As a great fan of Classic Horror, I was immediately highly interested in "The Veil", a 1958 TV series of 10 episodes, when I stumbled upon it, mainly since this highly entertaining show was hosted by none other than the great Boris Karloff. A mysterious story about the 'unexplainable, which lies behind the veil' is narrated in each episode. The episodes differ in quality, but they are entirely entertaining. (For more information, read my review of the complete series). This second episode, "Girl On The Road" is one of the eeriest and best in the series, mainly because it maintains a remarkably gloomy atmosphere from the beginning to the end. A man sees a beautiful young woman whose car has broken down, and is determined to help her... I will not give away more, but I can assure that this episode is more than worth a look. It has an amazingly uncanny atmosphere, which sometimes reminded me of Horror Classics such as Herk Harvey's 1962 masterpiece "Carnival Of Souls". Karloff himself has a great role, and the rest of the performances are good too. Overall, this is one of the best and creepiest episodes of the series, and highly recommendable to my fellow Classic Horror buffs.
11 Reviews
Episode #2 in the unsold series starring Boris Karloff.
capkronos21 January 2009
Directed by George Waggner (THE WOLF MAN), this is another predictable though somewhat enjoyable and eerie episode of "The Veil." Karloff again hosts from in front of a fireplace and also appears in a co-starring role. John Prescott (Tod Andrews) is on his way back to Boston when he comes across troubled blonde beauty Lila Kirby (Eve Brent) stranded on the side of the road. After taking a look at her car, he discovers she's simply out of gas and offers to push her car to the side of the road and take her to the nearest gas station so she can get fuel. On the way there they stop for a drink and Lila starts behaving strangely. She seems to be on the run from something or someone, asks John to drop her off at a service station and encourages him to meet her back at Lookout Point at nine o'clock that evening. Lila shows up and then runs off when a mysterious wheelchair-bound man named Morgan Debs (Boris Karloff) shows up. He warns John that innocent people will die if he continues to pursue Lila and then takes off. Not taking Morgan's advice, John searches for Lila around town, discovers that some of the citizens seem to be covering up something and is clubbed over the head by Morgan's chauffeur. When he comes to, he gets the address to Lila's home, goes there and then encounters both Lila's mother (Claudia Bryar) and Morgan; finding out both who he is, as well as who Lila is.
This series, purported to be based on real-life cases of the supernatural and the unexplained, wasn't picked up for distribution on network TV after it was made. Instead, the episodes were combined to play as anthology features on late night television throughout the 1960s. This one was combined with "Destination Nightmare" (with Myron Healey), "Summer Heat" (with Whit Bissell) and "The Return of Madame Vernoy" (with a young George Hamilton) and released under the title DESTINATION NIGHTMARE.
This series, purported to be based on real-life cases of the supernatural and the unexplained, wasn't picked up for distribution on network TV after it was made. Instead, the episodes were combined to play as anthology features on late night television throughout the 1960s. This one was combined with "Destination Nightmare" (with Myron Healey), "Summer Heat" (with Whit Bissell) and "The Return of Madame Vernoy" (with a young George Hamilton) and released under the title DESTINATION NIGHTMARE.
Enjoyable episode
Woodyanders28 October 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Motorist John Prescott (a sound and likable performance by Tod Andrews) encounters beautiful young lady Lila Kirby (a charming portrayal by the lovely Eve Brent) on the side of a remote country road and gives her a lift into the nearest town. The lady flees from a local pub and disappears after the name Morgan Debbs is overheard. Who is Morgan Debbs and what's his connection to Lila? Writer/director George Waggner relates the engrossing story at a steady pace and does a good job of creating and sustaining an appropriately eerie and enigmatic atmosphere. Andrews and Brent display an easy and appealing chemistry in the lead roles. The always great Boris Karloff exudes quiet menace and authority as serenely sinister wheelchair-bound powerful local bigwig Morgan Debbs. The surprise ending is admittedly predictable, but still effective and satisfying just the same. Howard Schwartz's sharp black and white cinematography and Leon Klatzkin's shivery score are both up to speed. Worth seeing.
