“Oh What a Thriller!’ “And Vincent Price was Just Right!” “Happy Halloween!”

“Oh my, it’s Halloween!”

“Daylight savings time is upon us, so we’re having less daylight!” “Temperatures are dropping, so time to break out the sweaters and winter coats!” It’s cold out here!

And because it’s Halloween- time to queue up Michael Jackson’s song and video “Thriller!” featuring Vincent Price as narrator. Vincent Price?……. A “voice over” artist? Of course….. His voice was iconic…..but first, let me talk about…..

Vincent Price established himself as one of the most recognizable horror movie stars with his leading roles in the “House of Wax” and “The Fly” in the late 1950’s. He is also known for his work with Roger Corman in the 1960’s, collaborating on Edgar Allen Poe’s “ House of Usher”, “The Pit and the Pendulum” and “ The Masque of the Red Death”, solidifying his place as an icon among horror movie fans. I have to admit I was terrified when I first saw all of these films as a kid. Yet, I couldn’t help watching them again and again when they came on the television.

What a treat it was to see him return to the horror genre in his final cinematic performance in Tim Burton’s “Edward Scissorhands” in 1990. And let me not forget to mention one of my favorite roles of his! He had a recurring role as the villain, Egghead, on the Batman TV series starring Adam West from 1966-1967.

Now, let me talk about the “voice over” artist, Vincent Price. Although he made his screen debut in 1938, he did work as a VO actor in radio dramas during the 1940’s. He was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for his work in Great American Speeches in 1959.

Some of Mr. Price’s animation credits include Vincent Van Ghoul in Hanna-Barbera’s, “The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo”, Professor Ratigan in Disney’s “The Great Mouse Detective” and January Q. Irontail in Rankin & Bass’ “Here Comes Peter Cottontail”. My personal favorite VO role of his was as Geoffrey Radcliffe a.k.a The Invisible Man in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).

Thank you Vincent Price!!!

“Thriller” Monologue as narrated by Vincent Price

Darkness falls across the land

The midnight hour is close at hand

Creatures crawl in search of blood

To terrorize y'all's neighborhood

And whomsoever shall be found

Without the soul for getting down

Must stand and face the hounds of hell

And rot inside a corpse's shell

The foulest stench is in the air

The funk of forty thousand years

And grizzly ghouls from every tomb

Are closing in to seal your doom

And though you fight to stay alive

Your body starts to shiver

For no mere mortal can resist

The evil of the thriller

(Author credit Rob Temperton.)

I enjoy this time of year and look forward to having happy holiday’s with friends and family in the coming months. Happy Halloween everyone and stay safe!