Then, there are those who ruin the fun by taking things too far. They can certainly be a nuisance in real life, but they are nothing compared to the jokers in this set of anthology episodes.

From class clowns to prank callers, and from callous teens to sadistic tricksters, these stories will make you reconsider your next April Fools’ joke…

The Hitchhiker (1983): Joker

Not to be confused with the movie The Hitcher, this 1983 anthology follows the series’ namesake, an anonymous, denim-clad nomad who provides an assortment of gripping tales. “Joker” concerns a woman (Kelly Lynch) who is being stalked by an unhinged prankster. She suspects her co-worker is behind everything, but the culprit is really someone from her past.

While the story seems straightforward enough, there’s more going on here than either the victim or stalker are letting on.

Tales of the Unexpected (1979): Where’s Your Sense of Humor?

Created by author Roald Dahl, Tales of the Unexpected frequently dabbled in every genre. This entry from screenwriter Peter Ransley shows a woman fed up with her best friend’s husband. The problem is, he loves playing practical jokes that the protagonist hardly finds amusing. She scolds him, then warns that one day one of his pranks will go “wrong.”

Although that sounds like a threat, this is more a case of just desserts.

Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1990): The Tale of the Crimson Clown

A pair of bickering brothers are at the heart of this classic Are You Afraid of the Dark? episode. Mike is the older of the two, and he is frustrated by how his younger sibling Sam gets away with his bratty behavior. To teach Sam a lesson, Mike jokes that the Crimson Clown will punish him.

This is a considerably edifying episode in a series where the kiddos don’t always survive their ordeals. Here, unconscious guilt manifests in the most peculiar way.

Night Visions (2001): Dead Air

If you were watching FOX in the summer of ’01, you might remember this short-run anthology hosted by musician Henry Rollins. In “Dear Air,” Lou Diamond Phillips plays a late-night shock jock known for his loathsome on-air personality. When he asks his listeners to phone in their creepy stories, one fan gets especially creative with her contribution.

Paranoia soaks this solitary suspenser from the writer of Ghoulies. Also: creepiest use of Petula Clark’s “Downtown” ever?

R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour (2010): Séance

Lasting four seasons, The Haunting Hour is named after the eponymous collection of shorts by famed children’s author R.L. Stine. Earlier stories were largely based on entries from his other omnibus, Nightmare Hour, though. “Séance” is an original episode that shows just how double-edged pranks can be.

With help from her friends, a teenager attempts to summon a murderer’s ghost as part of her plan to scare her younger sister.

The Haunting Hour is known among fans for its unhappy endings and “Séance” is no exception.

The Twilight Zone (2002): How Much Do You Love Your Kid?

People don’t think too fondly of the aughts reboot of Rod Serling’s classic series, but, at the very least, it was full of bold moments. “How Much Do You Love Your Kid?” capitalizes on the decade’s reality television boom. In this episode, a debt-ridden family is given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when their young son is abducted. A reality game show intervenes and offers Bonnie Somerville’s character money if she can find her kid. That jackpot grows even larger when she goes after the kidnapper.

The episode goes to extremes to satirize a divisive TV trend. Even so, Somerville’s vocal performance and the detestable ending make “How Much Do You Love Your Kid?” a hard one to forget.

Room 104 (2017): Prank Call

The Duplass brothers dabble with all genres in Room 104, an anthology where every story is contained to the same motel room at different points in time. In “Prank Call,” a troubled teenager randomly dials strangers to distract herself from her problems. Yet, one of her victims is not about to let her hang up without finishing what she started.

This provocative thriller of an episode ends on an explosive note before begging audiences to contemplate the power we have over others.

Lost Tapes (2008): Hellhound

Cryptids and other monsters are the subject matter in this obscure, found-footage style anthology. In the episode “Hellhound,” a group of teenage witches invites a new member into the coven. Their leader first wants to play a prank on her during the cemetery-set ritual, but the sudden appearance of a black dog signals doom for anyone who looked at it three times.

Like all other episodes in this horror mockumentary, “Hellhound” is pieced together with ‘factual’ interviews and trivia about supernatural canines.

Night Gallery (1970): Big Surprise

Night Gallery was Rod Serling’s follow-up to The Twilight Zone. It was comparatively more subtle and low on thought experimentation. Still, there were some terrifying episodes, including one where John Carradine plays an unnerving old man. In this short episode based on a Richard Matheson story, the elderly character invites three young school boys to dig up a “big surprise” in a nearby field. What appears to be a joke ends up being far from funny for the boys or viewers at home.

It should be noted that there are two versions of this episode. The first was ten-minutes long, but the syndicated version is double that. Looping scenes creates a whole new theory that explains the daunting, if not vague, conclusion of the original.

Goosebumps (1995): You Can’t Scare Me

Jealousy drives two boys to prank a classmate, a girl they deem to be “Little Miss Perfect.” Each and every time they try to knock her down a peg, she effortlessly outwits them and exposes their immaturity. Things change when the boys use the town’s local myth — the swamp is home to a Mud Monster — in their latest scare tactic.

While Goosebumps lacks timeless frights, “You Can’t Scare Me” is a genuinely amusing episode with quality special effects for the time and budget.

The Ray Bradbury Theater (1988): The Dwarf

The works of renowned author Ray Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451) were brought to life in this tailor-made anthology.

“The Dwarf” has the owner of a mirror maze playing a cruel joke on one of his regulars. A little person visits the attraction every night to escape the image he otherwise sees every day. The maze’s owner toys with the customer, but only receives his own self-reflecting comeuppance later.

Ghost Stories (1997): The New Nanny

Rip Torn narrates this spectral series that first aired on The Family Channel (later ABC Family, now Freeform). As the title suggests, every episode involves a ghost.

“The New Nanny” has a couple hiring Danielle to care for their precocious son Eric. During the whole night, though, Danielle never meets her charge as they only speak by telephone. To make matters worse, Eric continues to play pranks on Danielle. The real question here is, how is he doing all of this if he never leaves his room?

What is essentially a one-woman show, “The New Nanny” puts a clever spin on the imperiled babysitter tale.

Into the Dark (2018): I’m Just F*cking with You

Hayes MacArthur and Keir O’Donnell’s characters butt heads in Adam Mason’s “I’m Just F*cking with You.” This bizarre April Fools’ Day-themed episode of Into the Dark has a seemingly mild-mannered man, who really leads a double life as an online troll, fending off the impish owner of the motel he’s staying at.

The tension between them gradually escalates before erupting into an all-out fight to see who has the literal last laugh.

Bloodride (2020): The Elephant in the Room

In “The Elephant in the Room” from Norwegian anthology Bloodride, an office costume party gets way out of hand when two new employees play water-cooler detectives. Recently, there was a case of office bullying that ended in tragedy, but the evidence doesn’t line up.

This episode is a great example of what happens when you interfere without knowing the facts beforehand.

Beyond Belief — Fact or Fiction (1997): Grave Sitting

“Grave Sitting” is the result of thinking someone’s playing a joke on you. In this interactive anthology that tests your powers of deduction, host Jonathan Frakes leads us into an eerie adaptation of a popular urban legend. Two teens challenge their friend to sit on a murderer’s grave one night. She accepts, but as the evening continues, she suspects the spirit of the killer is with her.

The power of suggestion proves to be more deadly than fact in “Grave Sitting.”

Creeped Out (2017): Kindlesticks

Babysitting isn’t easy, but Esme has found a surefire way to keep her kids in line in “Kindlesticks.” In this British anthology geared towards the youth, children are besieged by forces beyond their control or understanding. Esme quells her clients’ rowdy behavior by threatening them with a monster called Kindlesticks.

This plan always works until she meets her match in the form of a boy named Ash.

Tales from the Crypt (1989): Abra Cadaver

Tony Goldwyn and Beau Bridges play a pair of brothers and doctors in “Abra Cadaver.” Stephen Hopkins (A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child) shows the lengths we go to for laughs and revenge. In the episode, Carl’s poor judgment changes his brother Martin’s life forever, but don’t think the fun stops there. In fact, Martin’s just getting started.

As absurd as the story in “Abra Cadaver” is, it’s played straight for the most part. This suspenseful need for retribution ends in the most brutal way possible.

Masters of Horror (2005): We All Scream for Ice Cream

Tom Holland (Fright Night) shows the consequences of a childhood prank gone terribly wrong in the “Masters of Horror” episode “We All Scream for Ice Cream.”

After living with the guilt of what they did all those years ago, the kids, who are now adults with their own children, are stalked by a supernatural entity.

There’s nothing novel about this episode, but Holland makes good use of classic tropes while taking advantage of Showtime’s openness to gooey gore.

Tales from the Darkside (1983): Trick or Treat

Before George A. Romero’s Tales from the Darkside was picked up for its first season, he crafted a stellar pilot. In “Trick or Treat,” a rural area’s farmers are financially exploited by a wealthy, old man. Every Halloween, the curmudgeon gives his debtors a chance to clear their credit: if their kids can make it all the way through his haunted house, their parents’ IOUs are destroyed.

This Halloween, however, will not be like others as the old man is about to get a taste of his own medicine.

The actual series was frequently limited by its sparing budget. In contrast, Bob Balaban’s “Trick or Treat” was an imaginative-looking episode rich in macabre wonder.

Inside No. 9 (2014): Cold Comfort

A crisis hotline is the setting in this deeply disturbed episode. At the call center, a new operator named Andy speaks to Chloe, an at-risk teenager. The incident goes south and Andy is left hanging, pondering the fate of Chloe.

Showrunners Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith made their directorial debuts here. Their first outing is as distinguished as it is dark. The pair experiments by shooting the events of booth nine at Comfort Support Line through a fixed lens. This includes a final shot that will catch everyone off-guard.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on March 31, 2020.

The post 20 Horror Anthology TV Episodes to Watch on April Fools’ Day appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

We’re exceluveily debuting covers from the upcoming issues of Return to Sleepy Hollow, 30 Days of Night: Falling Sun, The Twilight Zone, and Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring.

Return to Sleepy Hollow #4 will be published on February 25, 2026, with pre-orders due by January 19.

The continuation of Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow is written by Casey Gilly and illustrated by Savanna Mayer.

The Tree of the Dead haunts the nightmares of all who reside in Sleepy Hollow, but Ichabod, Katrina, Lotte, and their friends find themselves standing in its shadows once again, gathering the remains of yet another body.

They hoped the tree would hold some answers, but instead they have more questions when Masbath stumbles upon a circle of gravestones marked with the names Fortuna, Masbath, Dale, and Van Tassel. Why are these unkempt graves so far outside of town? Who would bury their loved ones so close to such a horrible sight?

While Masbath and Maggie investigate, Lotte is struggling to return to herself after being possessed. She’s hearing whispers. Of digging, of the softest dark, of thirst. The whispers are leading her in circles and circles and circles…

30 Days of Night: Falling Sun #3 will be published on February 25, 2026, with pre-orders due by January 19.

With 30 Days of Night co-creator Steve Niles serving as story consultant, the revival is written by Rodney Barnes and illustrated by Chris Shehan.

Bullets and teeth all shred flesh the same in this final oversize issue — vampires and gangsters are all out for blood. As the people of Barrow face enemies on all fronts, it’s now that humanity, bravery, and sacrifice must burn brightest.

Will Jalen be the torch that leads them out of the darkness? Or is he the spark that dooms them to hellfire? Join us for the shocking conclusion to this cult-classic revival. The night is always darkest just before dawn…

The Twilight Zone #5 will be published on March 4, 2026, with pre-orders due by January 26.

Based on the classic anthology show, the latest standalone issue is “Silent Warning” from Francesco Francavilla and L. Marlow Francavilla.

Imagine, if you will, a world where the urgency of science meets the obstinance of humanity. Submitted for your approval, the tale of a brilliant scientist who finds herself on the brink of a monumental discovery

A meteor emitting cryptic audio waves has crashed into the ocean and plummeted into its depths. Only she has the skill to decode its signals. But in the Twilight Zone, even the most crucial warnings can be drowned out by the cacophony of ignorance.

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring #6 will be published on March 4, 2026, with pre-orders due by January 26.

Writer-artist Patrick Horvath is back for a sequel to his breakout hit about a serial killer bear in a seemingly idyllic community of cartoon animals.

Samantha Strong has made her choice…. and Woodbrook will never be the same.

The events of the previous issue are so incredibly wild that we actually can’t type anything else here without it being a major spoiler — but you won’t want to miss the epic finale to the cozy-horror tale.

IDW Dark recently launched Event Horizon: Dark Descent and have Smile: For the Camera, A Quiet Place: Storm Warning, and original series Operation: Iron Coffin coming in 2026.

The post ‘Sleepy Hollow,’ ’30 Days of Night,’ ‘Twilight Zone’ Comic Book Covers Revealed [Exclusive] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The series, which aired on NBC for three seasons between 1970 and 1973, is getting a Blu-ray box set from Australia’s Imprint Films.

Limited to 1,500, Rod Serling’s Night Gallery: The Complete Collection will be released on January 7, 2026. It costs $97.95.

The 10-disc set features all 43 episodes plus the pilot film in high definition with LPCM 2.0 mono sound.

The hardbox set also includes a 108-page hardcover booklet with each of the “Night Gallery” paintings and a 104-page softcover episode guide.

