The Twilight Zone (film)

[bassman]

How friggin great was this series? Over the New Year weekend the syfy network was running a marathon. I hadn't seen the original series since I was a kid, really. It's now about three days since it ended and I can't stop thinking about it...

I'm not one to normally bitch about modern television too much, but they sure don't make 'em like they used to, do they? 52 years later and Serling's show is still incredibly gripping and often downright horrifying!

There's not much of a point to this thread other than to show some love and say I found a new love for something I hadn't seen in many, many moons. Anyone own the dvd or (available)Blu Rays? Any thoughts on if they're worth it? The dvd set is down to a reasonable hundred bucks these days, so I think i'm gonna give it a chance.

So what are your fond memories or favorite episodes of Twilight Zone?

[krakenslayer]

The one that I always remember is the one by Harlan Ellison that James Cameron allegedly ripped off for The Terminator:

In the future, two perpetually warring states have reduced their populations entirely to brainwashed, genetically modified soldiers, over thousands of years of conflict. An energy discharge sends two enemies back in time to the present day where one is captured by the government and befriended by a scientist who tries to teach him compassion. Meanwhile, his foe remains on the prowl, intent on terminating his born enemy at any cost. Not the scariest episode, but pretty haunting...

[blind2d]

Oh man, where do I begin?! I love this series! My father was lucky enough to acquire a good number of episodes on VHS when I was not yet in my teenage years, and cool enough to let me and my younger sister watch them. For me, the best ones involve talking dolls, 'Five Characters in Search of an Exit', "When, nurse? When when when will they take the bandages off?", 'Time Enough at Last', any trans-dimensional travel, any of the ones with space travel, 'The Monsters are due on Mulberry Street' (very NotLD), the Nazi haunted by the ghosts of the prison camp, "You're ten years old again, Pip. How come you're ten years old again?", and the one with the "incredible race of giants". Television has never been better.
"I'm a mannequin, that's what I am, I'm a mannequin"

[bassman]

I haven't had a chance to see them all yet, but out of the marathon I really clicked with the few starring Burgess Meredith(Time Enough At Last was one, I believe). The one with the guy in the deserted town and discovers he's being observed. Reading about the show now it appears that might be the first episode. Also the infamous "To Serve Man" episode.

Another one I recognized from the 80's movie remake was Terror at 20,000 Feet. Good ol Shatner and directed by Richard Donner....didn't know that. The goblin makeup left a bit to be desired. Heh heh. Great episode, though.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VlmHNP9So5Y/SwzwFQhNbfI/AAAAAAAAD2k/6QCmhnwitDU/s400/nightmare-at-20000-feet.jpgamp_

[JDFP]

Ironic this is mentioned today...

The first season of the "The Twilight Zone" on blu ray is available currently at Amazon.com for $48.99. It was $46.99 yesterday when I bought my copy.

http://www.amazon.com/Twilight-Zone-Season-Blu-ray/dp/B003JBI3GA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294196306&sr=8-1

j.p.

[bassman]

Let me know how that is, JD. I'm on the fence as to jump on the ENTIRE series on dvd for 100 bucks, or collect each season on blu ray for about 50-70 bucks a pop. In this case I'm thinking the series dvd set would probably be good enough. In any case....let me know please.

EDIT: Looking at the reviews on amazon, it appears that disc 4 on the blu ray set is defective. Make sure you check that out when you get yours...

[JDFP]

Let me know how that is, JD. I'm on the fence as to jump on the ENTIRE series on dvd for 100 bucks, or collect each season on blu ray for about 50-70 bucks a pop. In this case I'm thinking the series dvd set would probably be good enough. In any case....let me know please.

It's a 50 year old show in black and white, I'm not for certain there can be any real "dramatic" transitions to HD v. standard definition for a show of that age (but here in about a week when I get it and start watching it then we'll see and I'll definitely post thoughts on it) -- even though the majority of the shows were filmed on 35 mm (only six or seven episodes were filmed on video because CBS had cut the budget one season). My main interest in acquiring it is because the special features are PHENOMENAL. Just about every episode has a commentary on it -- and some episodes have two or even three commentaries. That's the big selling point for me as I'd love to really capture unique thoughts from people like Marc Zicree on the show. Here's just a blurb of all the amazing special features for just the first season (and all the seasons released so far, the first 3 as of right now) have equally as much awesomeness...

