Oct. 1, 2022

This Day in Halloween: The 52-movie package Shock Theater is released by Screen Gems for TV syndication in 1957. / Illustration by David Ford

Shock Theater is released by Screen Gems for TV syndication in 1957. The packaging of 52 Universal horror and spy movies — many of them classics, including Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy and The Wolf Man — proves pivotal in the history of horror cinema and television, providing local TV stations across the U.S. a year’s supply of broadcasting content, sparking the growth of late-night horror movie shows and renewed interest in horror.