COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN: DAY 12-“THE TWILIGHT ZONE”

In honor of the witching season, we’ll profile a new Halloween-centric title every day throughout the month of October.

YOUR NEXT STOP…

Article by Adam Mast

THE TWILIGHT ZONE–1959-1964

We couldn’t get through our “Countdown to Halloween” column without including the greatest series in the history of television. Rod Serling (who would also pen PLANET OF THE APES and go on to create NIGHT GALLERY) had a profound impact on television with his TWILIGHT ZONE; An impact that would go on to inspire a whole generation of writers including the likes of Chris Carter, J.J. Abrams, and M. Night Shyamalan, just to name a few.

In addition to being the television king of irony, this landmark series was also known for delivering monumental twists. THE TWILIGHT ZONE would go on to inspire creative reboot incarnations throughout the 80’s and 90’s and it even spawned a very entertaining theatrically released movie in 1983 (“You wanna see something really scary?). While all of these revamped versions offered up moments of greatness, none of them can hold a candle to the original series; A series that, if you ask this crazed TWILIGHT ZONE fan, still holds up today.

I’m fond of THE TWILIGHT ZONE in a big way, but in the interest of time, I thought I’d highlight 3 startling episodes that left a massive impact on me, particularly during my youth.

TO SERVE MAN
An alien race known as the Kanamits (led by the great Richard Kiel who you may remember from MOONRAKER and HAPPY GILMORE) come to Earth on a mission of peace. Their mission, specifically? To aid the human race in leading a more fruitful life. Upon arrival, they present a team of scientists with a book that holds the answers to our prayers. The problem is, the book is in their alien native tongue and it takes the scientists a great deal of time to decipher it. When they do finally decipher it…Well…Let’s just say that the end of TO SERVE MAN is the stuff of pop culture legend.

I SHOT AN ARROW INTO THE AIR
An exploration team crash land their space craft on a desert planet. With no contact with mission control and very little water between them, I SHOT AN ARROW INTO THE AIR shows how far some men will go in the name of survival, particularly when they’re pushed to the very brink of death. This episode brings the aforementioned irony in spades and while there is a man of questionable character in I SHOT AN ARROW INTO THE AIR, the story is really about the other crew members. They are the spokesmen for humanity in the piece. As for the crew member of questionable character? Let’s just say he gets what’s coming to him, but not quite in the way you’ll be expecting.

LIVING DOLL
A rather irritable step father (played by the great Telly Savalas of “Kojak” fame) gets more than he bargained for when he comes face to face with his sweet step-daughter’s “Talky Tina” doll. After uttering phrases like “My name is Talky Tina and I don’t think I like you.”, it becomes abundantly clear that this is no ordinary doll, and try as he might, this hapless stepdad has a very tough time disposing of the creepy child’s play thing. In short, this one is a classic!

Of course, these are but three unforgettable episodes from a 5 year series full of unforgettable episodes.

I can’t recommend this series enough. It’s perfect Halloween viewing, even for folks who aren’t necessarily fond of Halloween-centric fare. Furthermore, this is a show you can watch with your kids. As a child, its a series that certainly frightened me, but it did so in all the right ways.

THE TWILIGHT ZONE is currently available on Blu-ray and DVD. Side note: Keep an eye on Amazon.com. They often have special deals on the must-own box set.

COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN

October 11th- “CREEPSHOW” – Click Here
October 10th-“Shaun of the Dead“-Click Here
October 9th-“Invasion of the Body Snatchers”– Click Here
October 8th-“The Final Girls”–Click Here
October 7th-“Something Wicked This Way Comes”–Click Here
October 6th- “We Are Still Here”–Click Here
October 5th-“Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn”–Click Here
October 4th- “Phantom of the Paradise“-Click Here
October 3rd-“Poltergeist“-Click Here
October 2nd-“The Babadook“-Click Here
October 1st-“John Carpenter’s The Thing“-Click Here

Adam Mast

Adam Mast has been a lifelong film enthusiast dating back to age 6 when his parents took him to see a little movie called JAWS at a drive-in theater in Northern California. This would lead him to several writing stints for various publications and outlets. Mast would also have a hand in several film projects of various shapes and sizes. In 2014, Mast would join forces with colleague John Pugh to create Cinemast.net as a means discuss film from a fan and analytical perspective. Together, Mast and Pugh would also create the 501 (C)(3) nonprofit, Film and Media Alliance of Southern Utah (FMASU) in 2017. FMASU’s mission is to encourage, inspire and educate filmmaking talent and to preserve film history. Adam currently resides in southern Utah with his amazing wife, Tonja, and their four wonderful children.