The Veil: Girl on the Road
Scarecrow-8813 August 2011
Warning: Spoilers
This episode of "The Veil" is right up my alley, but maybe just a bit too short for my liking. It has a spook story right out of Ghost Hunters where clients testify of encountering apparitions near the sites of tragedy. In this tale, "Girl on the Road", a motorist, John Prescott (Tod Andrews), meets a beautiful blond woman, whose car is broke down on the side of a road nearby a place called Lookout Point, named Lila (Eve Brent), with a bright smile and pleasant personality but something is amiss and the mere mention of a man named Morgan Debs (Boris Karloff, first appearing intimidating before coming clean about his true motivations), produces a presence of discomfort on her face and demeanor. Morgan Debs seems to be a recognizable figure in the town for which Lila and John have a drink, someone with connections and influence. Why Debs wants Prescott to leave town may not be as nefarious as John is led to believe, even if there is a level of secrecy surrounding Lila. John likes Lila and doesn't seem to rattle too easily, determined to get to the bottom of how she is linked to Debs. The story has a nice little surprise in store for Prescott and it is a doozy. Directed by George Waggner (The Wolf Man), "Girl on the Road" produces a chilling effect because it introduces a character to someone who appears quite real, only to discover a rather startling truth which leaves him perplexed because the person, for a time, seems to be attempting to escape from peril. I love when "the veil" is removed and we see that characters may not be as they appear. That is the case for both Morgan Debs and Lila. Lookout Point is one of those haunted settings just perfect for a chiller show like "The Veil" and has a nicely eerie conclusion as Prescott investigates the location of a devastating occurrence which sent Debs to a wheelchair. Karloff gets one of those awesome scenes where he tells a creepy story—in the episode's case all too true in regards to the specific character involved—to Prescott who is, like us, taken aback by the news Debs must share. Karloff, that haunting voice, is such a marvelous storyteller and gives the episode an extra chill because of his delivery to Andrews who is in for quite a shock, as we are (that is unless you can see the twist coming).
Been There, Done That
Hitchcoc4 November 2016
This was an OK offering from a lost treasure. But it is merely a rehash of an old ghost story. Remember the song where the teenage boy meets the girl and falls in love. He gives her his sweater and then she disappears. Eventually, he finds the sweater on her grave. There are some questions here, but things play out pretty realistically. There is one question, however. What's with the bartender. Did he actually see the daughter? Anyway, this is one of the better adaptations of the story, and I would imagine that if I were a teenager, growing up in the Twilight Zone era, I would have been quite taken with this. The acting is good and the characters interesting.
"A man can't lose a beautiful girl in the woods and just forget about her."
classicsoncall4 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Unless I'm mistaken, and I viewed the scene twice, there's an early hint that a supernatural element will effect the outcome of this story. When Lila Kirby (Eve Brent) gets in John Prescott's (Tod Andrews) car after she ran out of gas, her own vehicle was left on the side of the road. But when Prescott pulls away, the car is no longer there! Go back and take a look and let me know if I was seeing things, or make that 'not' seeing things as the case may be. Another clumsy thing about the way this story was written had to do with Prescott pushing Lila's car 'out of the way', but it was already pulled over on the side of the road and wasn't in the way of anything. Now that, I definitely saw, and I thought it was pretty dumb.
Prescott, who was obviously taken by the lovely Lila, suggested martinis at the local Roadside Inn before continuing on to get some gas for her car. At that point, things got mysterious as the bartender tried to call an influential citizen by the name of Morgan Debs (Boris Karloff). Lila states that she'll meet Prescott later at a favorite location of hers called Lookout Point. While watching this unfold, you had to question the odd behavior of the woman, and why she couldn't just level with Prescott without jumping through hoops. When the appointed time arrives, Lila meets with Prescott, but suddenly disappears when the mysterious Morgan Debs arrives in his own chauffeured vehicle. Debs tries to warn off Prescott about pursuing the matter, but the curious man won't have it.
Learning where Miss Kirby lived, Prescott goes to her house and asks for her when the mother (Claudia Bryar) answers the door. Shocked to find Debs himself in a wheelchair at the Kirby home, Prescott learns about the tragedy that befell Lila Kirby some three years earlier at Lookout Point when her car went over a cliff. His disbelief is overcome when he investigates the scene of the accident and discovers Lila's car smashed at the precise location mentioned by Debs. It had the same license plate that Prescott observed when he helped her on the side of the road.
Prescott, who was obviously taken by the lovely Lila, suggested martinis at the local Roadside Inn before continuing on to get some gas for her car. At that point, things got mysterious as the bartender tried to call an influential citizen by the name of Morgan Debs (Boris Karloff). Lila states that she'll meet Prescott later at a favorite location of hers called Lookout Point. While watching this unfold, you had to question the odd behavior of the woman, and why she couldn't just level with Prescott without jumping through hoops. When the appointed time arrives, Lila meets with Prescott, but suddenly disappears when the mysterious Morgan Debs arrives in his own chauffeured vehicle. Debs tries to warn off Prescott about pursuing the matter, but the curious man won't have it.