Season 1 special features:

• Audio commentary on Pilot Film by Night Gallery historians Scott Skelton and Jim Benson (new)
• Audio commentary on Pilot Film by film historian Gary Gerani
• Audio commentary on Episode 1: The Dead Man / The Housekeeper by Night Gallery historians Scott Skelton and Jim Benson (new)
• Audio commentary on Episode 2: Room With A View / The Little Black Bag / The Nature of the Enemy by Night Gallery historians Scott Skelton and Jim Benson (new)
• Audio commentary on Episode 3: The House / Certain Shadows on the Wall by film historian Tim Lucas
• Audio commentary on Episode 3: The House / Certain Shadows on the Wall by film historian Amanda Reyes
• Audio commentary on Episode 4: Make Me Laugh / Clean Kills and Other Trophies by filmmaker / film historian Constantine Nasr and Night Gallery book publisher Taylor L. White
• Audio commentary on Episode 5: Pamela’s Voice / Lone Survivor / The Doll by Night Gallery historians Scott Skelton and Jim Benson (new)
• Audio commentary on Episode 5: Pamela’s Voice / Lone Survivor / The Doll by film critic Kim Newman and writer/editor Stephen Jones
• Audio commentary on Episode 6: They’re Tearing Down Tim Riley’s Bar / The Last Laurel by Night Gallery historians Scott Skelton and Jim Benson (new)
• The Syndication Conundrum: Night Gallery’s Horrific Second Life in Reruns – featurette

Season 2 special features:

• Audio commentary on Episode 1: The Boy Who Predicted Earthquakes / Miss Lovecraft Sent Me / The Hand of Borgus Weems / Phantom of What Opera? by Night Gallery historians Scott Skelton and Jim Benson (new)
• Audio commentary on Episode 1: The Boy Who Predicted Earthquakes / Miss Lovecraft Sent Me / The Hand of Borgus Weems / Phantom of What Opera? by film historian Craig Beam
• Audio commentary on Episode 2: Death In The Family / The Merciful / Class of 99 / Satisfaction Guaranteed by Night Gallery historians Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
• Audio commentary on Episode 2: Death In The Family / The Merciful / Class of 99 / Satisfaction Guaranteed by film historian Dr. Reba Wissner
• Audio commentary on Episode 3: Since Aunt Ada Came To Stay / With Apologies To Mr. Hyde / The Flip-Side of Satan by Night Gallery historians Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
• Audio commentary on Episode 3: Since Aunt Ada Came To Stay / With Apologies To Mr. Hyde / The Flip-Side of Satan by film historian Dr. Reba Wissner
• Audio commentary on Episode 4: A Fear of Spiders / Junior / Marmalade Wine / The Academy by Night Gallery historians Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
• Audio commentary on Episode 5: The Phantom Farmhouse / Silent Snow, Secret Snow by director Guillermo del Toro
• Audio commentary on Episode 5: The Phantom Farmhouse / Silent Snow, Secret Snow by film historian Gary Gerani
• Audio commentary on Episode 6: A Question of Fear / The Devil is Not Mocked by film critic Kim Newman and writer/editor Stephen Jones
• Audio commentary on Episode 7: Midnight Never Ends / Brenda by Night Gallery historian Jim Benson and actress Laurie Prange
• Audio commentary on Episode 8: The Diary / A Matter of Semantics / Big Surprise / Professor Peabody’s Last Lecture by Night Gallery historians Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
• Audio commentary on Episode 9: House – With Ghost / A Midnight Visit to the Neighborhood Blood Bank / Dr. Stringfellow’s Rejuvenator / Hell’s Bells by Night Gallery historians Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
• Audio commentary on Episode 10: The Dark Boy / Keep In Touch – We’ll Think of Something by film historian Amanda Reyes
• Audio commentary on Episode 11: Pickman’s Model / The Dear Departed / An Act of Chivalry by actress Louise Sorel and Night Gallery historians Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
• Audio commentary on Episode 11: Pickman’s Model / The Dear Departed / An Act of Chivalry by film historian Gary Gerani
• Audio commentary on Episode 12: Cool Air / Camera Obscura / Quoth The Raven by Night Gallery historians Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
• Audio commentary on Episode 12: Cool Air / Camera Obscura / Quoth The Raven by film critics Mark Dawidziak, John Badham and Gary Gerani
• Audio commentary on Episode 12: Cool Air / Camera Obscura / Quoth The Raven by film critic Kim Newman and writer / editor Stephen Jones
• Audio commentary on Episode 13: The Messiah on Mott Street / The Painted Mirror by director Guillermo del Toro
• Audio commentary on Episode 13: The Messiah on Mott Street / The Painted Mirror by Night Gallery historians Scott Skelton and Jim Benson (new)
• Audio commentary on Episode 14: The Different Ones / Tell David… / Logoda’s Heads by film historian Craig Beam
• Audio commentary on Episode 15: Green Fingers / The Funeral / The Tune in Dan’s Cafe by film historians John Badham and Scott Skelton
• Audio commentary on Episode 16: Lindemann’s Catch / The Late Mr. Peddington / A Feast of Blood by Night Gallery historians Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
• Audio commentary on Episode 17: The Miracle at Camafeo / The Ghost of Sorworth Place by Night Gallery historians Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
• Audio commentary on Episode 18: The Waiting Room / Last Rites for a Dead Druid by Night Gallery historians Scott Skelton and Jim Benson (new)
• Audio commentary on Episode 19: Deliveries in the Rear / Stop Killing Me / Dead Weight by Night Gallery historians Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
• Audio commentary on Episode 21: The Sins of the Fathers / You Can’t Get Help Like That Anymore by Night Gallery historian Scott Skelton
• Audio commentary on Episode 21: The Sins of the Fathers / You Can’t Get Help Like That Anymore by film historian Tim Lucas
• Audio commentary on Episode 22: The Caterpillar / Little Girl Lost by director Guillermo del Toro
• Lost Tales from Season 2: Die Now, Pay Later / Room For One Less / Witches’ Feast / Little Girl Lost with optional audio commentary by Night Gallery historians Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
• The Syndication Conundrum: Night Gallery’s Horrific Second Life in Reruns Part Two – featurette
• Revisiting the Gallery: A Look Back – featurette
• Art Gallery: The Paintings – featurette
• TV Spots

Season 3 special features:

• Audio commentary on Episode 1: The Return of the Sorcerer by film critics Kim Newman and Stephen Jones
• Audio commentary on Episode 1: The Return of the Sorcerer by Night Gallery historians Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
• Audio commentary on Episode 2: The Girl With The Hungry Eyes by Night Gallery historians Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
• Audio commentary on Episode 2: The Girl With The Hungry Eyes by film historian David J. Schow
• Audio commentary on Episode 3: Rare Objects by Night Gallery historians Scott Skelton and Jim Benson, director Guillermo del Toro and Jeannot Szwarc, artist Tom Wright and actors Mickey Rooney and Raymond Massey
• Audio commentary on Episode 3: Rare Objects by film historian Craig Beam
• Audio commentary on Episode 4: Spectre in Tap-Shoes by film historian Amanda Reyes
• Audio commentary on Episode 5: You Can Come Up Now, Mrs. Millikan / Smile, Please by Night Gallery historian Jim Benson, actors Ozzie Nelson, Lindsay Wagner, Michael Lerner, Roger David and John Badham and artist Tom Wright
• Audio commentary on Episode 6: The Other Way Out by Night Gallery historian Scott Skelton
• Audio commentary on Episode 7: Fright Night by Night Gallery historian Scott Skelton
• Audio commentary on Episode 7: Fright Night by film historian Amanda Reyes
• Audio commentary on Episode 8: Finnegan’s Flight by Night Gallery historian Jim Benson, directors Rod Serling and Guillermo del Toro, actors Burgess Meredith, Cameron Mitchell, Jenny Sullivan, makeup artist Leonard Engleman and artist Tom Wright
• Audio commentary on Episode 8: Finnegan’s Flight by film historian Dr. Reba Wissner
• Audio commentary on Episode 9: She’ll Be Company For You by film historian Amanda Reyes
• Audio commentary on Episode 9: She’ll Be Company For You by film historian Craig Beam
• Audio commentary on Episode 10: The Ring With The Red Velvet Ropes by Night Gallery historian Jim Benson, directors Rod Serling and Jeannot Szwarc, actors Joan Van Ark and Gary Lockwood, makeup artist Leonard Engleman and artist Tom Wright
• Audio commentary on Episode 10: The Ring With The Red Velvet Ropes by film historian Dr. Reba Wissner
• Audio commentary on Episode 11: Something In The Woodwork by Night Gallery historian Scott Skelton
• Audio commentary on Episode 11: Something In The Woodwork by film critics Kim Newman and Stephen Jones
• Audio commentary on Episode 12: Death On A Barge by Night Gallery historian Scott Skelton
• Audio commentary on Episode 12: Death On A Barge by film historian Tim Lucas
• Audio commentary on Episode 13: Whisper by Night Gallery historian Jim Benson, director Guillermo del Toro and Jeannot Szwarc, writer David Rayfiel, cinematographer Gerald Perry Finnerman, associate producer Burt Astor and artist Tom Wright
• Audio commentary on Episode 14: The Doll of Death by film critics Kim Newman and Stephen Jones
• Audio commentary on Episode 15: Hatred Unto Death / How To Cure The Common Vampire by film historian Gary Gerani
• The Syndication Conundrum: Night Gallery’s Horrific Second Life in Reruns Part Three – featurette

Bonus disc special features:

• Interview with director Jeannot Szwarc (new)
• Interview with Carol Serling, wife of Rod Serling (new)
• More new extras to be confirmed!

“Night Gallery” features stories adapted from classic works by such authors as H.P. Lovecraft, Oscar Cook, and August Derleth, along with many original stories penned by Serling.

Steven Spielberg (Jaws), Boris Sagal (The Omega Man), Don Taylor (Escape from the Planet of the Apes), Jeannot Szwarc (Jaws 2), John Badham (WarGames), “The Addams Family” star John Astin, and “Star Trek” icon Leonard Nimoy are among the directors who worked on the show.

Guest stars include Joan Crawford, Agnes Moorehead, Roddy McDowall, Leslie Nielsen, Sandra Dee, Vincent Price, Burl Ives, Diane Keaton, Mark Hamill, Sally Field, Dean Stockwell, Adam West, Leonard Nimoy, Orson Welles, Edward G. Robinson, Joel Grey, Mickey Rooney, Robert Morse, Bobby Darin, David Carradine, Randy Quaid, Burgess Meredith, and Joanna Pettet.

The post Rod Serling’s ‘Night Gallery’ Gets Limited Edition Blu-ray Box Set from Imprint Films appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

IDW Dark will launch a five-issue black-and-white comic series based on Rod Serling‘s classic sci-fi/horror anthology show on September 24.

Each issue of The Twilight Zone will tell a new story from different creatives. The first installment, “Blank,” is written by Dan Watters and illustrated by Morgan Beem.

“The Twilight Zone is a genre unto itself,” commented Watters. “It’s a cultural titan and a North Star in the strangest skies revealing what science fiction, fantasy and horror can do for us: revealing uncomfortable truths about what lies in our own hearts. This is precisely the vein we hope to tap with our story; the unsettled space between angry and unnerving that is forever the purview of The Twilight Zone.”

“I have long been a fan of all horror, but creepy stories that slowly build to unnerve you have always been first in my heart. Few series have captured that feeling like The Twilight Zone,” added Beem. “Like being trapped in a fever dream or moving through a liminal space, the stories play with the feeling of wrongness, of things out of place. This is the feeling Dan has masterfully captured in our story, and which I hope, through my deep love of all things creepy, will flow through the art. It might not shock you, but you may not be able to stop thinking about it in the middle of the night.”

The other four issues hail from Tom Scioli, James Stokoe, Nate Powell, and Francesco Francavilla.

“Ever since I was a kid I wanted to write a Twilight Zone story and wondered if it was something I was even capable of doing,” said Scioli. “How does one go about creating a classic? The Twilight Zone brought to television one of the established formats of comic books, the sci-fi/horror anthology with literary ambitions, twist endings, and a social conscience. It pushed the limits of what you could do in the medium of commercial television and now we’re going to push the comic book medium to the breaking point of its stapled paper and see what lies beyond. With those impossibly lofty standards in mind, I’ve created something that I humbly submit for your approval.”

“These comics are for anyone who ever wished for more episodes of the original series like me,” stated series co-editor Ellen Boener. “We’re capturing the silver screen nostalgia alongside the heart-rending humanity. Every detail is a love letter to the TV show: from the full black-and-white design to the connected cover set to the narrative style. Each issue serves as a unique door into the dimension beyond with the most fascinating minds in comics as your guides. I can’t wait to share what these creators have discovered.”

The Twilight Zone #1 will feature three a main cover by Beem, the first connecting cover by Francavilla, and a retailer incentive cover (1:50) by Dani.

IDW Dark is also expanding on other Paramount properties in comic book form, including Event Horzion, A Quiet Place, Smile, and Sleepy Hollow.

The post Enter ‘The Twilight Zone’ with IDW’s New Comic Series in September appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In the Jordan Peele–produced and hosted update, tribute to Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone was routinely made via easter eggs, or remake in the case of “Nightmare at 30,000 Feet,” however, Osgood “Oz” Perkins’ episode “You Might Also Like” was something of a sequel to a beloved Serling story. In what ultimately became the finale for Peele’s short-lived show, the director of Longlegs and The Monkey not only brought back iconic characters from the original series, he also offered a considerable glimpse into his own future as both a filmmaker and storyteller.

Despite the sundry of stories and styles offered in The Twilight Zone, viewers were not at all prepared for Perkins’ contribution. “You Might Also Like” is, to say the least, a unique episode, and it is a truly mad way to cap off the second and final season. Yet for all its offbeatness, Perkins’ entry is a fitting end for the series, even if not everyone will agree with that opinion. The approach here is what might be expected of Perkins now, in light of his two newer films as of this writing, but back then, the loud and displeased responses to “You Might Also Like” were a clear sign of a show not living up to expectations. The funny thing, though, is how an anthology like 2019’s The Twilight Zone could garner any certain expectations. From the start, it was clear that this was going to be an erratic show — one that made it difficult to understand what it was or wanted to be.

Like the majority of Perkins’ work so far, “You Might Also Like” dwells on family and grief. However, the major difference between this story and, say, 2017’s The Blackcoat’s Daughter, is the use of humor. This is immediately evident when first entering the episode, which begins with fake commercials for ambiguous products, in particular one called The Egg. As the voiceover of one commercial insists, “The Egg will make everything okay again.” From there Perkins world-builds, albeit vaguely but consciously, and introduces Gretchen Mol as Janet Warren, one of many people living in these uncertain times. Janet herself comes across as a seemingly put-together woman, on account of the athleisure wear denoting a stress-free life, and a magazine-ready depiction of domesticity. Of course, appearances are deceiving because Janet, much like everyone else, is secretly unhappy. Fret not, though, because The Egg is going to make everything okay again.

Perkins does not typically comply with the conventions of horror, and “You Might Also Like” is no exception. Rather than straight depictions of terror, Perkins finds other ways to unsettle the audience, including his visual trademark of triangles. Another director would tilt the camera ever so slightly to indicate a disturbance in situation or atmosphere, yet Perkins is fascinated with the “primal, elemental, simple, undeniable force” of triangles. This recurring framing method “to focus the visuals around something distinct,” one used to maximum effect in 2020’s Gretel & Hansel, generates a bit of discomfort with every application, regardless of the safeness of a triangle. It all starts to feel quite confrontational from a viewer’s perspective. Then there are other moments in the episode that dance on that fine line between silly and disquieting. What jumps out is the Immolation Station, a chain of Chuck E. Cheese-like rage rooms for children. Janet’s largely absent husband (Gil Bellows) and one of their two young sons are spotted at the torture arena, beaming from ear to ear as costumed employees are set on fire and presumably killed for entertainment.

Its high-concept execution notwithstanding, “You Might Also Like” eventually reveals a simple and familiar plot. Until then, though, the episode is nebulous replete with impish wit and indirect answers. Everything only starts to change once the cause of Janet’s blackouts becomes known, and Perkins manifests the most candid callback to the Serling incarnation. Footage from a retro-vintage baby monitor shows Janet being temporarily abducted by the Kanamits, that very same race of aliens first seen in the classic-run episode “To Serve Man.” The Kanamits’ mere presence — Perkins maintaining their original design is a solid choice — implies another insidious go at conquering Earth, although the precise means to do so differ this time around.

At first glance, this episode is clearly a blunt satire, with Perkins connecting unhappiness and depression with consumerism. Whatever someone feels they lack in life, they see The Egg as a panacea. Everything will be okay again. Yet not even knowing what exactly this Egg is or does, or what it looks like, is enough to stop anyone from buying it — well, all except Janet, who gradually becomes curious and tries to cancel her order. The loss of a child, as it turns out, is what ails Mol’s character, and she figures The Egg, no matter how new and blindly desired it is, will not cure that grief. Ultimately, her decision changes in this episode’s surprising outcome, which in itself could say a lot about people’s priorities during trying times.

