New Channel on DIRECTV for Horror Fans

Chiller is a 24/7 horror smörgåsbord on DIRECTV, channel 257. Since premiering on March 1, 2007 it has brought back to life some campy classics like Freddy's Nightmares, Tales from the Crypt, Monsters, and Friday the 13th. It has also resurrected the classy classic shows Alfred Hitchcock Presents, American Gothic, and Twin Peaks-not to mention some golden oldie films like Bad Seed (1977 version), Ghost Story, Creepshow 2, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, Blade Runner, and (the creme de la creme) The Shining.

But, alas, nothing's perfect...

Some Problems with Chiller:

1. Constant Replays

There are some kinks that need to be worked out. Remember when the Sci-Fi station first premiered? The channel played Anime endlessly-which was a real treat to Anime fans-but it also played the same Anime movies over and over and over and... You get the point.

The same thing occurs with Chiller. The station repeats many of the same horror shows and movies throughout a single day, into the next, and so on. With such a wealth of material to choose from, why repeat the same things so much? And where are some of the other shows, like Eerie Indiana or The Fugitive, from way back when? And what about horror films from other cultures, like Ringu? Don't forget the cheesy classics and even the forgotten films of the 70's and 80's. There are never enough people-in-a-haunted-castle/mansion/graveyard/house movies to watch. This station presents an opportunity for horror fans to reminisce about and indulge in the various types of horror--from the psychological to the morally conscious to the downright gory--and introduces new horror fans to the films and shows of macabre greats like Vincent Price and horror/thriller/mystery filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock.

2. Commercials

Another downside involves the commercial cuts. More than a few of the shows and movies have been presented with poor editing quality (commercials in weird places, bleeps, bad replacements for curse words) and viewers can't get the full flavor of the presentation. Ideally this would be a station with no commercial cuts or bleeps or any of that. But since it's not, there should be more care in selecting the commercial breaks and the versions of the "edited for television" programs they're going to show.

3. Visual Presentation

There's also an issue of visual quality. Programs that were most likely recorded with similar technology to what the station currently uses, or are NBC products, look as good as new. Others do not. Image quality is as important as where the commercials intervene.

Overall Review

Still, it's a station that many are glad someone finally started. For years fans have been telling the skeptical and the curious about shows such as American Gothic, and now they can finally see for themselves on their own time. For all its kinks, Chiller is a young channel barely out of the larvae stage and has some leeway to expand. As it grows into a fully fledged, tentacle waving monster station there are sure to be more juicy morsels for horror fans to sink their teeth into.