# Exclusive Blu-ray Bonus Features: Extremely rare, never-before-released unofficial Twilight Zone pilot, "The Time Element," written by Rod Serling and hosted by Desi Arnaz
# 19 New Audio Commentaries, featuring The Twilight Zone Companion author Marc Scott Zicree, author and film historian Gary Gerani (Fantastic Television), author and music historian Steven C. Smith (A Heart at Fire's Center: The Life and Music of Bernard Herrmann), music historians John Morgan and William T. Stromberg, writer/producer David Simkins (Lois & Clark, Dark Angel), writer Mark Fergus (Children of Men, Iron Man), actor William Reynolds and director Ted Post. Interviews with actors Dana Dillaway, Suzanne Lloyd, Beverly Garland and Ron Masak.
# “Tales of Tomorrow” episode "What You Need."
# Vintage audio interview with Director of Photography George T. Clemens.
# 1977 syndication promos for "A Stop at Willoughby" and "The After Hours."
# 18 Radio Dramas
# 34 Isolated Music Scores featuring the legendary Bernard Herrmann, Jerry Goldsmith and others! Set also includes:
# Audio Commentaries by actors Earl Holliman, Martin Landau, Rod Taylor, Martin Milner, Kevin McCarthy, and CBS executive William Self.
# Vintage Audio Recollections with actors Burgess Meredith and Anne Francis, directors Douglas Heyes and Richard L. Bare, producer Buck Houghton and writer Richard Matheson.
# Rod Serling Audio Lectures from Sherwood Oaks College.
# Rod Serling Promos for "Next Week's" Show.
# Original Unaired Pilot Version of "Where is Everybody?" with Rod Serling's Network Pitch.
# Footage of the Emmy Award wins for the series

j.p.

[Doc]

Another one I recognized from the 80's movie remake was Terror at 20,000 Feet. Good ol Shatner and directed by Richard Donner....didn't know that. The goblin makeup left a bit to be desired. Heh heh. Great episode, though.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VlmHNP9So5Y/SwzwFQhNbfI/AAAAAAAAD2k/6QCmhnwitDU/s400/nightmare-at-20000-feet.jpgamp_


It still scared the piss outta me.:eek:

Haven't this show in a year, but I like it's some times bleak, and scary endings just like, Tales from the Darkside.

I remember a specific one where the Devil saves a failing newspaper business. He's an old man in disguise. Apparently, anything he writes a paper about comes true. Anybody, know this episode?

So, far my favorite of the bunch, has to be when 2 cops come into a diner, or something and are questioning everybody. I don't remember exactly what, but one of the patrons happens to be a martin. I won't spoil more just in case no one has seen this episode, but remember being clearly surprised by the end of it.

[EvilNed]

The one that I always remember is the one by Harlan Ellison that James Cameron allegedly ripped off for The Terminator:

In the future, two perpetually warring states have reduced their populations entirely to brainwashed, genetically modified soldiers, over thousands of years of conflict. An energy discharge sends two enemies back in time to the present day where one is captured by the government and befriended by a scientist who tries to teach him compassion. Meanwhile, his foe remains on the prowl, intent on terminating his born enemy at any cost. Not the scariest episode, but pretty haunting...

Dude! That's Outer Limits! Get your sci-fi shows straight! ;)

Twilight Zone is great. Me and my friend watch it from time to time. We haven't seen it all, but I've seen most of the classics. To Serve Man, The Shelter, Terror at 20,000 Feet etc. etc. Great stuff!

[Publius]

I remember a specific one where the Devil saves a failing newspaper business. He's an old man in disguise. Apparently, anything he writes a paper about comes true. Anybody, know this episode?

Printer's Devil. Another Burgess Meredith episode.


So, far my favorite of the bunch, has to be when 2 cops come into a diner, or something and are questioning everybody. I don't remember exactly what, but one of the patrons happens to be a martin. I won't spoil more just in case no one has seen this episode, but remember being clearly surprised by the end of it.

Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up? Great twist at the end.

The Twilight Zone is perhaps my favorite TV series of all time. Several of the episodes were based on short stories from the golden age of science fiction, or written by authors from that era. It used to be the highlight of my Thanksgiving, as channel 5 in Los Angeles has run a Twilight Zone marathon on Thanksgiving for many years.

[Legion2213]

Hands down, one of the greatest TV series ever IMO (always introduced by Serling, usually with a smoke in his hand which adds extra coolness). The intros really added something as well IMO, just made it more personal.

As for favorite episodes, there are lots.

"Two"

"Probe 7 Over and Out"

"The Lonely"

Third from the Sun"

"I shot an Arrow in the Air"

"The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street"

"A Hundred Yards Over the Rim"

"Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up"

"Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room"

"Five Characters in Search of an Exit"

etc etc etc

And that's just a few, I downloaded all 5 series a couple of years ago, I will buy the box set this year though, as it's gone down in price a fair bit lately due to the blu-ray release. :)

http://theinvisibleagent.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/rod-serling.jpg

Have a "Miss Devlin/Julie Newmar" pic as well...cuz she was gorgeous...

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jXMIsK3dV50/Sgid1s01JJI/AAAAAAAAN1s/kT7dZwCEQQs/s400/Of_Late_I_Think_of_Cliffordville.jpg

[bassman]

(always introduced by Serling, usually with a smoke in his hand which adds extra coolness).

Are you sure he introduced each episode on screen? As I said earlier, i've only seen select episodes on a tv marathon, but I remember a few where it was just Serling's voice.

I haven't seen them, but did anyone see the 80's revamp of the series? Or the newer one with Forest Whitaker?

[shootemindehead]

"That's not fair at all. There was time now. There was all the time I needed"

I recently...ahem "aquired" every episode and have been watching them. Great stuff. easily one of the greatest TV shows ever.

There was only a couple from the 1985 series that I liked though. 'A little peace and quiet' and 'Button Button'.

[Legion2213]

Are you sure he introduced each episode on screen? As I said earlier, i've only seen select episodes on a tv marathon, but I remember a few where it was just Serling's voice.

I haven't seen them, but did anyone see the 80's revamp of the series? Or the newer one with Forest Whitaker?

I'm pretty sure that majority were introduced by Rod who was on screen...usually in the actual story-set itself. I may have to watch them all again just to confirm it... :D

As for the remakes, I think I watched some of the 80's ones, but I may have them mixed up with the relaunch of "The Outer Limits"

---------- Post added at 01:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:31 PM ----------


"That's not fair at all. There was time now. There was all the time I needed"

I recently...ahem "aquired" every episode and have been watching them. Great stuff. easily one of the greatest TV shows ever.

There was only a couple from the 1985 series that I liked though. 'A little peace and quiet' and 'Button Button'.

"A little peace and quiet" is the one where the woman finds the necklace/charm that stops time isn't it? I enjoyed that one, but they did a similair thing with a watch in the original series.

[shootemindehead]

Yep. She finds a necklace. Great ending.

Don't remember the one with the watch in the original series though.

[LouCipherr]

Awesome series, period.

Matter of fact, recently my son and I have found the joys of the Twilight Zone audiobooks. Hosted by Stacey Keach to boot. :D

Some of them are direct re-tellings of some of the shows, but I swear some of them are some new stories I had never heard before. Then again, I haven't seen every single episode that was on TV, so I could be wrong. ;)

[BillyRay]

The Dummy.

Helped give me an unreasonable fear of ventroloquist dummies as a kid...

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XdP6Lp2ceqY/S-oWw2RpV6I/AAAAAAAAQ_g/YK6auzcf5bY/s400/The-Dummy.jpg

[bassman]

Yeah! The Dummy was freaky. There was also another one I saw with a doll. I don't know the name of it, but a mom and daughter bought a talking doll and it ends up threatening the father. He goes nuts and tries to destroy it, but nothing works.

"My name's Talking Tammy and I don't think I'll let you live much longer" Or something like that. Creepy stuff. It made Child's Play seem like a rip off...