It is easy to spot shades of The Monkey in “You Might Also Like.” The latter acts like a prototype for a film whose manner of confronting grief and trauma is hardly serious. Even with Gretchen Mol’s outstanding turn as the iconoclastic and mourning protagonist, the episode is a comedy. Perkins being so barefaced about it all has been of some concern, critically speaking, but the upfront and unusual manner in which he tackles loss and sorrow is not to be overlooked.

This peculiar and divisive episode is worth another watch, especially after having gone through Osgood Perkins’ filmography so far and better understanding his intent and outlook.

The post ‘You Might Also Like’ – Revisiting Osgood Perkins’ Episode of ‘The Twilight Zone’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

For some, it was Michael J. Fox holding a copy of Skeleton Crew for his 1988 READ campaign poster that first inspired a read of the Stephen King short story collection. For others, the killer, record-breaking trailer for Neon’s new film The Monkey, written and directed by Osgood Perkins, instigated fingers to flip through pages. Whatever the inciting incident that introduced one to Skeleton Crew, the fact remains that it is a certified Constant Reader classic and a treasure trove of cinematic, eerie, and unsettling tales.

Since the initial release of Skeleton Crew in 1985, several stories have found their way to the screen, with varying degrees of success. Now, with the hype running hot, the latest Skeleton Crew adaptation promises to breathe new life into one of King’s most chilling short stories. As we await the release of Perkins’ latest this Friday, let’s take a look back at the other adaptations from Skeleton Crew—the hits, the misses, and the hidden gems stuffed away in the back closet that have brought King’s words to the big and small screen.

“The Mist”

For good reason, “The Mist” is perhaps the best-known story in the entire Skeleton Crew collection. Haunting, evocative, and downright scary, “The Mist” perfectly encapsulates everything Stephen King does best. It is, therefore, not surprising that this novella has spawned multiple adaptations—including one of the best to ever do it.

But long before Thomas Jane stole hearts only to break them in Frank Darabont’s silver screen adaptation, it was the monitor screens of 1985 computers that “The Mist” first set out to conquer. Developed by Angelsoft, Inc., The Mist DOS game was an interactive narrative fiction adventure game released on a good old floppy disk. Officially licensed by Sai King, the game failed to live up to the source material in both execution and story. However, it stands as one of the early examples of King’s continued willingness to explore new and uncharted territory with his stories and how they are released.

To this day, Darabont’s aforementioned 2007 feature film adaptation remains one of the best King adaptations ever. Featuring a killer cast of familiar faces like Toby Jones, Marcia Gay Harden, Andre Braugher, William Sadler, Jeffrey DeMunn, and fan-fave Thomas Jane, Darabont’s film beautifully translates King’s words to a visual medium. Even more remarkable, the movie’s shocking new ending still sticks the landing and has become a treasured deviation by Constant Readers and King himself.

Then, in 2017, a new television series version of “The Mist” was released, where else, but Spike TV. Why Spike, you may ask? Great question. And it’s one many Constant Readers are still baffled by. In fact, everything about this one-season, 10-episode series remains baffling. Not even a cast that included Frances Conroy (American Horror Story), Alyssa Sutherland (Evil Dead Rise), and Dan Butler (Frasier) could save this series from boring itself.

“Here There Be Tygers”

Originally published in the 1968 issue of Ubris magazine, it would take over 50 years for “Here There Be Tygers” to receive the adaptation treatment. Kate Siegel (The Life of Chuck) ended this long-running waiting game on October 31, 2024. Retitled Lily, this new animated short is directed and narrated by Siegel and features new music from TFU (The Flanagan Universe) regulars, The Newton Brothers.

“The Raft”

Despite paling in comparison to its predecessor, 1987’s Creepshow 2 made several very smart decisions. For one, it reunited the dynamic horror duo that was George A. Romero and Stephen King. Like another classic sequel, Lethal Weapon 2, the magic was back. Even if it was in a slightly diminished capacity.

The following wise move Creepshow 2 made was to snatch up “The Raft” and give it a prime slot in the anthology film’s runtime. Perfectly balancing classic creature feature trademarks with the camp-slasher vibes of the 80s, “The Raft” burned itself into many formative young horror fan minds. Though delivering an alternate ending to King’s original story, both sendoffs succeed in leaving nothing but chills in their wake. Do you love? Let us know in the comments.

“Word Processor of the Gods”

Originally published in the January 1983 issue of Playboy, “Word Processor of the Gods” is a heady exploration of the limitations of technology, the poisonous power of regret, and the corrosive nature of power. Dark and unsettling, this potent cocktail of ideas made the story a prime candidate for a visual adaptation. Not surprisingly, George A. Romero recognized the story’s potential and brought the idea to life on November 25, 1984, in Season 1, Episode 8 of Tales from the Darkside. Featuring Bruce Davison (Willard) in the lead role, “Word Processor of the Gods” remains an adaptation worth chasing down and paying heed to.

“Survivor Type”

When Shudder rebooted Creepshow in 2019, and adopted a more traditional television series format, there was no question the series would include some stories pulled from the Stephen King vaults. One such tale the series dug up is the downright gnarly “Survivor Type”.

Featured in A Creepshow Animated Special, the decision to execute this particular story in a fully animated comic book style was brilliant. Featuring voicework by Kiefer Sutherland and Fayna Sanchez, the segment recounts the harrowing tale of a surgeon who winds up shipwrecked with nothing but a dead woman’s body for companionship. As his limited supplies quickly dwindle, the surgeon takes measures so drastic that even King has said they go “a little bit too far.” Unsettling, to say the least, the animated format definitely helps keep a healthy distance between the more unsavory parts of the story a healthy distance away from reality.

First published in 1984 in Weirdbook magazine, “Gramma” boasts some of the more stealthy adaptations spawned from Skeleton Crew. First came an episode of The Twilight Zone in 1986, which featured Barret Oliver (D.A.R.Y.L.) as young Georgie, and Piper Laurie (Carrie) as his mysterious and witchy grandmother.

Next came a full-feature film adaptation in 2014. Directed by Peter Cornwell (The Haunting in Connecticut) and produced by Blumhouse and McG, this Universal Pictures film flew under the radar by being released direct-to-video under the title Mercy. Starring Chandler Riggs (The Walking Dead), Frances O’Connor (The Conjuring 2), Mark Duplass (Creep), and Dylan McDermott (The Clovehitch Killer), there are definitely worse King adaptations that one could watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Honorable Mention: The Dollar Babies

A special shoutout is needed for the dozens and dozens of Dollar Baby films that Skeleton Crew has produced and the crews that made them. There have been so many that it was, frankly, impossible to cover them all here. This incredible program created by King allowed filmmakers to adapt one of his short stories for one whole dollar. A true gift to many aspiring or new filmmakers, the Dollar Baby program came to an end in December 2023, but the plethora of films it produced will live on forever in our hearts, in our minds, and on YouTube.

“The Monkey”

Director, writer, and actor Perkins has seemingly always been professionally attracted to the darkly offbeat. With previous works that include films like Gretel & Hansel, The Blackcoat’s Daughter, and the 2024 marketing marvel Longlegs, the thread of black humor and left-of-center approach consistently runs through his projects. Therefore, when it was announced that he would bring “The Monkey” to life in collaboration with James Wan under his Atomic Monster banner, the union just felt right. Easily one of the best recent King adaptations out there, Neon’s 2025 adaptation of The Monkey proves there is still fertile King material to mine if done well.

The Monkey drums into theaters this Friday. Get tickets now and enter to win an exclusive 1/50 resin sculpt made from the original Monkey. 

The post From ‘The Mist’ to ‘The Monkey’: A Guide to Stephen King’s ‘Skeleton Crew’ Adaptations appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The Serling doc, currently untitled, will be directed by GameStop: Rise of the Players filmmaker Jonah Tulis. Indiewire also reports that Serling’s daughters, Jodi Serling and Anne Serling, have given the project their full blessing and come aboard as executive producers.

The documentary will “explore how Serling’s writing helped change television forever. The film will look at Serling’s humble beginnings in television and how he later used his platform to affect change both on and off the screen, including his battles with censors and how he grappled with thought-provoking issues of racism, war, the dangers of technology, and morality via the genre-bending, sci-fi parables.”

Serling had a way with words, and the documentary is expected to lean into archival footage to give the host, creator, narrator, writer, and political activist a voice in the doc. The screenwriter and television producer is best known for his defining television work, most notably on genre-bending anthology series “The Twilight Zone”, providing fertile ground for exploration in documentary format.

“We are excited to dive into the life of such a visionary who understood the role storytelling plays in pushing and challenging societal norms,” Appian Way’s Jennifer Davisson told Indiewire in a statement. “Equipped with a vast and extensive collection of archival footage, we hope to capture the essence of a man who used ‘The Twilight Zone’ so poignantly to drive social and political change.”

“We are very excited to collaborate with Appian Way and provide an inside look at Rod Serling’s story with a personal narrative and footage that audiences have never seen before,“ Verdi said. “This documentary will be the first of several projects that we plan on producing with this team.”

The film will be a produced by Appian Way, Goodlight, Grub Street Films, and Verdi Productions, with DiCaprio producing alongside Chad A. Verdi, Jennifer Davisson, Phillip Watson, Taylor DiGilio, Blake J. Harris, Michelle Verdi, Chad Verdi Jr., Paul Luba, and Tulis.

Related: Listen to Bloody FM’s Zoning Out podcast, a show dedicated to “The Twilight Zone“ and the influence it has on horror.

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Matheson’s unsettling tale has led to a few adaptations, although “Button, Button” itself seems to be derived from W. W. Jacobs’ “The Monkey’s Paw.” Unlike Jacobs’ story though, Matheson’s proposal of riches is known from the start, and the means to get it are addressed directly, if not ambiguous. The characters, couple Norma and Arthur Lewis, first receive a mysterious box in the 1970 short, and with it is a message announcing the visit from a Mr. Steward. It is upon the stranger’s arrival that Norma learns the function of the box’s contents: a button unit that, when triggered, awards the activator a hefty sum of money (the amount varies in other versions). The catch? Someone Norma does not know will die as soon as that button is pressed. After deliberating her predicament, both with herself and her rattled husband, Norma finally gives in to her curiosity.

The consequence of Norma’s choice is as anticipated; a person indeed dies not long after she presses the ominous button. The twist, however, is what makes Matheson’s story so closely related to “The Monkey’s Paw.” The victim of Norma’s decision is Arthur, her husband, and after expressing her shock and dismay to Mr. Steward, the messenger responds: “Do you really think you knew your husband?” This karmic conclusion makes “Button, Button” memorable, but subsequent adaptations are either less faithful or just entirely different.

The first media adaptation of “Button, Button” was “The Chinaman Button,” a ‘74 episode of CBS Radio Mystery Theater. In this version, one written for the radio program by Henry Slesar, there is not a hint of otherworldliness about the offer or its proctor. Instead, two ordinary men make a wager; they debate whether or not another man, Walter, would press the theoretical and eponymous device. The orchestrator of the scheme, Phil, goes the extra distance to win the bet and influence the mark’s decision. It is only when Walter’s wife announces yet another pregnancy does he submit himself to Phil’s disturbing invitation. The whole ruse is then turned on Phil, who Walter murders so he would not have to share their prize. Little does he know…

“Button, Button” was first published in Playboy Magazine, some years after Matheson’s time with The Twilight Zone. In 1986 though, the (first) revival of the anthology series featured an adaptation written by Matheson and directed by Peter Medak. Apparently, the writer was so displeased with how the episode turned out that he credited himself as Logan Swanson, the same nom de plume used for The Last Man on Earth. Matheson disapproved of this new and different ending where both Norma and Arthur (Mare Winningham, Brad Davis) survive after crossing paths with Mr. Steward (Basil Hoffman). What might have been misinterpreted as anticlimactic is more clever than first realized. There is more to chew on as Mr. Steward suggests that Norma or Arthur could, one day, become the anonymous victim in someone else’s button dilemma.

When asked where the idea for “Button, Button” came from, Matheson cited his wife, Ruth Ann. Her college class raised the hypothetical question, would you walk down New York’s Broadway naked if it led to world peace? The author said his story also entailed “a sacrifice of human dignity in exchange for a specific goal.” Of course, Matheson acknowledged his goal was “nothing anywhere near as worthy as world peace.” That similar sort of imagination courses through the most commercial adaptation of Matheson’s work: The Box. Yet unlike the Twilight Zone iteration, Matheson did not pen the screenplay; Donnie Darko filmmaker Richard Kelly used “Button, Button” as a launchpad for his own eager story about an unsuspecting couple and the most difficult decision of their lives.

Motivated by 1970s paranoiac horrors and thrillers, Kelly’s period piece made a considerable effort to stoke the characters’ suspicions — he pushed their buttons — as well as confirm them. And dropping Cameron Diaz and James Marsden in a more innocent and less technologically advanced time ensured their versions of Norma and Arthur weren’t so vulnerable to avarice, or able to investigate their Mr. Steward (Frank Langella). Ultimately, the simpler setting of The Box makes its big story come across as even bigger.

Kelly was still riding the high of his debut, Donnie Darko, when he made The Box. The goodwill toward that cult coming-of-ager was, evidently, great enough to look past the ill-received Southland Tales. However, as mainstream and accessible as Kelly tried to make his third directed movie, the general response was negative. Certain aspects of the movie were “not easy for people to digest,” Kelly said in a retrospective interview. While it is true that The Box is not the simplest story to take in and then break down, parts do play better in repeat viewings, particularly the personal element in Kelly’s script.

“Button, Button” is quite short, so story padding was as necessary as it was inevitable. This led to Kelly turning to his own childhood when fleshing out Norma and Arthur. The Lewises were modeled after his parents; Kelly’s father worked for NASA, and his mother was a teacher with a physical disability. So if viewers can only connect to one thing in The Box, it would be its emotional center. The protagonists feel real and sympathetic. Drawing from his own family life, the filmmaker gave his characters the complexity they lacked in past takes, and the appeal needed to make their love hurt once everything was over and done with.

Where The Box likely lost its audience is the severe explanation of the button unit. Once the gist of Matheson’s story is carried out in the movie’s first act, Kelly went off into the bizarre narrative territory that intrigued some and alienated others. The deep science-fiction angle saps the sinister quality of the setup, leaving viewers to then witness a surreal journey topped off with a tragic finish. The movie was rated PG-13, so it harbors no extreme frights. Nevertheless, its ending is devastating in ways that require no bloodshed.

Trying to demystify “Button, Button” would appear unwise, seeing as the story’s ambiguity is what makes it effective in the first place. On the other hand, The Box‘s overstated approach is enticingly strange; Richard Kelly’s expansion of Matheson’s concept is both out-there and fascinating. And hopefully, all these years later, this ambitious and often sentimental offshoot is better appreciated rather than simply written off as a misguided adaptation.

The post Don’t Push the Button: Revisiting ‘The Box’ 15 Years Later appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

As it did in its 10th edition, the festival will be presented in a hybrid format, with in-person and virtual programming available. The festival’s in-person dates, June 21-24, will again be staged at Chattanooga’s historic haunted hotel, The Read House. Along with its dates, CFF also teased a handful of films and special events 2024 attendees can look forward to and put 2024 all-access VIP badges on sale with special Early Bird pricing and discounts in effect until March 20.

