space ''It! The Terror from Beyond Space'' is an independently made 1958 American science fiction horror film, produced by Robert Kent, directed by Edward L. Cahn, that stars Marshall Thompson, Shawn Smith (Shirley Patterson), and Kim Spalding. The ...

'', ''

The War of the Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells, first serialised in 1897 by ''Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and by ''Cosmopolitan (magazine), Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US. The novel's first appear ...

'', and ''

Forbidden Planet ''Forbidden Planet'' is a 1956 American science fiction film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by Nicholas Nayfack, and directed by Fred M. Wilcox (director), Fred M. Wilcox from a script by Cyril Hume that was based on an original film story ...

''.

Seasons

The following is a checklist and brief broadcast history of the ''Creature Features'' horror movie showcase: *Promo Season ** July–August 1969 (7:30pm Saturday) *1st Season ** November 1969 – September 1970 (8:30pm Saturday) *2nd Season (Double Feature) ** October 1970 – September 1971 (12:00 Noon, 8:30pm Saturday) *3rd Season ** November 1971 – June 1972 (8:30pm Friday) *4th Season ** July–September 1972 (7:30 Friday) *5th Season (Double Feature) ** October–September 1972 (12:00 Noon, 11:30pm Saturday) *6th Season ** October–December 1972 (12:00 Noon Saturday) *7th Season ** January– March 1973 (8:30pm Saturday) *8th Season ** April–June 1973 (12:00 Noon Saturday) *9th Season (Double Feature) ** July–August 1973 (12:00 Noon, 8:30pm Saturday) In late 1973 ''Creature Features'' was dropped from its nighttime slot and replaced by football games and other programming (although the Saturday's horror movies continued with ''Chiller Theater''). When horror movies eventually returned to Saturday night, they would usually air in a late night timeslot. The daytime version, during the second and fifth seasons, was usually entitled "Jeepers Creepers" (with a cartoon figure metamorphing into a troll-like monster a la Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde). ''Creature Features'' would resurface at odd intervals, specifically during 1976–1978, but none of these runs lasted for very long. Lou Steele, The Creep himself, died of a heart attack in February 2001.

1979-1980 re-broadcast

In November 1979, Channel 5 began rebroadcasting some of the old ''Creature Features'' shows. Instead of airing in its old 8:30 p.m. slot, ''Creature Features'' became a late night showcase, showing a triple feature with each airing. The first movie 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''. Once again poor ratings and competition with WPIX caused its cancellation in May 1980.

Lou Steele

Unlike other

horror host A horror host is a person who acts as the host or presenter of a program where horror films and low-budget B movies are shown on television or the Internet. Usually the host assumes a horror-themed persona, often a campy or humorous one. General ...

s, Steele didn’t utilize any ghoulish make-up or trappings, instead striking a somewhat sinister/ hipster attitude with sunglasses and harsh lighting. Among various contests and gimmicks during the show's run was "Creature Quotes", in which individual words of a longer phrase ("A stitch in time saves

", "Don't get chummy with

the Mummy A mummy is an unusually well preserved corpse. Mummy or The Mummy may also refer to: Places *Mummy Range, a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States *Mummy Cave, a rock shelter and archeological site in Par ...

") were flashed momentarily on the bottom of the screen at various times during the movie.

Intro music

The intro music for ''Creature Features'' was Herman Stein's "Visitors from Space" from the score of the 1953 film ''

''. The track was most likely taken from the 1959 Dick Jacobs LP, ''Themes from Horror Movies'' (

Coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...

757240).

External links

Creature Features in New York
* {{IMDb name, 0824619, Lou Steele

1983 video clip of Lou Steele announcing, "Did you hug your child today?"
Creature Features Culture of New York City 1969 American television series debuts 1973 American television series endings 1960s horror television series 1970s horror television series

History

The movies

Seasons

1979-1980 re-broadcast

Lou Steele

Intro music

See also

External links