[BillyRay]

Yeah! The Dummy was freaky. There was also another one I saw with a doll. I don't know the name of it, but a mom and daughter bought a talking doll and it ends up threatening the father. He goes nuts and tries to destroy it, but nothing works.

"My name's Talking Tammy and I don't think I'll let you live much longer" Or something like that. Creepy stuff. It made Child's Play seem like a rip off...

"My name is Talking Tina and I think I can hate you"...

[Mike70]

How friggin great was this series? Over the New Year weekend the syfy network was running a marathon. I hadn't seen the original series since I was a kid, really. It's now about three days since it ended and I can't stop thinking about it...

I'm not one to normally bitch about modern television too much, but they sure don't make 'em like they used to, do they? 52 years later and Serling's show is still incredibly gripping and often downright horrifying!

There's not much of a point to this thread other than to show some love and say I found a new love for something I hadn't seen in many, many moons. Anyone own the dvd or (available)Blu Rays? Any thoughts on if they're worth it? The dvd set is down to a reasonable hundred bucks these days, so I think i'm gonna give it a chance.

So what are your fond memories or favorite episodes of Twilight Zone?

i have the DVDs and they are completely worth it. as for fav eps, christ where do i start?

"the purple testament" - a WWII soldier can tell who is going to die next.

"mr. denton on doomsday" - a drunken gunslinger gets a new lease of life.

"the howling man" - a man releases the devil

"a penny for your thoughts" - dick york can read people's thoughts after a coin lands on its edge.

"the obsolete man" - a man is put on trial for being obsolete.

"a game of pool" - a pool shark gets his shot against the champ.

"the last rites of jeff myrtlebank" - a man returns to life during his own funeral.

"living doll" - title tells it all

"a short drink from a certain fountain" - one of the 5 or so best eps in my opinion. a older man with a young wife seeks a way to recapture his youth.

"number 12 looks just like you" - a futuristic society forces people to undergo medical procedures that render them young and immune to disease.

"the masks" another one of the greats. a dying man forces his greedy relatives to wear masks that reveal their true natures.

---------- Post added at 10:58 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:55 AM ----------


Yeah! The Dummy was freaky. There was also another one I saw with a doll. I don't know the name of it, but a mom and daughter bought a talking doll and it ends up threatening the father. He goes nuts and tries to destroy it, but nothing works.

"My name's Talking Tammy and I don't think I'll let you live much longer" Or something like that. Creepy stuff. It made Child's Play seem like a rip off...

that is "living doll", a completely awesome ep.

[bassman]

i have the DVDs and they are completely worth it.

You a special features kind of guy? How are the docs, commentaries, etc? I've heard that there are college Q&A's with Serling that play over some episodes. Essentially being the closest we'll ever get to a Serling commentary. I'm excited about that. I believe Matheson and quite a few of the "name" actors contribute to commentary tracks as well...

[blind2d]

But dude, the show is so good... I wouldn't bother with any extras, cool though they may be.
"I'm Talking Tina, and I'm going to kill you..."

[bassman]

But dude, the show is so good... I wouldn't bother with any extras, cool though they may be.
"I'm Talking Tina, and I'm going to kill you..."

I just want to get the most bang for my buck. I'm going to buy the whole series either way. I'm hooked. Even been watching episodes on youtube. :lol:

The Definitive Collection dvd set seems like the way to go. I would like to hold out for the blu rays as they have more features and better picture, but the price and on-going seasonal releases kinda turn me off.

[wayzim]

"My name is Talking Tina and I think I can hate you"...

And the dad was played by Telly Savalas( TV's Kojak - "Who Loves Ya Baby? " ) and films like Kellys Heroes and The Dirty Dozen.

Wayne Z

[MikePizzoff]

Are you sure he introduced each episode on screen? As I said earlier, i've only seen select episodes on a tv marathon, but I remember a few where it was just Serling's voice.

I think you're right. I vaguely remember there being a few episodes which we don't see Serling at all, only hear him.

The only thing I actually own is a "best of" compilation. Now that the series DVD is down in price, I'm going to have to get it. One of the greatest shows of all time!!! Also loved The Movie.