Anchoring this year’s festival is a tribute to the influential anthology sci-fi/horror series “The Twilight Zone” and the fascinating life and career of its legendary creator Rod Serling. Presiding over this salute is Rod’s daughter, author Anne Serling, who’ll be attending. Anne joins the CFF team, along with “Twilight Zone” historian/author Mark Dawidziak, for a screening of some classic episodes, along with a panel discussion on the series’ legacy and lasting influence, and a special 100th birthday celebration for Rod Serling at the gorgeous Chattanooga Whiskey Event Hall.

“Serling and The Twilight Zone’s influence will be felt in eerie ways throughout this year’s festival,” festival director Chris Dortch II said.

While the festival is gearing up to announce their lineup of programming, CFF teases a special 60th Anniversary Screening of Russ Meyer‘s insanely cool cult classic Faster Pussycat Kill Kill. Also in attendance will be author/screenwriter Adam Cesare, who’ll be guest programming a secret screening and signing copies of his popular Clown in a Cornfield novels. Will Cesare’s secret screening pick be a slasher? Tune in and find out!

These events, along with more than 30 other features and dozens of short films, live podcasts, and the fest’s now infamous nightly secret screening series, The Red Eye, are sure to please longtime fans and newcomers who can access the festival’s virtual offerings from anywhere in the U.S. Fans can take advantage of the festival’s generous Early Bird discounts for one month only by visiting the festivals site at chattfilmfest.org.

Expect to hear more on what’s in store for Chattanooga Film Festival 2024 soon.

The post Chattanooga Film Festival 2024 to Celebrate “The Twilight Zone”, Rod Serling Centennial, and More appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The 12 Days of Creepmas continues on Bloody Disgusting, this time with 11 holiday horror episodes of television that aren’t afraid to deck the halls with blood.

Keep track of the 12 Days of Creepmas here.

NOS4A2 – “The Shorter Way”

Technically, the entire series qualifies here regarding holiday horror fare, but the premiere episode sets the eerie Christmas tone in this adaptation of Joe Hill’s novel. Ashleigh Cummings (Hounds of Love) stars as Vic McQueen, a high schooler with dreams of attending art school and leaving her town of Haverhill. Her home life is a bit of a mess, compounded by a unique ability to find things through an interdimensional bridge called the “shorter way.” It puts her in the crosshairs of Charlie Manx (Zachary Quinto), who begins the pilot as a creepy older man with his equally unnerving Rolls Royce Wraith as he lures his victim, a child, into the backseat with Christmas songs and presents. He tells the child he’s come to whisk them away to Christmasland, and the cheerful holiday has never felt so menacing. What happens to them is even creepier.

Grimm – “The Twelve Days of Krampus”

This season three holiday-themed episode begins with a pair of teens caught mid-theft by the now iconic horned Christmas beast of lore. That’s right, Krampus is on the prowl this Christmas, and he’s ensuring all the naughty children get punished. In true Grimm fashion, this version of Krampus kicks butt over the holiday season, but for the rest of the year, he’s an average guy who just happens to blackout in December. In other words, this Krampus is a bit like a werewolf. That he’s played by Derek Mears (Friday the 13th, “Swamp Thing”) makes him even cooler. 

Doctor Who – “Last Christmas”

The long-running British sci-fi series Doctor Who has an annual, highly anticipated Christmas tradition: the Doctor Who Christmas special. Every year since the revival series began, you can count on the Doctor and his current companion to travel through time and space to battle imaginative foes in a holiday-themed episode. For horror fans, “Last Christmas” is a ghoulish delight. This episode is what happens when you combine Alien, a smidge of The Thing, a lot of Inception, and jolly old Saint Nicholas (played by Shaun of the Dead’s Nick Frost). The Doctor, his companion, and Santa Claus team up to save a research station at the North Pole from face-hugging aliens that send their victims into a deep dream state while they feast on their brains. It’s creepy, weird, and so much fun. You don’t have to be an invested fan of the series to enjoy this episode.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina – “A Midwinter’s Tale”

The special one-off episode of Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is a holiday-filled episode that sees the Spellman family celebrating the Winter Solstice, a festive but Satanic take on Yule. Poltergeists, changelings, yule witches obsessed with orphans, and more get highlighted in this holiday horror episode that serves up a Yule-themed monster of the week episode. The fact that it spotlights Gryla, an ogress that loves to feed on children, makes it worth watching for the rare holiday horror bestiary on display.

Love, Death, & Robots – “All Through the House”

Volume II of Tim Miller’s animated anthology series introduces a quick seven-minute episode set on Christmas Eve. Directed by Elliot Dear and written by Philip Gelatt, it sees two young children awakened by strange sounds downstairs. Expecting Santa Claus, they instead find a monstrous creature. “All Through the House” ultimately winds up in the charming, feel-food category of holiday horror fare, but with an underlying sense of danger. More importantly, it offers the most unhinged concept of Santa Claus imaginable in the best way.

American Horror Story: Asylum – “Unholy Night” 

The eighth episode of season two delivered some of the grimmest holiday fare in “Unholy Night.” Like a popular episode of Tales from the Crypt, “Unholy Night” focuses on a volatile mental patient donning a Santa suit. Unlike Tales from the Crypt, AHS digs into the patient’s backstory to reveal grotesque trauma and suffering during a prison stint post-holiday massacre. Ian McShane plays the Santa in question, and delivers one unsettling performance in an already unsettling season of horror TV.

The X-Files – “How the Ghosts Stole Christmas”

This season six monster-of-the-week episode sees Mulder call on Scully to investigate a haunted house on Christmas Eve. He explains to his skeptical partner that a pair of lovers haunt the house every Christmas Eve after having killed each other in a lovers’ pact on Christmas in 1917, just so they could spend eternity together. Once inside, they’re trapped by the ghosts of Maurice (Ed Asner) and Lyda (Lily Tomlin), who turn the agents against each other, building to a very bloody Christmas finale. Though much more darkly mischievous than overtly scary, this episode is a throwback to the forgotten tradition of holiday ghost stories, and its guest stars revel in their twisted roles.

Black Mirror – “White Christmas”

This British sci-fi anthology series is a deep well of bleak, technology-based terror, and the holiday-themed episode “White Christmas” is further proof. An anthology within an anthology, this episode follows two men at a remote outpost in the middle of a snowy wilderness as they tell each other about their lives to pass the time. Starring Jon Hamm and Rafe Spall (The Ritual), their stories are broken up into three segments, and they get bleaker and bleaker the more we learn about the men. It’s depressing, thrilling, and often very creepy. This episode is just as much a reflection on technology addicted culture as it is on humanity, and for those that want their Christmas themed viewings void of sickly-sweet holiday themes, well, this is for you.

Inside No. 9 – “The Devil of Christmas”

British dark comedy anthology series Inside No. 9 is a must-watch on its own, and this Christmas special episode proves why. The season three episode is a recreation of ’70s anthology programming, complete with authentic filming equipment that lends that grainy, full-screen aesthetic. The plot follows a family vacationing at an Austrian Alpine chalet, who is soon plagued by the presence of Krampus. The viewer soon learns that this is a film within a film, though, as voice-over narration from the director gives insight into the making of the episode, and we discover that there’s something far more sinister happening for the unwitting star. It’s truly dark stuff.

The Twilight Zone – “The Night of the Meek”

If Black Mirror’s Christmas episode left you feeling blue, this season two holiday themed episode of the classic anthology series The Twilight Zone will lift your spirits and leave you feeling warm and fuzzy. Henry Corwin is a down-on-his-luck drunk who happens to be a department store Santa. When he shows up to work plastered on Christmas Eve, he’s fired. All he wants is for the meek to inherit the earth and to give the hungry children on his street a merry Christmas. When he stumbles upon a large burlap sack that can produce anything a heart desires, Corwin’s dreams become a bumpy reality as he becomes Santa for the less fortunate.

 Tales from the Crypt – “And All Through the House”

The second episode of this quintessential horror anthology series adapts a familiar story from the comic The Vault of Horror and sees a woman terrorized by an escaped mental patient dressed as Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Never mind that the woman had just committed murder herself. Directed by Robert Zemeckis from a script by The Monster Squad’s Fred Dekker, it’s considered one of the most unforgettable episodes for a reason. Look for horror stalwart Larry Drake as the homicidal Claus doling out holiday karma on Christmas.

The post 11 Holiday Horror TV Episodes to Deck the Halls This Season [12 Days of Creepmas] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

That likely stemmed from Friedkin’s upbringing and his early career start in nonfiction. Bridging his path from his earlier work in commercials and documentaries to his seminal horror effort was television. It was a single episode of a popular anthology series from a horror master that kickstarted Friedkin’s career in fiction, and Friedkin never seemed to forget it. 

While the acclaimed director continued to trailblaze in film, he also put his stamp on defining horror television throughout the decades. All just as memorable and worth revisiting.

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour – “Off Season”

The final episode of Alfred Hitchcock’s suspense anthology series to ever air also marked William Friedkin’s first foray into fiction. Until this point, the filmmaker worked in commercials and nonfiction; he’d never worked with a script before or set foot on a soundstage. Showrunner Norman Lloyd took a chance on the up-and-coming director for the episode. It arguably couldn’t have been a more fitting debut for Friedkin. Friedkin frequently attributed everything he learned about filmmaking to studying Hitchcock films throughout his career.

By this stage, Hitchcock was largely uninvolved with the series, save for his trademark narration that introduced and closed each episode. Friedkin did get the opportunity to meet his filmmaking hero, though famously, it resulted in a snub.

“Off Season” was filmed on the same set as Psycho, featured a peripheral creepy motel manager, and the teleplay was penned by Psycho novelist Robert Bloch and based on the short story from Edward D. Hoch that ran in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine.

While the bookended intro/outro by the master of suspense reads deeply outdated by today’s standards, the episode’s central story remains prescient. It follows Johnny (Psycho’s John Gavin), a police officer that guns down an unarmed wino in a dark alley while on duty. Johnny’s partner questions his judgment as he stares in horror at the aftermath; Johnny insists he thought the man was a threat. He’s promptly let go from the precinct through honorable discharge, with a heavy emphasis on doubt about Johnny’s ability to handle guns responsibly.

He relocates to a small town with his fiancée Sandy (Indus Arthur). Mere days after killing a man, though, Johnny withholds critical information as he persuades the local sheriff to let him join the team. It’s the turning point that sparks Johnny’s internal conflict as he deals with the emotional and psychological fallout from his actions for both him and Sandy. Paranoia, mistrust, and unreconciled turmoil eventually give way to the grim punchline reaffirming that trigger-happy Johnny was indeed incapable of gun responsibility.

Gavin doesn’t quite succeed in conveying the depth of Johnny’s predicament, but Friedkin’s bold approach helps offset this. Johnny may not hold himself accountable for his actions, but “Off Season” does.

Shortly after working on this episode, Friedkin interviewed for a director’s gig on Gunn, based on the 1958-1961 television series Peter Gunn. The script was penned by writer/producer Blake Edwards and writer William Peter Blatty. Friedkin didn’t get the job; he was too blunt and abrasive in his criticism of the script. It was that brutal honesty that impressed Blatty, leading to Friedkin’s hiring on the career-defining feature The Exorcist.

The Twilight Zone – “Nightcrawlers”

Iconic anthology series “The Twilight Zone” received a revival in 1985, only this time, each episode would feature numerous stories instead of just one. Friedkin directed “Nightcrawlers,” the final segment in the fourth episode of season one. Philip DeGuere wrote the segment based on the short story by author Robert R. McCammon.

The plot follows a Vietnam veteran Price (Scott Paulin), who’s deserted his unit and gone AWOL. He winds up at a diner, where the story unfurls as the ghosts of Price’s past come back to claim him. Uniquely, they do so by manifesting through Price’s dreams. PTSD gets personified as horrible memories of war spill over into the waking world while Price is asleep. That eventually puts the diner itself under siege, with explosions, gunfire, specters of soldiers, and an unhinged Price pushed over the edge.

It became one of the more expensive episodes to shoot, with the pyrotechnics and stunts involved. Moreover, the violence depicted proved shocking in 1985. It also highlighted Friedkin’s fearlessness with authenticity. The tense chamber piece and explosive action ensured that while it may have alarmed viewers in 1985, it quickly became one of the most memorable episodes.

Tales from the Crypt – “On a Deadman’s Chest”

Friedkin’s next contribution to genre anthology television was “On a Deadman’s Chest,” the third episode of season four. It stars Yul Vasquez (Books of Blood, “The Outsider”) as Danny, the frontman for the rock band Exorcist. Yes, the band name is indeed a humorous nod to Friedkin’s seminal horror movie.

Danny isn’t a nice guy, though. He’s a womanizer with a vicious streak, and he’s got a massive grudge against Scarlett (Tia Carrere), the new wife to Exorcist guitarist Nick (Paul Hipp). Danny’s number one fan, Vendetta (Sherrie Rose), introduces him to tattoo artist Farouche (Heavy D), an enigmatic hand tapping artist whose hand is guided by his patron’s darkest inner secrets and tends to manifest them in disturbing ways.

The episode, penned by Larry Wilson and based on The Haunt of Fear volume 1 #12, aired in late June 1992, almost four months after Carrere broke out as ultra-cool rocker Cassandra Wong in Wayne’s World. Her Scarlett doesn’t fare as well here; in true EC comic style, she’s a victim leading to Danny’s eventual comeuppance.

Inside Exorcist jokes aside, “On a Deadman’s Chest” captures early ‘90s pop culture energy, but by way of Friedkin’s intense, almost manic sense of urgency often found in his genre output. His documentary roots play heavily here, especially in the first act, which introduces the heavy rock act and Danny’s rock star lifestyle.

All three Friedkin-directed segments represent his style and contributions to the horror genre. In other words, all are worth revisiting. You can find “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour” currently streaming on Peacock and “Tales from the Crypt” on Digital. “The Twilight Zone” is less easy to find on streaming or DVD, but worth seeking out if you can find it.

The post Revisiting William Friedkin’s Horror TV Contributions from “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour” to “Tales from the Crypt” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The living doll shows up infrequently in the horror genre, but when it does, people take notice. They’re ultimately torn between curiosity and repulsion as these puppets gain sentience and carry out their sinister missions. Chucky and others have all skittered across the big screen, but these stories, from five different anthology series, are a reminder of how toy terror also lives on television.

The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)
Living Doll

Even on its last legs, Twilight Zone — by then, the series had already dropped the “the” from the title — managed to come up with some all-timers. Surprisingly enough, one of its most memorable episodes, “Living Doll,” wasn’t written by series heavy-hitters Charles Beaumont or Richard Matheson. Beaumont was credited, but this classic dose of dolly dread was penned by Jerry Sohl and directed by Richard C. Sarafian.

“Living Doll” includes the familiar setup in these kinds of stories; a child brings home a seemingly normal toy, which then unexpectedly comes to life. And as usual, a parent is the first to detect the doll’s sudden consciousness. The toy in question is Talky Tina (voiced by June Foray), and host Rod Serling describes her as an “unwelcome addition” to the Streator household.

