It has been 60 years since Chiller Theater, the broadcast television show, was created in the heart of Pittsburgh, and now, after decades of being off-air, WPXI and Scarehouse are rebooting the series to celebrate the anniversary. New broadcasts will be streamed on the WPXI app, and the new host, Scott Harbaugh, will honor Billy – “Chilly Billy”– Cardille by taking on the role. Harbaugh will be announcing the movie and providing extra commentary before and after the commercial breaks. 

Before Billy Cardielle started Chiller Theater in 1963, he was a news anchor for WPXI and would host a variety of special events for the news network. In the following years, characters would accompany him during his commentary, which would add extra humor, camp, and macabre to the broadcast. 

The series had become a staple for late-night television in Pittsburgh and was so popular that the first few years of Saturday Night Live did not air in Pittsburgh. Billy Cardille paved the way for many other horror hosts like Elvira, Joe Bob Briggs, Svengoolie, and Mystery Science Theater 3000. Public broadcast channels around the United States have created their own horror-themed late-night television programs. After the series ended in 1984, “Chilly Billy” remained a news anchor for WPXI until his retirement in the 1990s, and Chilly and his Family became sensations in Pittsburgh. 

The first episode of the reboot broadcasted the first movie that started it all: the science fiction movie “The Brain From Planet Arous.” The beginning of the episode showed memorable clips from the original series. Scott Harbaugh, WPXI meteorologist, introduced himself, the premise of the show, and explained how his set on the show will change every week and match according to what movie is being shown that night. The sets will be created by ScareHouse. 

“Night of the Living Dead” was shown during the reboot’s third broadcast. This episode  is known for the creation of the modern zombie. Billy Cardielle played a news reporter in the movie and was a long-time friend to director George A. Romero. In the latest episode, Billy Cardille’s daughter Lori Cardille stops by the Chiller Theater set to talk about the film, her dad’s relationship with Romero, and the horror community. They also talked about how Night of the Living Dead was different from the 1985 movie Day of the Dead, the third movie in Romero’s Dead series. 

The new Chiller Theater episodes will air on WPXINow, WPXI’s app, as well as WPXI’s YouTube channel. For anyone looking to watch old episodes of Chiller Theater, only clips of the old show can be found on YouTube. A lot of cult science fiction and horror films are public access, it is easy to find them for free on YouTube and Tubi. The website titled “Chiller Theater Memories” provides history, photographs, and clips from the show, for anyone interested in learning more about this crucial part of Pittsburgh’s history.