[bassman]

Yeah, I just finished The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street. No Serling...just a voiceover. But what an episode! You would think Romero directed it if you didn't know any better.

I'm really falling in love with this show. I just kinda thought it was "aight" when I was a kid, but now it's incredible. Thank god I can see them on youtube until I get the dvds. :elol:

[Doc]

"the howling man" - a man releases the devil



Is that one where a bunch of monks have the devil captured, and he's disgused as man pleadig to be let out?

[Mike70]

You a special features kind of guy? How are the docs, commentaries, etc? I've heard that there are college Q&A's with Serling that play over some episodes. Essentially being the closest we'll ever get to a Serling commentary. I'm excited about that. I believe Matheson and quite a few of the "name" actors contribute to commentary tracks as well...

there are a ton of special features and most of them are interesting. instead of trying to come up with a list off the top of my head, i'm going to copy the info from amazon:


Excerpts from Rod Serlings’s Audio Lectures at Sherwood Oaks Experimental College.
• Audio Commentaries by Martin Landau, Don Rickles, Cliff Robertson, Jonathan Winters, Shelley Berman, Bill Mumy, Leonard Nimoy, Mickey Rooney, Mariette Hartley and more.
• Video Interviews with Richard Matheson, George Clayton Johnson, Earl Hamner, Jr. and more.
• Vintage Audio Recollections with Buck Houghton, Buzz Kulik, Douglas Heyes, Lamont Johnson, Burgess Meredith and more.
• Isolated Music Scores featuring the legendary Bernard Herrmann, Jerry Goldsmith, Fred Steiner and more.
• Rod Serling Promos for “Next Week’s” Show.
• Rare Rod Serling Appearances: The Liar’s Club, The Mike Wallace Interview, The Garry Moore Show, Tell It To Groucho, The Jack Benny Show and more.

in some ways i am a special features guy and in others, not so much. i enjoy commentaries very much but am extremely bored by "making of" type things. i don't like having every thing explained and demonstrated. for me, that takes almost all of the magic out of a movie.

[bassman]

Warner Brothers has set a new Twilight Zone movie (http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/warner-bros-picks-matt-reeves-to-direct-their-twilight-zone-movie) in motion. To be directed by Matt Reeves(Cloverfield, Let Me In), they describe it as a one-story science fiction action film. :|

I've got no problem with Reeves, but science fiction ACTION film? WTF?

[ProfessorChaos]

currently watching all seasons of tales from the crypt, going to start on the twilight zone series after i'm finished. may even splurge on the complete dvd set.

as for this new movie, the word "action" in a press release is certainly the turd in the punchbowl here....and a one-story movie? sounds like a totally ignorable money-grab that i'll be avoiding like the plague. no thanks.

[shootemindehead]

Just another "name rape" as the kewl kidz say these days.

I currently watching the entire show and I'm up to series 4, but the 1 hour format is offputting and there are some real clunkers in there too. I'm happy that the show returns to the original format in series 5.

[Mike70]

Just another "name rape" as the kewl kidz say these days.

I currently watching the entire show and I'm up to series 4, but the 1 hour format is offputting and there are some real clunkers in there too. I'm happy that the show returns to the original format in series 5.

the 4th season of TTZ is one that i hardly ever watch. one hour just doesn't suit what the show was about and most of the episodes feel stretched out. 1-3 and 5 are masterpieces of sci-fi and unfortunately, they just don't make them that like anymore.

[shootemindehead]

Yeh, agree completely Mike. It just isn’t sitting well with me at all. I was irritated by 'Jess Belle', the last episode I watched and generally uninterested to bored by the series so far. I understand that the next episodes; 'Miniature', 'Printer's Devil' and 'No Time like the Past' are good though.

You ever seen 'Night Gallery'? Serling's next project. If so, is it worth a look?

[Mike70]

Yeh, agree completely Mike. It just isn’t sitting well with me at all. I was irritated by 'Jess Belle', the last episode I watched and generally uninterested to bored by the series so far. I understand that the next episodes; 'Miniature', 'Printer's Devil' and 'No Time like the Past' are good though.

