Recommended reading - Fright Night on Channel 9

 

Fright Night on Channel 9

Saturday Night Horror Films on New York's WOR-TV, 1973-1987

by James Arena.
 
Published by McFarland & Company.
Published 2011.
Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0786466782
ISBN-13: 978-0786466788
 
Description:
 
"If you're a horror fan, regardless of whether or not you had access to WOR, you should give Fright Night on Channel 9 a look. It will bring back a lot of memories and a smile to your face." – This Old Haunted House.
 
"Irresistible" – Video Watchdog (Issue #167).
 
"...a mouthwatering history of New York City's WOR-TV...will be a magical trip down memory lane" – Scary Monsters Magazine.
 

"In his friendly and warm (and sometimes delightfully humorous) writing style, Arena tells the inside story of one of New York TV's most fondly recalled one-stop for a wide variety of genre flicks...a must...there is a story to be told here, and Arena was born to write it...highly recommended...indispensable" – DVD Drive-in.

 

From 1973 to 1987, Fright Night was a fixture of the late Saturday evening schedule on independent New York television station WOR-TV, Channel 9. A genre fan's nightmare come true, the modestly produced showcase featured horror films both classic and obscure, from Universal and RKO golden oldies such as Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman, King Kong and Dracula's Daughter to lesser-known delights, including Wild Women of Wongo, The Living Coffin and Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things. Fright Night suffered no delusions of grandeur and never claimed to be anything more than what it was: great entertainment on a Saturday night. This thorough and affectionate tribute to Fright Night's glory days includes a complete listing (and critiques) of all films shown on the series, as well as discussion of WOR-TV's other horror movie programs from the 1970s and 1980s. Details of how the program was developed over 16 years are revealed in depth. Also featured are interviews with the major surviving players, including Fright Night creator Lawrence P. Casey and cult film producer Samuel M. Sherman (Brain of Blood).