Erich (Telly Savalas) isn’t a great stepfather to Christie (Tracy Stratford), and his bad behavior only worsens when Talky Tina comes into the picture. Christie’s mother (Mary LaRoche) has a hard time endearing her daughter to her new husband, hence comforting the child with toys. Of course what makes the kid happy turns into a source of dismay for the patriarch. At first Erich thinks his family is playing a trick on him, but by the time he realizes Talky Tina is in fact alive, it’s much too late to stop her.

“Living Doll” is a prime example of cautionary tales involving domestic abuse and inanimate objects. Talky Tina comes to the defense of a mistreated girl, and her threat isn’t limited to the father. Everyone must heed her warning or they’ll be sorry. As for Erich’s resentment toward Christie, that really has nothing to do with her; he’s upset about his own shortcomings as both a man and a husband.

Night Gallery (1969-1973)
The Doll

The Night Gallery episode “The Doll” is based on a novella by author Algernon Blackwood. Series creator and occasional show writer Rod Serling alters a good chunk of the source material, which was published around the late 1940s, but he also emphasizes the horror element.

In this haunted episode, an officer in the colonial forces of Queen Victoria (John Williams) returns home from India to find his niece in possession of a ghastly new doll. She (Jewel Blanch) and the housekeeper (Shani Wallis) believed the doll was a gift sent from India by the uncle, but he reveals he did no such thing. Soon the colonel realizes the wicked toy is part of a nefarious revenge scheme.

If there’s anything about “The Doll” that doesn’t exactly work, it’s the doll itself. The first one, that is. The niece’s new toy looks frightful, so it’s hard to believe she’d want to play with it, much less keep it. “Living Doll” from Twilight Zone at least hid Talky Tina’s malevolence beneath a soft and lovely veneer. Having this doll be so openly evil-faced undoubtedly helps etch this episode in viewers’ mind, but it doesn’t make much sense from a logical perspective.

This episode is both an early instance of the evil doll trope and a subtle offering of colonizer horror. Serling wisely cut out some problematic parts from the novella, though the screen adaptation sees Henry Silva and Than Wyenn each wearing brownface. Regardless, the best aspects of “The Doll” shrine through. This includes a new ending, one not seen in Blackwood’s story. It’ll be hard to scrub that cursed image from your eyes.

Tales to Keep You Awake (1966-1968, 1982)
Freddy

Ventriloquist puppets are within the realm of dolls, though they aren’t necessarily for play, either. These things bring up other ill feelings apart from those caused by the “uncanny valley” effect; their whole purpose is to act alive. Someone being able to throw their voice also leads to other frightening possibilities.

After taking an extended break away from Tales to Keep You Awake (Historias para no dormir), Narciso Ibáñez Serrador revived the series in the ’80s. Not only was the show obviously in color, but episodes were now also feature-length. The downside was the return was shot on a low budget, there were only four episodes, and everything was put together rather quickly. Even so, fans of this obscure Spanish anthology can’t shake the creepy title character of “Freddy.”

The third season’s premiere episode is a mesmeric experience, especially if you’re only expecting a killer puppet. There is certainly a slasher element in “Freddy,” but for the most part, the story mainly concerns the human characters, including the namesake’s puppeteer. Serrador does not take a spartan approach here; the dialogue is about as long as the chase scenes.

Whenever the intentionally cliché-ridden “Freddy” does embrace its macabre side, those moments feel like epics. Hapless women wander aimlessly through shadowy rooms and corridors for what feels like hours, unsure of who (or what) is following them, if they’re being followed at all. The giallo-esque lighting undeniably helps the mood, as does the increasingly menacing music. These ’80s episodes’ master tapes were unfortunately damaged, but those visual artifacts and blemishes make for some happy accidents. And that twist at the very end? Talk about surprising.

Buy the series on subtitled Blu-ray from Severin now, or if you speak Spanish, watch the untranslated episode on Tubi.

Monsters (1988-1991)
Holly’s House

Some dolls aren’t toys, and some dolls aren’t even dolls. Not in the traditional sense, at least. The robot seen in the Monsters episode “Holly’s House” is a child-sized animatronic that resembles a doll, and she’s remote-controlled by Katherine (Marilyn Jones). While the fictional series Holly’s House has proven to be a success, it’s also weighed heavily on Katherine’s personal life.

What should have been an ordinary day on set ends up being a tense one when Katherine’s boyfriend and costar (Perry Lang) asks her to marry him. This comes only after Katherine reveals she’s pregnant. Others urge Katherine to say yes, but a voice in her head holds her back. And with this being Monsters, that voice starts to take on a life of its own.

“Holly’s House” features a potent psychological study of its main character, which is uncommon in this series. Katherine essentially uses her TV show to keep herself from growing up and having to make adult decisions. Playing Holly was, up until now, a rather safe and acceptable form of escapism. But with a baby on the way, Katherine is forced to make choices she doesn’t want to make. Either way, she has to give up one of her babies.

This is a sad story about a woman who can’t have it all. There is a vagueness to what happened here, though in both theirs and your best interest, it’s better if there’s no hard answer. “Holly’s House” is a high point in Monsters that offers the audience more to chew on than usual.

Goosebumps (1995-1998)
Night of the Living Dummy (II & III)

A question that comes up often in the Goosebumps community is, why didn’t the show adapt the first book in the original Living Dummy trilogy? The second and third entries were sent to the small screen, but the series skipped one of Stine’s most renowned stories.

When asked about the “missing” episode, producer Steve Levitan said: “There were a bunch of books we tried during the outline stage before there was a first draft script. We would just decide ‘No, this isn’t going to work. Let’s move on to another one.’ There’s no lost episode that was shot.”

Even without an origin episode for Slappy, “Night of the Living Dummy II” works even better as an introduction. Slappy gets all the attention here, whereas in the first book, he played more of a secondary role. Then, the two-parter “Night of the Living Dummy III” features even more animated dummies, and unlike the last episode, actors are regularly used to play Slappy and his friends. There are consistency issues to consider, such as the dummies’ sizes changing from shot to shot, but watching Slappy physically chase after children is unnerving.

There is another Slappy episode in the original show, adapted from Goosebumps Series 2000, called “Bride of the Living Dummy.” Here Slappy seeks a mate, and he does so by stalking a pair of sisters and their blonde doll named Mary Ellen.

Series of Frights is a recurring column that mainly focuses on horror in television. Specifically, it takes a closer look at five episodes or stories — each one adhering to an overall theme — from different anthology series or the occasional movie made for TV. With anthologies becoming popular again, especially on television, now is the perfect time to see what this timeless mode of storytelling has to offer.

The post Toy Terror: 5 Creepy Doll Tales from TV Horror Anthologies You Should Watch appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

When it comes to the versatile nature of anthology shows, one of the biggest selling points of the genre is that every episode tells a completely original story. It’s easy to get lost in the stories, but the best anthology shows understand that the act of storytelling itself is just as important to the experience. Stories can be found anywhere, but the process of being a storyteller is akin to being human. Man has been telling stories since its very existence and without storytellers, society would be left in arrested development. Granted, every piece of television technically tells a story, but it’s anthology shows that have the rare tradition of engaging with the audience on a personal level as if they’re trading stories around a campfire, in a bar, or lost in a void.

Anthology series have never gone out of fashion and they’re having a particular Renaissance at the moment, but what’s so special about Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities – now streaming in full on Netflix – is that it revives the lost anthology series trope of a host who introduces, or bookends, each story. To some, this device may seem silly or antiquated, but it’s a crucial and underestimated element for how an anthology series can succeed.

Anthology genre fare can explore such exaggerated material that a popular approach taken with a host figure is that it’s some macabre creation instead of a standard celebrity storyteller. The most popular example of this is Tales From the Crypt’s Crypt Keeper, who eventually transcends his source material and becomes a celebrity in his own right. Tales From the Crypt’s short-lived science fiction-based spin-off, Perversions of Science, was not what most people would consider a success. However, the series still made its mark through its sexed-up and teched-out robotic host, Chrome. She’s no Crypt Keeper (but honestly, who among us is?), but there’s still such endless personality in this character that makes it so much easier to return to Perversions of Science even when an episode is a dud. Creeped Out, a British horror anthology series that’s available on Netflix and designed to skew towards younger audiences, turns its masked host, “The Curious,” into an abnormal enigma. It’s almost the reverse of the approach that’s taken with the Crypt Keeper where the absence of a personality turns this host into a mystery that the audience yearns to unravel. 

The hosts of these anthology series are typically disconnected from the stories in which they regale the audience with, but this isn’t always the case. The Tales From the Crypt episode, “Lower Berth,” which centers on a family of sideshow carnival attractions, turns out to be an origin story for the Crypt Keeper. It’s a detail that’s completely unnecessary and “Lower Berth” succeeds without this final “twist,” but it’s probably the best thing about the episode since the audience has inherently developed a natural relationship with the series’ host. “Lower Berth” works as well as it does because it arrives in season two, rather than during the show’s freshman year when the audience’s shorthand with the Crypt Keeper isn’t as pronounced. To go one step further with this idea, “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” the pilot episode of Freddy’s Nightmares–an anthology series that uses slasher icon Freddy Krueger as its host–also becomes a look into an untold chapter in Freddy Krueger’s life. These unexpected stories don’t become the lynchpins of their respective series, but they are some of the most popular episodes. 

The other major approach that can be taken with an anthology series’ host, which is the route that Cabinet of Curiosities takes with Guillermo del Toro, is that it’s an authority figure that the audience can trust. Alfred Hitchcock. Rod Serling. Jordan Peele. Forest Whitaker. There were even select episodes of Goosebumps that used R.L. Stine as a master of ceremonies who introduces his own fiction. In John Carpenter’s Body Bags (which was originally created as a TV series, not an anthology film), it’s John Carpenter himself who plays the Crypt Keeper-like Coroner character. What’s important here is that these hosts aren’t just respected voices in their fields, but they’re storytellers at heart. This isn’t just a narrator who spouts off voice over to open and close a spooky story. The strongest anthology series use their hosts as legitimate personalities who thrive upon the unpredictable, limitless nature of fiction, which is the perfect distillation of Guillermo del Toro. 

The melding between host and narrative is a clever way to marry form with storytelling that makes more sense for some anthology series than it does for others. That being said, it’s honestly a little surprising that The Twilight Zone never pursued an episode that posits that Rod Serling’s role as cryptic host is actually some eternal punishment that he’s forced to engage in. The most interesting episode of 2019’s Twilight Zone revival, “Blurryman,” specifically plays around with the series’ opening narration trope and finds a way to turn Rod Serling into its Cryptid-esque boogeyman. It’s an episode that draws inspiration from the very nature of its host and the reputation that accompanies this figure. In a way, it combines both host extremes with a character that’s both a prestige figure of authority as well as a creepy creature.

Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities is a comforting return to classic anthology storytelling that reminds audiences of the value of a host. This doesn’t mean that it’s a necessary ingredient for a show to work. Programs like American Horror Stories, Tales From the Darkside, Masters of Horror, and Nightmares & Dreamscapes would arguably benefit from a striking host figure that would give them an extra element of cache. Furthermore, Black Mirror is an anthology series that jumps right into its stories without any preamble, but some of the series’ more stylized installments like “White Christmas” and “Black Museum” experiment with the host format in a manner that doesn’t just work, but yields some exceptional twists. Black Mirror clearly works fine without a host that needs to spell things out for its audience, but these two episodes are at least deeply indicative of how the show could work with this structure. 

Alternatively, Inside No. 9 is top-tier anthology television that would actively be worse if it was forced to adhere to the host construct. In the end, it comes down to the audience’s desire to be told a compelling story. That’s a lot easier when there’s a storyteller front and center who not only thrives on the medium, but the act of presenting this tale to the audience. Anthology series have never been more prevalent on television, but hopefully Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities will reignite the genre’s relationship with dedicated hosts and the act of storytelling. 

“Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities” is currently streaming on Netflix

The post How Guillermo del Toro’s “Cabinet of Curiosities” Revives An Essential Anthology Trope appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

However, not every one of these caregivers (or their charges) gets off scot-free; the ones in horror count themselves lucky if they can go home after their excruciating ordeals.

And as these five dreadful episodes from TV anthology series demonstrate, childcare can be downright scary…

Tales from the Darkside (1983-1988)
Hush

Tales from the Darkside was not exactly a straightforward anthology. So often this iconic creepshow was vague, existential, and sometimes artsy. The episodes fans tend to remember most are the ones where the threat has a physical form; this includes “Halloween Candy”, “Inside the Closet” and “Seasons of Belief”. The majority of the series is far more abstract and minimal.

By the fourth season, the final installment before the series’ successor Monsters premiered, Darkside had largely ditched the overt horrors it occasionally demonstrated. However, there are the exceptions that don’t get talked about nearly as much as earlier offerings. One of which is the babysitter terror tale “Hush“.

Based on a story by Zenna Henderson, “Hush” begins in true fashion; a stressed-out mother (Bonnie Gallup) is on her way out as the babysitter, Jennifer (Nile Lanning), shows up to look after Buddy (Eric Jason). The mother, who is being incredibly shifty about her plans that evening, then leaves under the belief that everything will be all right now that Jennifer’s here. Of course she has no idea of what’s to come for the sitter and the boy whose invention has gone haywire. Throughout the night, Buddy’s homemade vacuum comes alive and goes on a rampage. It even takes a life before the night is over.

As the title might suggest, “Hush” is about sound. The killer vacuum goes after every noise in the house. There’s not a lot going on in this mid-tier Darkside episode that can be considered innovative, but it’s refreshing to see a more corporeal antagonist again before the show finally ended.

Scene of the Crime (1984-1985)
The Babysitter

This obscure and short-lived anthology originally aired on NBC in the mid-eighties. Three episodes of Scene of the Crime were also released on VHS. On the back of the box, the description reads: “Orson Welles hosts this mystery lover’s delight, a trio of intricate and spine-tingling cases, each presenting a rogues’ gallery of celebrity suspects and asking you to discover whodunit.”

Those fortunate enough to catch the show when it aired live distinctly remember one segment called “The Babysitter“. What seems to have been lost to time is now available again, and it’s understandable why this story stayed with viewers after all these years. Welles normally encouraged the audience to help solve the crime being depicted, yet here he asks them to put away their detective hats, and to simply relax and enjoy the story. He then adds, “… if you can.”

In “The Babysitter”, young Tricia (Priscilla Weems) receives a gift — a figurine resembling a magician —from the clown (Robert Donner) at her recent birthday party. Later, as her parents are set to leave for the night, Tricia becomes visibly terrified. Kids her age would be scared of the dark or monsters in the closet, but Tricia’s fear comes from an unexpected source.

“The Babysitter” is teeming with anxiety as Tricia succumbs to her tormentor’s (Isabelle Walker) bad behavior and cruel tricks. While this story has already subverted expectations once, it does it again at the end when Tricia finally stands up for herself.

Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction (1997-2002)
Red Eyed Creature

Some sitters don’t go home only because they live with their employers. This is the case for Maggie (Maree Cheatham), the nanny for the family in “Red Eyed Creature“. The Sterlings soon find themselves the victims of an unexplainable evil in this disquieting Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction story.