You ever seen 'Night Gallery'? Serling's next project. If so, is it worth a look?

"Night Gallery" is one of my fav tv shows ever. ever. i collect old tv from the 60s and 70s mostly and a "night gallery" is a must have. "Night Gallery" is much more horror oriented than twilight zone. in fact, it is safe to call "night gallery" a horror anthology show. all 3 seasons of it are great. i highly recommend getting your hands on a copy of it.

back to season 4: the episodes also look cheap. like they were shot on video or whatever shit it was that they shot soap operas on back then. the 4th season eps. just don't have the quality, neither visually nor story wise, that the other seasons do.

[shootemindehead]

Cool. 'Night Gallery' will be on the cards so. I hear there's a few lovecraft stories in there too.

As for TTZ, only some episodes in Series 2 were shot on video tape. Everything else was shot on film. But, your right, there is definitely something "off" about that series (season), although I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Devil's Printer’ last night. The S4 stories are definitely padded out though, much to their detriment.

[Mike70]

Cool. 'Night Gallery' will be on the cards so. I hear there's a few lovecraft stories in there too.

yep. "pickman's model" and "cool air." both are pretty good. serling actually wrote the script for "pickman's model." there are also eps. based off stories by august derleth, richard matheson, algernon blackwood, and a. e. van vogt among others.

there is also an ep. about a college professor who starts reciting lovecraftian phrases and names from a book. things end badly for him.

another standout from night gallery is a ep. called "there aren't anymore McCabes." it has a definite lovecraft vibe.

another piece of trivia: the pilot movie for "night gallery" is a 3 segment affair. one of the segments ("eyes") was directed by steven spielberg. it was his first professional job, he was 23 years old, and the star of the segment was joan crawford. no pressure there, steve.

[shootemindehead]

Yeh, I noticed that. 23 and directing Joan Crawford. He must have been shitting himself.

Watched 'Of Late I Think of Cliffordville' last night (amongst others). Pretty good, I thought. But it did have "Catwoman" in it, so it got an extra boost. I'd sell my soul that any day.

http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lifnrzWDGp1qa70eyo1_500.jpg

[Mike70]

Yeh, I noticed that. 23 and directing Joan Crawford. He must have been shitting himself.

another anthology show well worth checking out is "boris karloff's thriller", which is now available on DVD and netflix. it is excellent and some of the eps. are among the best horror ever done on tv.

"thriller" is interesting too in that it has a lot of folks in it who would go on to become stars later in their careers. mary tyler moore is in two of the eps (man was she hot back then), elizabeth montgomery, and tom poston come immediately to mind. it also has a lot of old time movie stars in it as well, like jack carson and john ireland.

[Doc]

another piece of trivia: the pilot movie for "night gallery" is a 3 segment affair. one of the segments ("eyes") was directed by steven spielberg. it was his first professional job, he was 23 years old, and the star of the segment was joan crawford. no pressure there, steve.

Not to much pressure it seems as, apparently behind the scenes Joan was teaching Steve how to belch and were friends years after. She even congratulated him when he made it big too. As, for Night Gallery I've only seen it once. The first time I saw it just striked me as, a Twilight Zone rip-off. I'll give it another chance though.

Dopes anybody know the quality merit of the Alfred Hitcock Hour? I've only seen a couple of episodes, but I distinctly remember most of them being top-notch. Almost up to Twlight Zone standards.

[Legion2213]

Slightly related, I looted the complete original "Outer Limits" series from the interwebs last week, I'm about 10 shows into season 1...pretty good, a bit hokey at times, but still very enjoyable.

[bassman]

Just spreading the word that the SyFy(silly name...) channel is playing The Twilight Zone all New Year's weekend. A perfect time to see what the series is all about if you for some reason have never seen it.

I hear that it's also comprised of the "viewers' choice" episodes, so it should be most of the greats.

[Mike70]

Dopes anybody know the quality merit of the Alfred Hitcock Hour? I've only seen a couple of episodes, but I distinctly remember most of them being top-notch. Almost up to Twlight Zone standards.

there were two alfred hitchcock shows. the AH hour and AH presents. both ran for about 300 years back in the 50s and 60s. they are both top notch, high quality level shows with a cavalcade of name stars from that era as guest stars.

peter lorre and the lighter. that's all i have to say.

