RIP Chiller

I've always liked knowing Chiller is there even if I don't often watch it — the world of cable would be less interesting without a channel devoted to the horror genre. But that's where we're headed, with NBCUniversal set to shut it down at the end of the year. It also fondly reminds me of the time when I got satellite television for the first time about seven years ago and had lots of new channels to explore.

I won't argue that Chiller was a great channel, but it commendably stuck to its niche — something countless channels have failed to do over the long haul as the hunt for ratings steers them to broader fare. The movies were often decidedly of the "B" variety on Chiller, but novel things came along from time to time, like that Psycho marathon, which resurrected the rarely aired sequels. And there were occasional interesting finds, like Death and Cremation (2010). The channel also stacked the schedule with some fun anthologies, like Tales from the Darkside, Monsters and '80s Twilight Zone.

Goodbye, Chiller — you were, indeed, scary good … sometimes.