Learning where Miss Kirby lived, Prescott goes to her house and asks for her when the mother (Claudia Bryar) answers the door. Shocked to find Debs himself in a wheelchair at the Kirby home, Prescott learns about the tragedy that befell Lila Kirby some three years earlier at Lookout Point when her car went over a cliff. His disbelief is overcome when he investigates the scene of the accident and discovers Lila's car smashed at the precise location mentioned by Debs. It had the same license plate that Prescott observed when he helped her on the side of the road.
This one threw me a curve!
planktonrules9 January 2014
I like being surprised as I watch a TV show--and "Girl on the Road" is just that. While I thought the show was going one direction, it abruptly went a different one and I really appreciate that.
This show begins with a creepy guy, John Prescott, stopping by to help Lila with her broken down car. I say creepy because he comes on very strong and seems almost like a potential sex offender. I really expected this would be where the show would go. However, he turned out to be a nice guy--despite his initial demeanor.
The problem turns out to be Lila herself. She's in some sort of trouble and Prescott thinks that a local rich guy, Morgan Debs (Boris Karloff) is behind it all. And, when she disappears, he is convinced Debs is responsible. What's next? See the show for yourself--it's worth it, as it's well written and exciting...and probably not one bit true despite the narrator (also Karloff) insisting that it is.
This show begins with a creepy guy, John Prescott, stopping by to help Lila with her broken down car. I say creepy because he comes on very strong and seems almost like a potential sex offender. I really expected this would be where the show would go. However, he turned out to be a nice guy--despite his initial demeanor.
The problem turns out to be Lila herself. She's in some sort of trouble and Prescott thinks that a local rich guy, Morgan Debs (Boris Karloff) is behind it all. And, when she disappears, he is convinced Debs is responsible. What's next? See the show for yourself--it's worth it, as it's well written and exciting...and probably not one bit true despite the narrator (also Karloff) insisting that it is.
Very dull
Leofwine_draca31 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
THE CRYSTAL BALL is a very much a dull episode of THE VEIL, focused around a boring love triangle with the occasional bit of remote viewing added to the mix. It's a mundane and unenterprising affair, lacking decent cast members, and even B-movie specialist director George Waggner can't add life to it.
The only one I wouldn't draw a veil over
midbrowcontrarian16 February 2022
With only twelve episodes it wasn't really possible to review The Veil as a whole and list my favourites. Especially as four are fusty period pieces including another hackneyed Jack the Ripper tale. One of them must have had such a powerful soporific effect that a reviewer mistakenly posted his review of it on this page.
Girl on the Road for me is the standout, the only one I rate higher than the consensus score. It's spooky and mysterious, deserving the admittedly unoriginal complement that it could have been in the Twilight Zone. Eva Brent is the best looking, in fact the only good looking woman in the series, not that this would influence me.
Girl on the Road for me is the standout, the only one I rate higher than the consensus score. It's spooky and mysterious, deserving the admittedly unoriginal complement that it could have been in the Twilight Zone. Eva Brent is the best looking, in fact the only good looking woman in the series, not that this would influence me.
nice story
Kirpianuscus1 October 2022
A fist of clues , eerie story, nice acting of Boris Karloff and a surnatural case not so surprising for amateurs of genre. In short, just a correct story , well crafted, inspiring waves of expectations and state, starting as presumed romance, continuing as a sort of policier and proposing, to the end, a touching case of impossibility of the rest for a dead young woman.
Not extraordinary but with potential to be a real - real case , and the performance of Karloff becomes the key of the nuances from mafioso to the poor uncle.
Two young men, her car in trouble, his help , a meeting in evening and fragments of newspaper about a terrible accident. And the first meeting as end of circle.
A nice episode , a fair answer to the chain of suppositions.
Not extraordinary but with potential to be a real - real case , and the performance of Karloff becomes the key of the nuances from mafioso to the poor uncle.
Two young men, her car in trouble, his help , a meeting in evening and fragments of newspaper about a terrible accident. And the first meeting as end of circle.
A nice episode , a fair answer to the chain of suppositions.
Good eerie story
searchanddestroy-19 October 2022
Hitch hikers topics are not unusual in.anthology series from the fifties, and even later. This one is not Ida Lupino's THE HITCH HIKER, nor Edgar Ulmer's DETOUR, not a crime short flick, no, an efficient little tale, very strange, that could remind some mystery stories from Lewis Allen's early films, and taking place in old mansions. Many questions will remain after seeing this short story. But that's the purpose after all, the DNA of this TV show, very close to another series from this same period: ONE STEP BEYOND. THE VEIL was a too short anthology show, so shame, because there would have been more stories to tell.
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