-- -------- Post added at 09:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:39 PM ----------


Just spreading the word that the SyFy(silly name...) channel is playing The Twilight Zone all New Year's weekend. A perfect time to see what the series is all about if you for some reason have never seen it.

I hear that it's also comprised of the "viewers' choice" episodes, so it should be most of the greats.

always check that out whenever syfy does a marathon. i usually just peep in because i like a lot of the lesser known eps.

[wayzim]

Just spreading the word that the SyFy(silly name...) channel is playing The Twilight Zone all New Year's weekend. A perfect time to see what the series is all about if you for some reason have never seen it.

I hear that it's also comprised of the "viewers' choice" episodes, so it should be most of the greats.

I was just going to say, I'm glad folks are still running with this thread. It was a great series, worthy of much praise.

As for viewer's choice; I suggest a special episode that wasn't even produced for TZ originally, but which Serling himself thought it Zone-Worthy, An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge. ( Based on a classic short story written by Ambrose Bierce )
This tale deals with an American Civil War Spy, about to be hung for his crime from the title bridge when unexpectedly the rope breaks. He runs for his life, dreaming of the woman he left waiting at home, but this is a Twilight Zone story, after all.

This is the Wiki link to the original film.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Occurrence_at_Owl_Creek_Bridge_(film)

Wayne Z

[nectarsis]

One of the best shows to ever air in my opinion. My favorite show (followed closely by All in the Family, Firefly, the original Outer Limits, MASH, MST3K)..I got hooked as a kid.

Anyone catch Tales from the Darkside, or Monsters on the Chiller channel these days?

[Mike70]

Slightly related, I looted the complete original "Outer Limits" series from the interwebs last week, I'm about 10 shows into season 1...pretty good, a bit hokey at times, but still very enjoyable.

"feasability study" is one the best pieces of scifi ever done on TV. it is a totally outstanding, moving episode about the nature of courage and sacrifice.

"my wife has already been infected. i'm going to take her hand. will someone take mine?"
PYNN8k_bS6E

[shootemindehead]

Hey Mike,

Got to finally see some of the Night Gallery stuff and was suitably impressed. There's a few donkeys in there, but a lot of what I've seen have been great. I especially liked the one with Roddy Mc Dowell. Another good one was called "The Diary".

Good stuff overall.

[Mike70]

Hey Mike,

Got to finally see some of the Night Gallery stuff and was suitably impressed. There's a few donkeys in there, but a lot of what I've seen have been great. I especially liked the one with Roddy Mc Dowell. Another good one was called "The Diary".

Good stuff overall.

cool. glad you got to see some of it. there is some early 70s hokeyness to some of the eps and the mini "vignettes" ought to be shot into the center of the sun but all in all, a great show.

[shootemindehead]

Yeh, there's one 5 min segment with Cesar Romero in a bloodbank that had had me going WTF??? :D

But, all in all worth the watch.

They really don't make them like that anymore.

[Mike70]

Yeh, there's one 5 min segment with Cesar Romero in a bloodbank that had had me going WTF??? :D

But, all in all worth the watch.

They really don't make them like that anymore.

*puts on tin foil hat*

get out'n mah brain! funny that you mentioned that particular turd because it was the one i was thinking of when i was writing that post.

have you gotten the chance to see "cool air" or "pickman's model" yet?

[shootemindehead]

No, not yet. Lining them up.

[bassman]

Today(July 4th) Amazon has The Twilight Zone Blu Ray set as the deal of the day at 55% off. I highly recommend this set. It's amazing.

There's also the marathon on Syfy, which i'm currently enjoying.

[Sammich]

The Shelter is the episode I recommend highly to everyone.

[bassman]

Any thoughts on the 80's Twilight Zone series? After going through the entire original series set and feature film, i'm contemplating purchasing the 80's series but have only seen the few small snippets included on the original series set. I'm not expecting it to be as good as Serling's original, but are they at least entertaining? Anyone own the dvd sets?