The problem eventually surfaces after the Sterlings move into their new home along with Maggie, who lives in the maid’s quarters. All seems well enough at first; the home is beautiful and spacious, and Billy (Colton James) is growing up in a healthy and nurturing environment. A perfect life slowly comes undone once the son sees something uncanny and frightening.

Billy is the first to see the titular monster; a late-night snack turns into a run for survival as the boy spots the pair of glowing and disembodied red eyes in the kitchen. His mother is the next to see them, though her husband is still unconvinced. Especially when the red “eyes” appear to be nothing more than two red lights on the security system box. The parents ponder sending Billy to a therapist before this all gets out of hand, but Maggie says she’ll have a talk with him instead. This is when it’s revealed the red-eyed creature is none other than Maggie herself.

This eerie segment is said to be based on fact — yet host Jonathan Frakes provides no actual evidence. However, it was typical for this anthology to gloss over the details. As for why Maggie would be terrorizing her employers and loved ones, there’s always the theory she was doing so because she wanted to feel needed. She wanted the boy to be scared so he’d cling to her rather than grow apart as he matures.

The Twilight Zone (2002-2003)
The Collection

Some babysitters go that extra mile when learning how to care for children. This is what Jessica Simpson‘s Twilight Zone character Miranda does when she comes to take care of Danielle (Ashley Edner). Immediately Miranda witnesses over-parenting; Danielle’s mother has a thoroughly indexed binder ready for the sitter, one entailing the girl’s allergies, phobias, and what she’s allowed to eat and what she can watch on TV. With everything laid out so clearly, it would seem Miranda has an easy night ahead of her.

The pot starts to boil as Miranda meets Danielle’s extensive and lifelike doll collection. From there the girl starts to act out, pretending the dolls are alive and out to hurt her. The sitter turns to her textbook to psychoanalyze Danielle and understand her increasingly strange behavior. In any other situation, this would just be a child using fantasy to deal with reality. Of course there’s more to the story than what’s been said or shown.

Soon enough, Danielle’s outbursts become more and more intense, and the dolls mysteriously disappearing from their cases doesn’t help matters, either. Watching the dolls then crop up all over the house is unnerving, not to mention indicative of where “The Collection” is heading. The episode’s big twist isn’t exactly shocking once it hits the floor with a thud, but it’s a satisfactory upheaval of traditional roles in these kinds of stories.

The stunt casting of popstar Jessica Simpson never overshadows the episode itself, and despite some dubious dialogue and chintzy dolls, “The Collection” stands out in the 2000s revival. It’s equal parts harrowing and amusing. This show leaned heavily into the macabre side of The Twilight Zone canon rather than being too concerned with social experiments or moral messages, and compared to other episodes, this one eagerly seizes the horror element.

Room 104 (2017-2020)
Ralphie

As one of the more diverse anthology shows in recent years, Room 104 touched on horror from time to time. And based on the premiere episode, that’s what audiences expected but rarely received. Even so, “Ralphie” is a fantastic start in this unique and oddball series.

Melonie Diaz plays Meg, who’s hired to babysit a boy in a motel room (also the series’ one and only setting). While the father (Ross Partridge) is out for the night, Ralph (Ethan Kent, Gavin Kent) opens up to his sitter about Ralphie. Meg naturally thinks this is standard kid behavior; the boy makes up an imaginary friend to cope with his life. The more she talks to Ralph, though, the more Meg realizes something is off about him and this entire situation.

Throughout the episode, the bathroom becomes a source of dread for the audience first, then later Meg. One minute Ralph’s talking to Meg, the next Ralphie is charging out of the bathroom so he can attack the babysitter. The story goes from casual to chaotic before finally delivering a shocking outcome.

This anthology goes in numerous directions, many of which are totally off the wall. “Ralphie”, as the show’s first outing, is a tough act to follow. It gets screwy at the end, and that ambiguous conclusion is still being debated to this day.

Series of Frights is a recurring column that mainly focuses on horror in television. Specifically, it takes a closer look at five episodes or stories — each one adhering to an overall theme — from different anthology series or the occasional movie made for TV. With anthologies becoming popular again, especially on television, now is the perfect time to see what this timeless mode of storytelling has to offer.

The post Childcare Scares: 5 Tales of Babysitter Horror from TV Anthologies [Series of Frights] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Be that as it may, a great story is hard to pass up, even if an adaptation already exists. And from time to time, viewers will experience déjà vu as they watch their favorite anthologies. Different series sharing versions of the same stories might be considered remaking, but as the following episodes demonstrate, no two adaptations are ever exactly alike.

The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet

The Twilight Zone (2019-2020)
Nightmare at 30,000 Feet

One of the most iconic anthology stories to ever grace TV sees a breakdown in both mechanics and mind. And this renowned terror tale continues to impress viewers even after nearly six decades. Despite some behind-the-scenes hiccups toward the end, Rod Serling‘s seminal series delivered several of its greatest hits before audiences were forced to exit The Twilight Zone.

Celebrated genre author Richard Matheson imagined the fear of flying in a new and terrifying way with “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet“. The regular Twilight Zone contributor turned an ordinary airliner into a pressure cooker when a passenger (William Shatner) spots a gremlin on the plane’s wing. Of course no one believes the man who endured a nervous breakdown only six months earlier. From the wife to the plane staff to the viewers, everyone continues to question this character’s sanity up to the very end.

“Nightmare” finally defies expectations and confirms Shatner’s character was right all along. What seems like a hoary resolution is really a bold move. The Twilight Zone and other anthologies have a long history of undermining their events. On the contrary, Matheson felt no need to undo everything with a twist. George Miller‘s retelling in the 1983 movie, a superior one at that, smartly sticks to the same script.

“Nightmare at 30,000 Feet” in Jordan Peele‘s revival sees Adam Scott acting on a prophetic podcast, which according to its host (voiced by Dan Carlin), the protagonist’s flight is set to vanish with him on it. In a bid to save everyone, the PTSD-affected character then makes a series of increasingly bad decisions that only guarantee the plane’s fate. As challenging as it is to pluck a single lucid theme out of this disparate and uneven update, the episode may just be a critique of dangerous misinformation. After all, the recent Twilight Zone was more geared toward timeliness as opposed to timelessness.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-1962)

Tales of the Unexpected (1979-1988)

Poison

Roald Dahl‘s offbeat creativity led to a number of adaptations over the course of classic television. While his most prominent and successful works are largely aimed at younger readers, his shorter writings reach a wider audience. And “Poison” is an example of how the famed writer excelled in the macabre. The 1950 short story is set in Bengal, where a Brit named Harry finds himself caught in bed with a snake. A krait, to be more specific. His friend Timber and a local doctor named Ganderbai then work quickly but carefully to remove the venomous intruder from Harry’s body without him getting bitten in the process.

The Alfred Hitchcock Presents version of “Poison”, now set in Malaya, injects drama where the original has none. The Timber seen here (Wendell Corey) is openly hostile toward Harry (James Donald), who now has a dependency on alcohol. Timber assumes the krait is a side effect of Harry’s drunken stupor, but he calls Dr. Ganderbay (Arnold Moss) to come help them anyway. Not without behaving like a jerk, of course. At one point, Timber even insinuates stealing Harry’s love interest if he were to die. The anthology’s namesake directed this episode, and his personal touch makes “Poison” one of the series’ most memorable offerings.

As for the adaptation in Tales of the Unexpected, a series initially built on Dahl’s oeuvre, Timber (Anthony Steel) acts more like his concerned literary parallel, but here he has his own subplot; he is seeing a married woman named Sandra (Judy Geeson). Harry (Andrew Ray) is once again staving off both his desire to drink and the krait resting on his warm chest.

The atmosphere of this “Poison” is differently charged, seeing as Sandra skulks around the house, searching for a way out of the situation. There is also the violent confrontation between Harry and the incredulous Ganderbai (Saeed Jaffrey) once the snake problem is dealt with. The racist remarks found in Dahl’s story are understandably omitted, though. As for the ending, there is an all-new twist that reinforces the idea of the krait representing Harry’s long battle with alcohol.

Journey to the Unknown (1968)
Somewhere In a Crowd

The Ray Bradbury Theater (1985-1992)
The Crowd

Ray Bradbury was certainly no stranger to genre fiction during his time, and as of today, his opus continues to inspire newer media and writers. The illustrious author was not afraid to question society and comment on its darkest qualities. And in his 1943 short story “The Crowd“, Bradbury searches for meaning when groups of people gather around others’ tragedies.

“The Crowd” first popped up on TV in Journey to the Unknown, however Bradbury was uncredited in the episode. Only a Michael J. Bird is acknowledged as the writer. Nevertheless, the likenesses between “Somewhere In a Crowd” and Bradbury’s story are obvious. David Hedison plays a TV host who notices the same rubberneckers whenever an accident occurs in public. Could it be a coincidence? In due time, that paranoia leads to his own undoing. There is the occasional clashing of tones here, but make no mistake. Once Hedison’s character detects the same spectators at each and every accident site, a creepy sensation sinks in and never quite leaves.

As with Roald Dahl, Bradbury was bestowed his own anthology series. “The Crowd” was an early entry in The Ray Bradbury Theater, and it follows the original text more closely. Neither the grave mood nor the sense of urgency ever abate as Nick Mancuso‘s troubled character investigates the goings-on in the city. The denser crowds make for an unnerving experience, and the wintry setting enhances the story.

Through conspiracy and collective curiosity, Bradbury probes the act of voyeurism in “The Crowd”. He scrutinizes humanity and asks what draws them to such misfortune. Do these ghostly gawkers feed on others’ misery, or is there something more supernatural under way? The ambiguity indeed makes this tale stick once the smoke clears.

Night Gallery (1969-1973)
The House

Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction (1997-2002)
Dream House

The first season of Night Gallery starts off without creator Rod Serling in the writer’s seat, but he makes a magnificent series debut with “The House“. Joanna Pettet plays Elaine, a woman set to leave a sanitarium after an extended stay. The beautiful country estate she regularly dreams about during her residency eventually turns out to be real. The realtor (Paul Richards) warns Elaine about the property being haunted, yet she goes ahead with the purchase. Little does she know, Elaine’s connection with the house goes much deeper than a mere dream.

Serling had the challenge of turning an awfully short story, “La Maison” by French author André Maurois, into a 25-minute segment. The denouement is nothing short of impressive and a testament to Serling’s talent. His protagonist is a woman caught between two worlds, and those worlds can never meet. The symbolism of this episode — Elaine literally drives around in circles, unable to reach a permanent destination in life — and director John Astin‘s dreamy imagery are reasons why “The House” is so notable.

In the last segment of the premiere episode of the multi-genre anthology Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction, a woman named Alicia (Jennifer Tighe) has found the perfect house for her and her partner, Daniel (David Andriole). Unfortunately, she only sees this illusory home in her dreams. One day after an exhaustive hunt, Alicia finally discovers the house is in fact real — and the asking price is well within her and Daniel’s price range. The catch, though? The place is haunted by a ghost.

Neither André Maurois nor Rod Serling are credited in this loose adaptation, but the similarities between their works and “Dream House” are unmistakable. What is even stranger is Beyond Belief declaring this story to be based on fact. Night Gallery zooms in on Elaine’s search for her place in the world, whereas Alicia tries to satisfy both hers and society’s expectations, even if that means scaring another woman out of her own perfect life.

Urban Gothic (2000-2001)

Fear Itself (2008)

Eater

Urban Gothic‘s “Eater” maintains both the setup and the spirit of its basis, a short story by British author Peter Crowther. Police officers detain the shape-shifting cannibal Mellor (Andrew Gillies) at their station, and as the night progresses, they each succumb to the man-eater’s mysterious ways and insatiable appetite. Crowther, also the episode’s screenwriter, preserves his unapologetically bleak ending, while at the same time, making the outcome more apparent.

After Masters of Horror came to an end, showrunner Mick Garris quickly put Fear Itself into motion. And one of the series’ more well-received entries is Stuart Gordon‘s distinct take on “Eater”. This episode takes a page out of Assault on Precinct 13 and relocates the story to a rundown American police station. The main character is a rookie and horror fan played by Elisabeth Moss, and her fascination with Mellor (Stephen R. Hart) relates to a possible death wish. And the cannibal here is a black-magic wielding Cajun, whose eyes are ultimately too big for his stomach.

The second “Eater” is evidently based on a 2007 short film by The Duffer Brothers (Stranger Things). The DNA of their grungy and gory adaptation is all over Gordon’s episode, although they ultimately diverge in their endings. Writers Richard Chizmar and Johnathon Schaech play up the slasher qualities by first having a female protagonist, and then pitting her against her unrelenting enemy after he has disposed of her peers.

These two adaptations are like night and day; Otto Bathurst prefers his Mellor be a cryptic threat who hides in both the shadows as well as his victims. Meanwhile, Gordon’s villain is much more of a present character, even as he uses cops as meat puppets. This Mellor is physically imposing, not to mention outright scary at every turn. Hart’s performance and an especially grim conclusion solidify “Eater” as one of Fear Itself‘s best.

Series of Frights is a recurring column that mainly focuses on horror in television. Specifically, it takes a closer look at five episodes or stories — each one adhering to an overall theme — from different anthology series or the occasional movie made for TV. With anthologies becoming popular again, especially on television, now is the perfect time to see what this timeless mode of storytelling has to offer.

The post Shared Scares: 5 Horror Stories With Multiple TV Anthology Adaptations [Series of Frights] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The following stories from TV anthologies call attention to adolescent frights. Be it nocturnal monsters beyond adults’ understanding, or other dreadful things that go bump in the night, these episodes are the stuff of childhood nightmares.

Tales From the Darkside (1983-1988)
Ursa Minor

Monsters were not all that common in Tales From the Darkside, seeing as most episodes were about life’s less tangible threats. Yet, even with an angry bear running around, “Ursa Minor” never turns into a full-blown creature-feature. This story ends up having more in common with the series’ other eerie tales of human conflict.

This episode follows a seemingly normal family of three. That illusion of function quickly fades away after young Susie (Jamie Ohar) receives a stuffed bear named Teddy on her birthday. Meanwhile, parents Joan and Richard (Marilyn Jones, Tim Carhart) bicker a lot because of financial issues and the fact that Susie’s father is an alcoholic. The tension only worsens when peculiar incidents occur around the house; objects mysteriously break as well as tiny animal footprints appear on the wall.

Like clockwork in these stories, the child swears her new toy is responsible for the damage. Joan initially does not believe her daughter, but when things get too out of hand at home, she consults a magic expert. He indulges Susie’s claim, and he points out how a small bear like Teddy, an Ursa Minor, seeks to destroy humans’ complacency. This episode goes on to provide an interesting mythos for these once powerful animals that have since been reduced to the likes of “Smokey, Pooh, and little Teddy.”

Viewers expect to see Teddy eventually attack the family out in the open, but the toy does more harm hiding in the shadows. Like the scholar said earlier, entities such as Teddy want to upset the balance and remove people’s comfort. The state of Susie’s home has not been good for long time — Joan herself said she cannot stand this “polite poverty” — and truth be told, this family’s downfall was inevitable with or without Teddy around.

