How Ghost Story Became Circle Of Fear & Changed The Original Series

NBC’s 1972 anthology show Ghost Story was rebooted as Circle of Fear mid-season. Even with a title and format change, the series was unable to find an audience and was canceled after one season.

When NBC began looking for another scary anthology show similar to their youth-skewing  Night Gallery, filmmaker William Castle pitched Ghost Story. Interested in tapping into a more youthful demographic on Friday nights, NBC greenlit the series, which would focus on hour-long supernatural plotlines. Like Night Gallery and The Twilight Zone, the show was bookended by an omniscient host, played by Sebastian Cabot. The former Family Affair co-star played the owner of an elegant hotel called Mansfield House. Cabot would introduce the main characters, sometimes guests at the hotel, who were usually involved in a paranormal event. A variety of famous television and film stars worked on the show, which had high production values and a sophisticated cinematic look.

Unlike Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, which usually had multiple stories within an episode, Ghost Story told one tale an episode. Another aspect that differentiated Castle’s show was the tone of the subject matter. While Night Gallery would often veer into comedic and juvenile plotlines, Ghost Story stuck to thrilling, supernatural themes intended to scare the audience. Similar to The Outer Limits from a decade previous, the episodes felt more like feature films – possessing a larger scope and more ambitious narratives than the typical TV movies at the time. A children’s story record album based on the show was released by Peter Pan Records to generate interest in the debut. However, the show struggled in its timeslot against The CBS Friday Night Movies and Room 22 on ABC.

William Castle’s Ghost Story TV Series Was Rebooted as Circle Of Fear

During the winter TV hiatus, NBC executives requested that the show be retooled a bit to try to broaden the audience. The title was changed to the more ambiguous Circle of Fear – and the Cabot character, along with the hotel location, were dropped completely. 13 episodes aired in the original format, while an additional 9 were aired in the retooled version. Though critics were kind to both versions of the show, it was unable to compete with the other networks – as well as theatrical films and events that kept teens out on Friday nights. Hopes that the dedicated pre-teen audience for ABC’s The Brady Bunch/Partridge Family block an hour earlier would switch over also did not materialize.

Ironically, the same season that Ghost Story premiered, a retooled version of the network’s Night Gallery had debuted. NightGallery was cut from an hour to a half hour – and focus turned to just one story per episode. The changes did not help turn things around for either show, with both being cancelled by the end of the 72/73 season. Though largely overshadowed by the more famous NightGallery, Ghost Story(aka Circle of Fear) has recently found a new fanbase thanks to a DVD release and streaming options.