Those old enough to have caught this Friday night TV show circa 1960 that featured horror movies may remember the lead in to it that went something like, "Pull down your shades. Turn off your lights. Lock your doors. And prepare for Shock Theater!"

What years did Shock Theater run on Detroit TV? Did it run on Channel 7 and come on at 11 or 11:30pm?

One of the lasting impacts that Shock Theater had on me as a kid was not one of the horror shows but the original 1954[[?) movie version of Orwell's "1984" that starred Edmund O'Brien as Winston Smith. [[Unlike the remake of "1984" that had John Heard in the role of Winston Smith, the '50s version is seldom seen on TV and is not available on DVD, I'm told.)

Shock Theater was my introduction to Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Mummy, all good stuff around Halloween back then, or on any Friday night for a kid.