The Twilight Zone (1985-1989)
The Shadow Man

Director Joe Dante and screenwriter Rockne S. O’Bannon (Amazing Stories) collaborated on one of the better episodes of the ’80s Twilight Zone. “The Shadow Man” centers on a teenager named Danny (Jonathan Ward), whose crush on a classmate leads him to making poor decisions.

Danny soon discovers he has a roommate; living under his bed is the episode’s namesake. Despite its ominous appearance — the all-black being resembles a man in a long coat and a hat — the Shadow Man says he will “never harm the person under whose bed” he lives. Every night, the entity leaves the house and carries on, doing who knows what, until he slips back in before morning. Soon, Danny’s classmates become victims to an attacker who sounds a lot like the Shadow Man.

Danny’s fears of the Shadow Man go away once he realizes he has immunity. As everyone else hides after sundown, Danny stays out so he can see his crush. This brings him a sudden burst of popularity, not to mention a new streak of arrogance. Danny foolishly thinks he can then use the Shadow Man for his own bidding when a bully picks on him.

“The Shadow Man” is a high point for the first revival of The Twilight Zone. The morality lesson within is not too thought-provoking or unique, but the events of the episode make up for that. This simple yet devilish tale captures children’s anxiety about bedtime monsters.

Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1990-2000)
The Tale of the Quicksilver

Kiki’s most memorable submission during her time with The Midnight Society is without a doubt “The Tale of the Quicksilver“. The mere image of the cloaked specter evokes childhood nightmares of yesteryear. In this iconic episode of the original Are You Afraid of the Dark series, two is a significant number; twin sisters, two brothers, second chances, and a pair of unalike spirits all make for a haunting story.

Tatyana Ali pulls double duty as twins Laura and Connie, although their sisterhood is not revealed until later. In a chilling flashback, Laura dies after failing to wrangle the malevolent phantom hiding in her bedroom walls. In the present day, a new family has since moved into the house where Laura mysteriously died in a fire. Brothers Aaron and Dougie (Kyle Alisharan, Stuart Stone) are then menaced by the same otherworldly threat, and the only way to stop history from repeating itself is asking Connie to finish what Laura started.

Even hardened adults can agree this Are You Afraid of the Dark episode has some effective scares. The bad spirit’s gaunt makeup and a tatty cloak go a long way, as do the lighting and editing. The Creature of Darkness comes off as one of the most imposing monsters in the whole series.

Beneath the physical frights lies a stirring ghost story. Alisharan — whose real-life brother played fellow Midnight Society member Frank — and Ali deliver solid performances, with the latter especially manifesting her character’s remorse. The sentimentality adds to an already remarkable episode.

Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction (1997-2002)
Kid In the Closet

Children with an overwhelming fear of the dark can attest to closets being one of the most dreaded places in their bedroom. Windows can at least provide a modicum of natural light until dawn breaks, but all bets are off once a child is sealed inside a shut closet.

No segment in Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction stays as glued in people’s heads as “Kid in the Closet.” The interactive anthology only sometimes dabbled in overt horror, but when it did, the result was often horrifying. In only its second episode ever, the series suggested a creature was inhabiting young Danny’s (Jordan Warkol) closet. He spends most of his nights on the couch, but eventually his mother insists he conquer his fear and sleep in his room. One thing leads to another, and Danny’s jerk of a brother goes missing when he enters the fearsome closet, all in a bid to embarrass Danny in front of their peers. However, the joke is on him because he is never seen again.

The adults in these horror narratives tend to forget what it was like to be a kid. They do not necessarily summon these monsters, but they do end up making them stronger, one way or another. Danny’s mother is convinced this closet phobia is all a phase for her son, all the while ignoring her other son Brian’s (Colin MacDonald) abusive behavior toward Danny. She even asks in the opening narration, “Could I have done something to change things?”

The show claims this yarn is based on fact, yet a fan’s research concludes things happened much differently in the real-life basis. A boy really did “vanish” inside a closet; he did so by slipping out of a hole, then hiding out in a friend’s attic for a few weeks. So, much like a child with an overactive imagination, this Beyond Belief story gets carried away with the truth.

Just Beyond (2022)
My Monster

R.L. Stine‘s series of books Just Beyond inspired the newer Disney+ anthology of the same name. This is more of an “in name only” deal since very little of the source material wound up in the show itself. For instance, “My Monster” appears to be an original story.

After her parents’ separation, Olivia (Megan Stott) moves into her mother’s childhood home. She swears she is fine with both the divorce and the move, but as time goes by, it becomes clear she is far from okay. Making friends at school comes easy enough; not only is she immediately invited to a group hangout, Olivia is on the fast track to joining the cheerleading squad. Unfortunately, something is holding her back. When she least suspects it, a sinister creature only Olivia can see comes out of nowhere.

“My Monster” easily could have gone down the route of something more hoary, but the creators do the opposite. They also shirk subtlety and say the quiet parts out loud. While making the undertone explicit may sound like a lack of creativity, the execution is clever. And best of all, the scares, albeit juvenile ones, are not sacrificed to tell an important message.

Much like The Babadook, the monster here is a metaphor for internal issues. That movie is too heavy for the younger set, but Just Beyond ably puts the same big ideas in child-friendly terms. Adults certainly can get something out “My Monster” as well.

Series of Frights is a recurring column that mainly focuses on horror in television. Specifically, it takes a closer look at five episodes or stories — each one adhering to an overall theme — from different anthology series or the occasional movie made for TV. With anthologies becoming popular again, especially on television, now is the perfect time to see what this timeless mode of storytelling has to offer.

The post 5 Creepy Tales of Childhood Horrors from TV Anthologies [Series of Frights] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Focusing on only one plot at a time has its advantages; the full attention makes for better writing. Yet, variety also has value in anthology shows. A multi-storied episode, such as the following five, can keep the audience just as engaged, if not more entertained.

The Twilight Zone (1985-1989)
Gramma/Personal Demons/Cold Reading

Unlike the original show, episodes of the 1980s Twilight Zone revival were divided into two or three segments during the first two seasons. Season Three then saw the series adapt a more standard format.

This episode from Season One kicks off with its strongest offering; Barret Oliver from The Neverending Story plays a boy deathly afraid of his ailing grandmother. As his mother leaves the house during a stormy night, Georgie stays behind with the namesake of “Gramma“. Stephen King‘s short story provides the basis for this creepy chapter. Without giving too much away, the opener accumulates a glut of dread without showing too much of the sickly woman who strikes fear into her grandson’s heart.

“Personal Demons” finds an aging TV writer (Martin Balsam) in distress when he sees demons wherever he goes. Of course they are invisible to everyone else. Showing too much of the creatures gradually dulls their effect, but this middle story is a creative way of inspiring someone who suffers from writer’s block.

The last tale steps away from horror and runs toward absurdity. Taking a page out of the War of the Worlds incident from 1938, the humorous and imaginative “Cold Reading” follows a 1940s radio show where everything read aloud materializes inside the studio.

Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction (1997-2002)
House of Shadows/One Hand in the Till/Teasdale’s Motor Car/ The Vision/The Grave

The challenge of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction was determining the authenticity of five different stories. The series is not thoroughly horror, but the genre appeared in just about every episode. Even if a vignette was not exactly scary, it was at least weird.

The most suspenseful portion of this Season Four episode is served up first; a house-sitter experiences the scare of a lifetime in “House of Shadows“. The TV continues to switch to video of a man mixing concrete in a strange room. The sitter then recognizes the footage’s location.

“One Hand In the Till” features a case of astral projection; a father does the impossible to prevent his son from making a huge mistake. In “Teasdale’s Motor Car“, a man’s dream car becomes the source of his nightmares. “The Vision” is a classic case of someone trying to stop a portent coming to pass. Finally, “The Grave” is a low-key ghost story about a wronged dead man whose cemetery plot remains grass-free so long as his crooked wife and ex-partner are alive.

Of all the stories presented, host Jonathan Frakes claims only two are based on factual events. Both of these supposed incidents occurred sometime in the 1980s, according to the show.

Night Visions (2001)
The Maze/Harmony

After being rerun on the now-defunct Chiller network, Night Visions slipped back into obscurity. Today it is unclear if the 2001 show will see the light of day again. It would be a shame to have an anthology of this caliber be forgotten.

Fox simply had no faith in Night Visions, and as a result, it was discarded without much afterthought. The Sci-Fi Channel briefly came to the rescue in the days before the Syfy rebranding; several stories were compiled into a standalone feature called Shadow Realm. This collection includes “The Maze” and “Harmony“, which originally aired together as one episode in 2002.

Tobe Hooper does something odd in “The Maze”, and it is not the kind of oddness he was known for. Hooper actually gave the protagonist, played by Thora Birch, a happy ending with no dark strings attached. Her character is a shy college student who is afraid to step outside her comfort zone. Yet, getting trapped in a frightening alternate world after entering a hedge maze on campus scares her into changing. Hooper and writer Steve Aspis take the road less traveled in Night Visions; they leave on a hopeful note rather than a bleak one.

Meanwhile, “Harmony” is the complete opposite of the previous short. Timothy Olyphant‘s car breaks down in a small town where music is forbidden. Rulebreakers are also unduly punished. When this outsider challenges the status quo and questions the townsfolks’ unusual beliefs, he gets the rudest awakening. The conclusion of this tale is an all-timer for Night Visions.

Two Twisted (2006)
There’s Something About Kyanna/Finding Frank

Two Twisted is a sequel to the 1996 Australian anthology Twisted Tales, and it is produced by actor Bryan Brown. The stories in the 2006 show are paired up, with two to each episode. The premiere starts off with a seaside haunter called “There’s Something About Kyanna“.

Melissa George‘s character has moved into a secluded beach house along with her husband (Sandy Winton). The home, named Kyanna by its architect, has a secret underneath its beautiful exterior. Unbeknownst to its current occupants, this secret is why the house was on the market for so long.

The problem with having several standalone stories in one episode is the inevitable comparison. “There’s Something About Kyanna” is merely average when put up against something like “Finding Frank“, but scheduling it first helps smooth things over. The most glaring problem, though, is the underwhelming twist.

“Finding Frank” is definitely the better of the two segments. The title character (Garry McDonald) is set to retire from his security job, and on his last night, he is menaced by an unknown threat inside the building. The outcome is genuinely shocking.

Black Mirror (2011-2019)
Black Museum

Black Mirror is a large reason why anthologies are in fashion again. While it is unclear if the series will return in the near future, creator Charlie Booker helped revolutionize how people view self-contained narratives on television today. For many, his work is the new gold standard.

Booker switched things up in the finale of Season Four by having a trio of sub-stories as well as a wraparound. In “Black Museum“, Letitia Wright‘s character has time to waste as her car recharges, so she takes a tour of a nearby medical museum. The tour guide (Douglas Hodge) presents his one and only guest with three bizarre cases, with each one more disturbing than the last.

The first exhibit relates to a doctor (Daniel Lapaine) who tested an experimental implant; the device allowed him to feel others’ sensations. The doctor eventually becomes addicted to pain — be it someone else’s or his own. From body horror to sadistic violence, this segment does everything in its power to make the viewer uneasy. The next story recalls a comatose mother and wife (Alexandra Roach) whose consciousness is transferred to a part of her husband’s brain (Aldis Hodge). While this tale comes across as lighthearted, it still works in a sad ending.

The final case criticizes those who find pleasure in other people’s misery. In this piece, a death row inmate’s holographic image (Babs Olusanmokun) is available for torture at the Black Museum. How everything then wraps up only reaffirms how pessimistic Black Mirror is.

Series of Frights is a recurring column that mainly focuses on horror in television. Specifically, it takes a closer look at five episodes or stories — each one adhering to an overall theme — from different anthology series or the occasional movie made for TV. With anthologies becoming popular again, especially on television, now is the perfect time to see what this timeless mode of storytelling has to offer.

The post Horror in Segments: 5 Multi-Storied Episodes from TV Anthologies [Series of Frights] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Together, co-hosts Michael Roffman, Mike Vanderbilt, and Justin Gerber are hitting up the very best watering holes from all your favorite horror movies — 10 in all, in fact. Rest assured, there will be booze, there will be brawls, and, yes, there will be blood.

Stream the whole conversation below or subscribe via iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS. New to the Halloweenies? Catch up with the gang by revisiting their essential episodes on past franchises such as Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and Scream.

You can also become a member of their Patreon, The Rewind, for hilariously irreverent commentaries (e.g. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Gremlins, Child’s Play) and one-off deep dives on your favorite rentals (e.g. Saw, 28 Days Later, Manhunter, Near Dark). Each month promises something new and unexpected from the wildest corners of the genre.

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The post The 10 Best Bars in Horror Movies [Halloweenies Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

As evident in this set of horror stories from television, romance is nowhere to be found as the characters seek love in all the wrong places, or they find themselves on the receiving end of someone else’s sick infatuation. Cruelty, deceit and jealousy line these five distinct tales of deadly attractions from horror anthology television shows.

Night Gallery (1969-1973)
The Caterpillar

Starting things off is a notable episode about unrequited love. The second season of Rod Serling‘s Twilight Zone follow-up, Night Gallery, came to a close with one of the series’ most warped stories. Even famed genre filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has nothing but kind words to say on the episode’s commentary track.

Jeannot Szwarc‘s adaptation of Oscar Cook‘s “Boomerang” is set in Borneo during the rainy season. Laurence Harvey plays Steven Macy, a British expatriate staying at the secluded home of John Warwick (Tom Helmore) and his much younger wife, Rhona (Joanna Pettet). Steven, who cannot fathom why a beautiful twenty-something like Rhona is married to a man in his sixties, quickly turns lovesick. He then seeks help from a local named Tom Robinson (Don Knight); the handyman can have someone implant a deadly earwig in John’s ear canal. Unfortunately for Steven, a grave error is made.

Earwigs have a false reputation for consuming brains if they somehow reached the inside of someone’s ear. Since they cannot supposedly reverse themselves, earwigs would have no choice but to go forward in the canal until they reach the brain. Back in the day when this episode first aired, audiences were more likely to believe such a fearsome creature exists. The earwig is indeed real, but they certainly do not chow down on brains. Does any of this matter? Unless someone is a stickler for the details, this revelation has little bearing on the story. That goes to show how powerful “The Caterpillar” really is.

Steven is done in by his own entitlement, and the consequences of his gross behavior catch up with him in the most horrifying manner. Much like the earwig, this episode’s twist stays on the brain.

Darkroom (1981-1982)
Who’s There?

The short-lived horror anthology series Darkroom was hosted by James Coburn. It came and went with little attention, but there are some memorable stories to be found among the seven episodes aired. A segment from the finale fits the theme of soured romance.

“Who’s There?” is a short story wedged between two others; those being “Exit Line” and “The Rarest of Wines”. Here a concerned neighbor named Steve (Grant Goodeve) has the misfortune of hearing his neighbors, a married couple, argue every day in the apartment unit above his. Their quarreling is put on hold once the husband and wife (Michael Lembeck, Dianne Kay) leave town; Barry has an interview in Chicago, and Claire is visiting her mother. What should have been a break from the domestic din ends up being a night Steve will never forget after he hears a strange noise in the couple’s apartment.