I'm needing a new Twilight Zone fix....

[shootemindehead]

Only ever liked one of the episodes. It was one where a woman found a watch in the garden and it could stop time.

It all goes pear shaped in the end though.

The 80's series was pretty awful though. Real cheap looking. 80's cheap.

[AcesandEights]

Only ever liked one of the episodes. It was one where a woman found a watch in the garden and it could stop time.

It all goes pear shaped in the end though.

If that's the one I'm thinking of, "A Little Peace and Quiet" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Little_Peace_and_Quiet_%28The_Twilight_Zone%29) (directed by Wes Craven, I just found out), I will say that ending actually stayed with me all these years...pretty chilling for a little kid (I was 9 when it aired) in that day and age.

But in all honesty, even though I don't dislike most of them, a lot of the 80s scifi/horror tv shows with the one-off format blur together for me.

[shootemindehead]

Bingo Aces.

Go to the top of the class.

[Mike70]

Any thoughts on the 80's Twilight Zone series? After going through the entire original series set and feature film, i'm contemplating purchasing the 80's series but have only seen the few small snippets included on the original series set. I'm not expecting it to be as good as Serling's original, but are they at least entertaining? Anyone own the dvd sets?

I'm needing a new Twilight Zone fix....

allow the the resident Twilight Zone geek to weigh in: the 80s version is a hit or miss affair. there are some good eps, a few great ones, and some turkeys. if the original is a 10 overall, i would give the 80s version a 5 maybe a 6.

the 80s show does have appearances by bruce willis, morgan freeman, helen mirren, and martin landau to name a few. it also mainly features adaptations of stories by big name sci-fi/horror writers: harlan ellison, greg bear, stephen king, arthur c. clarke, robert mcgammon, and ray bradbury to name a few.

[JDFP]

Any thoughts on the 80's Twilight Zone series? After going through the entire original series set and feature film, i'm contemplating purchasing the 80's series but have only seen the few small snippets included on the original series set. I'm not expecting it to be as good as Serling's original, but are they at least entertaining? Anyone own the dvd sets?

I'm needing a new Twilight Zone fix....

The first season of the 80's "Twilight Zone" is overall excellent. Dan O'Bannon did many of the stories for the first season and had a great deal of creative control of the show and I'd say the first season actually lives up to the spirit of the original series. The second and third season were pure syndication - and while some of the stories are decent (a few of them are still really good, most of them are on about the same level of "Tales from the Darkside" stuff which is mediocre overall, and there are a few just truly horrible things there). Overall, the first season of the 80's version is definitely worth checking out - the second and third seasons are "meh" with a few gems in the rough worth looking into as well.

j.p.

[bassman]

Now it looks like The Twilight Zone is yet again returning to TV. Bryan Singer(Xmen, The Usual Suspects) will be bringing an updated version of Serling's classic to CBS.

http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/bryan-singer-to-bring-the-twilight-zone-back-to-television


Deadline reports that Singer will develop, executive produce and possibly direct the new TWILIGHT ZONE which will likely end up at CBS. I would assume the series will follow the same anthology format as the original.


Of course the other TZ revivals weren't too successful, but I feel like it's in good hands with Singer. I was sceptical of his adaptation of The Munsters, Mockingbird Lane, but that turned out to be fantastic. So here's hoping he can do the same for TZ.

[Neil]

^^ Nice!

[bassman]

Now they're going for another feature length film instead of a new series? The script is currently being written and director of Tron 2 and Oblivion is attached to direct.

http://www.joblo.com/horror-movies/news/a-new-writer-enters-the-twilight-zone-aron-eli-coleite-to-pen-screenplay

I'll be excited to check it out and give it it's day in court, but I'm not expecting anything close to the original series. It's nearly impossible to reach that level of greatness without Rod Serling. I suppose the 80's movie was the closest of the three attempted revivals since the original series.

[EvilNed]

I don't get why they try to make a movie out of this.

The only point in that is if they remake specific classic episodes, like the last film did. And even so, it's just an homage rather than standing on it's own legs.

Now a new TV-series I could really get behind.