The Black Mass

The Black Mass was a fantasy-horror anthology series which aired in Berkeley and Los Angeles, California, in the mid-1960s. The show had no regular schedule; the shows were ready when they were ready.

The program featured half-hour adaptations of stories from many authors, including Edgar Alan Poe, Virginia Woolf, Franz Kafka, and H. P. Lovecraft.

The show was particularly notable for outstanding sound editing by John Whiting and original music from San Francisco Bay area composer, Thomas Lopez, who went on to a successful career in radio, credits it as his inspiration.

As an aside, some might argue that Lovecraft does not belong is such storied company, but he has been one of my favorite authors for years. I will freely admit that his plots can sometimes be repetitious, but, at his best, such as The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath, he is superb; and I have read no author that surpassed him in weaving atmosphere with words.

For more information, see Wikipedia.

Series description provided by Frank Bell.