The middle portion of Darkroom‘s last episode stands out because of the mark it leaves behind. As it turns out, the noise heard upstairs is Barry returning early from his trip. Now he sits in his kitchen, waiting for Claire to come home as well. He confesses to his neighbor what ails his heart and marriage, and Steve does his best to fix things. The story then takes a turn that viewers might have suspected all along. Even so, “Who’s There?” packs a big punch in spite of its small runtime.

This masterful episode is the combined work of director Paul Lynch and screenwriter Brian Clemens. Slasher fans recognize Lynch as the director of Prom Night, whereas ardent fans of British TV know Clemens from Thriller and The Avengers.

Grimm’s Fairy Tale Classics (1987-1989)
Bluebeard

Fairy tales in their purest form are not known for having the most wholesome relationships when viewed through a modern lens. Knowing that, their themes and morals still hold up after all these years. Reaching those lessons, however, often involves a journey fraught with grisly imagery and bizarre plot turns.

The Brothers Grimm provided most of the source material for a late-1980s anime called Grimm Masterpiece Theater. When the series was dubbed into English, it was retitled Grimm’s Fairy Tale Classics. The English dub was considered all but lost until recently when Discotek Media restored and released the entire series. Now fans can relive this unique adaptation of their favorite fairy tales.

Even though Grimm’s Fairy Tale Classics is not primarily horror, anyone familiar with old fairy tales, fables and myths knows these stories have their scary moments. One such example is “Bluebeard” (“Ao hi ge” in Japanese), a retelling of a famous French folktale. This anime interpretation sees a young woman named Josephine accepting the hand of a prince she has not even met. Her three brothers are wary and move their woodworking business closer to the prince’s castle so they can keep an eye on their sister. The prince, who is identified by his “blue” beard, tests his new wife’s obedience by forbidding her to open a locked room while he is away. When Josephine defies his order, she makes a horrible discovery.

This early example of domestic horror boasts a warning about greediness while also telling women not to abide by patriarchal rules. Disobeying her husband at first welcomes danger and fear, yet later Josephine is free from Bluebeard’s control.

Tales from the Crypt (1989-1996)
Loved to Death

The third season of HBO’s horror anthology classic Tales from the Crypt opened with “Loved to Death“, a popular episode about one-sided love. The basis can be found in issue 25 of EC’s Tales from the Crypt, and it is based on John Henry Collier‘s “The Chaser”. A vintage adaptation of Collier’s short can be found in the classic Twilight Zone show.

“Loved to Death” shadows an aspiring screenwriter named Edward (Andrew McCarthy), who has developed an unshakable crush on his neighbor, Miranda (Mariel Hemingway). When Edward cannot win her heart the old-fashioned way, he accepts a love potion from the reclusive landlord (David Hemmings). What seems like a dream at first swiftly turns into a nightmare after Miranda becomes Edward’s insatiable lover.

The episode is regarded for its shocking ending, where Hemingway’s Miranda pursues Edward in the afterlife. Her gruesome visage, the result of jumping out the window upon Edward’s death, is unique to Tom Mankiewicz and Joe Minion‘s version. This new aspect of the story underscores the fact that Edward never loved Miranda; he only loved her looks.

Stories like “Loved to Death” leave a bad taste in the mouth, but Tales from the Crypt never had much interest in playing nice.

The Twilight Zone (2002-2003)
Fair Warning

The 2002 The Twilight Zone has been disregarded by audiences and critics since it first aired, but looking back, the revival had value even if it never reached the great heights of the original series. What it lacked in groundbreaking insight it made up for in sheer entertainment.

Tina, Taryn Manning‘s character in “Fair Warning“, finds herself threatened by a stranger (Devon Gummersall) one night. The assailant, George, comes to Tina’s flower shop and says he is going to kill her unless she stops him. When the cops check the suspect out, alibis and a lack of physical evidence suggest the accuser is mistaken. Just as Tina starts to believe she is imagining everything, it becomes clear what is really going on here.

Although there is a shortage of doozies in this Twilight Zone, and a lot of other stories could be considered duds, “Fair Warning” floats closer to the middle than the bottom. The episode is engaging if not ridiculous.

What helps make this one more enjoyable than others is its reveal at the end. Is it absurd? Yes. Is it original? Maybe. Stalker laws are frustrating enough without the offender having a supernatural edge.

Series of Frights is a recurring column that mainly focuses on horror in television. Specifically, it takes a closer look at five episodes or stories — each one adhering to an overall theme — from different anthology series or the occasional movie made for TV. With anthologies becoming popular again, especially on television, now is the perfect time to see what this timeless mode of storytelling has to offer.

The post Loved to Death: 5 Twisted Tales of Deadly Attractions from Horror TV Anthologies [Series of Frights] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

At the heart of horror is family. Demons, ghosts, and monsters do not instill fear anywhere as much as a terrible family can. The horror genre regularly tears down the walls of what is deemed normal, and nothing screams “normal” like a nuclear household. Of course no one has the perfect parent or sibling relationship, but certain circumstances in horror make them more strained than usual.

So as much as family can be a blessing, it can often feel like a curse. The characters in this collection of TV anthology tales can attest to that opinion.

The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)
The Masks

Greediness almost always leads to downfall in horror, and families are not spared from this moralistic lesson. Rod Serling exposed one clan to a cruel fate in the iconic Twilight Zone episode “The Masks“. The story, directed by Ida Lupino, remains a classic for very good reasons.

Set on the night of Mardi Gras, “The Masks” centers on a dying old man, Jason Foster (Robert Keith), who ‘welcomes’ his family into his home for one last gathering. His relatives are as selfish and money-grubbing as they come, and soon their behavior will be judged. Before the eldest Foster passes on, he requests his family members each wear a grotesque mask until midnight. They live to regret his unusual demand.

By now, everyone probably knows the twist of “The Masks”. The outcome of this harsh parable has been etched into minds old and young because they understand its significance. Of course the chance of a mask rendering someone’s face monstrous is impossible. It is the idea that people’s grossest flaws can become permanently externalized that shakes viewers to their core.

Serling works so hard at emphasizing the episode’s cautionary aspects that he overlooks its characters. They feel like caricatures who some might not feel are entirely deserving of their punishment. Be that as it may, Serling and Lupino set a high standard for Twilight Zone at its most morbid and unkind.

Night Gallery (1969)
The Cemetery

Before Rod Serling’s Night Gallery became a full-fledged series, it began as an anthology TV-movie. The 1969 telefilm was essentially a pilot with an unmistakable format; several self-contained stories linked by Serling’s insightfully creepy narration. The eponymous location was also more minimal in appearance and space than the one seen in the eventual series.

Starting things off is Boris Sagal‘s “The Cemetery“, one of Serling’s scariest creations. Roddy McDowall plays an incorrigible swindler named Jeremy Evans, and he seeks his ailing uncle’s wealth. He does the expected and kills the sick old man, but his crime does not go unpunished. For Jeremy believes the ghoulish subject of his uncle’s painting is alive and moving all throughout the canvas until it finally breaks through to reality.

Of all the segments in the Night Gallery movie, “The Cemetery” is easily the most ghastly. The neighboring stories have their own merits, but the first one is overtly frightening with a patent method of suggested terror that still sends chills down spines today.

How the antagonist comes undone stands out in the vast world of comeuppance tales. McDowall’s dramatic performance as the despicable Jeremy is notable as well. Night Gallery truly outdid itself with such a macabre opener.

Dead of Night (1977)
Bobby

One of the most esteemed genre writers of yesteryear is Richard Matheson. General audiences know him best from his contributions in the original Twilight Zone as well as the film adaptations of his novels like I Am Legend and A Stir of Echoes. One of his lesser known creations — or really something they did not realize he was the mastermind behind — is the unforgettable story “Bobby” from Dead of Night.

While a good sum of Matheson’s works began as a novel or short story, “Bobby” is purely original and unique to this 1977 TV-movie. Dark Shadows and Trilogy of Terror creator Dan Curtis directed the made-for-television anthology for NBC while Matheson co-wrote two of the entries. “Bobby” is undoubtedly the most memorable of the bunch.

In “Bobby”, a grieving mother (Joan Hackett) resorts to the dark arts to end her pain; she brings her son, the segment’s namesake, back from the dead. The spell indeed revives her child, but Hackett’s character quickly learns something has gone wrong in the process. Bobby is not himself… or is he?

While other writers ignore the sage rule of “less is more,” Matheson lived by it. He points out Bobby’s abuse at the hand of his mother without necessarily saying so. Matheson trusts the audience to figure it out, and once they do, it stays under their skin. The conclusion of “Bobby” is as perfect as it is horrifying. And Curtis apparently liked this story so much he remade it in his 1996 TV-movie, Trilogy of Terror II.

Tales of the Unexpected (1979-1988)
Death in the Morning

Marrying into a family is never easy. Especially when the bride is notably younger than her groom, a wealthy man (Moray Watson). In this Season Five episode of Tales of the Unexpected, Karen (Cherie Lunghi) finds herself out of sorts after moving into her new husband’s country manor. At first Karen thinks she is simply having a hard time adjusting to her new surroundings, but she soon suspects someone is out to harm her.

Tales of the Unexpected hardly broached the supernatural like its contemporaries. It was more keen on psychological horror and manmade suspense. With “Death in the Morning” airing on Halloween, it only seems fitting to go the extra mile. John Gorrie‘s adaptation of Zia Kruger‘s story is a subtle one even by Unexpected standards. Further rewatches will reveal how sharply made it is.

What makes “Death in the Morning” so laudable is its touch of vagueness. Is Karen imagining her troubles or is there really evil in the works? Unexpected episodes in general had a bluntness to them, but here the dilemma is shrouded in fine mystique. Karen tries to fit into her husband’s life as best she can; she makes nice with his son, staff, and his friends. They are quite set in their opinions about the new wife, though. Yet are they resentful enough to kill Karen?

“Death in the Morning” negotiates reality and the supernatural by introducing the element of historical witchcraft with only the assumption of it being actively practiced by someone in the cast. It is handled with grace like most everything else here. Other episodes in the latter seasons of the series were on the brink of sordid, but this one comes across as much more refined in spite of its fiendish finish.

Monsterland (2020)
Eugene, Oregon

Family caregivers tend to be more depressed and alienated than the average person, and “Eugene, Oregon” from Monsterland grapples with that sad fact in a singular way. The episode is based on “SS” from Nathan Ballingrud’s short story anthology, North American Lake Monsters.

In “Eugene, Oregon”, a teenager named Nick (Charlie Tahan) is forced to drop out of school after his mother has a stroke and can no longer work. Nick’s struggle to pay their bills and afford medication leads him to an online forum after he spots ‘strange shadow’ people lurking in his house. His new support group, however, has ulterior motives for helping him.

The episode might appear to sympathize with the far-right extremists proliferating society today, but it actually tries to explain in understandable terms how these people reached such a point in their lives. The metaphorical use of shadows is clever; they are innocuous until someone like Nick’s online friends says they are not. From there someone like Nick is then indoctrinated into a radicalized group.

“Eugene, Oregon” is a heartbreaking and relevant story about a young person failed by multiple systems. His parents are either sick or absent, his school wants nothing to do with him after he drops out, and his job fires him. The saddest part is how Nick will never realize who the real monsters are in his life. The ones claiming him as family now are the ones willing to sacrifice him for their heinous cause.

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All 156 episodes of Rod Serling‘s “The Twilight Zone” are headed back to Blu-ray here in the United States, with Paramount releasing the entire collection on October 26, 2021.

This looks to be something of a “budget” release for the complete original series, currently up for pre-order for $72.99. You likely won’t find the series for any cheaper than that.

Along with every single episode in high-definition, the collection includes:

• Original pilot version with Rod Serling sponsor pitch
• Audio commentaries by cast & crew
• Interviews with cast & crew
• Audio commentary by “The Twilight Zone Companion” author
• Isolated music scores
• Radio dramas
• And more!

“The Twilight Zone has enthralled, captivated and mesmerized millions of viewers with its five seasons of provocative stories, unforgettable characters, and star-studded roster of talent. Now you can enjoy all 156 episodes of Rod Serling’s acclaimed series in one comprehensive collection on Blu-ray. That’s the signpost up ahead – your next stop: The Twilight Zone.”

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In this installment we remember “The Twilight Zone: Rod Serling’s Lost Classics.”

• Aired in 1994
• Aired on CBS

Ever since the original series ended in 1964, Hollywood has always been looking for ways to revive “The Twilight Zone.” While it’s mainly for the built in audience, it’s also because Rod Serling and Richard Matheson wrote some of the most timeless, enduring, and brilliant narratives of all time. They wove horror, fantasy and social commentary all in one and there’s never been a time where Hollywood didn’t seek to re-imagine the IP for a new generation. 

“Twilight Zone” was even being developed into a new feature film by Leonardo DiCaprio at one time, and there was also more recently the polarizing (now cancelled) Jordan Peele iteration. I’d bet big money that won’t be the last we’ll see of the fifth dimension anytime soon.

Back in 1994 we were granted a look at a new “Twilight Zone” property entitled “Rod Serling’s Lost Classics.” Although Serling was sadly long gone by that time, CBS took it upon themselves to take the pair of apparently “lost” Serling tales and package them as an anthology TV movie with Richard Matheson writing. Perhaps it would have led to a new take on the series? Who knows? The legend goes that Carol Serling, the widow of the late TV writer, discovered the pair of stories told here after Serling’s death in 1975. 

The title of the production, in and of itself, is a bit of a misnomer as while Serling is credited, both stories were written by Richard Matheson (who was still alive during this period) and include much of his influence. “The Theatre” primarily was (according to the article “Richard Matheson—Storyteller: The Twilight Years, Part II“) based around an alleged broader outline more than a short story by Serling; apparently Matheson then took it from there. 

With James Earl Jones taking the role as the film’s narrator (after the injection of the original series’ black and white opening credits), we’re given two fairly lackluster short films. That pains me to say, and maybe you could make the argument that perhaps you have to lower your expectations going in. But even with Richard Matheson on board, “Lost Classics” doesn’t really dig up a gem that is bound to knock you on your butt with a shocking twist like, say, “Time Enough At Last” or “To Serve Man.” 

The first tale is “The Theater,” starring Amy Irving and Gary Cole. Irving plays Melissa, a woman who is hesitant to commit to her boyfriend, as played by Cole. While out one night to see her favorite movie “His Girl Friday,” she sees herself projected on screen. As she keeps returning to the theater, she realizes her future (and possible fate) is being projected on to her, and she has to figure out how to beat it.

There are so many unanswered questions left by this segment once it’s over (what is the significance of the clowns?), and the overall theme feels fairly clunky. The whole idea about beating fate and our struggles with the concept of free will has been done to death in just about every anthology ever made. Despite the strong turns by Irving and Cole, the themes along with the weak plot twist land with a thud and make this one feel like a third tier episode of the eighties iteration. 

The second tale, “Where the Dead Are,” has a much more profound theme, even if it’s talky and glacially paced. Set in the late 1800s, we follow a brilliant doctor (Patrick Bergin) who is desperate to beat death. When he discovers an old man (Jack Palance) with the means to bring the dead back to life, he travels to a distant island to learn his secrets and gets so much more than he bargained for. Written by Matheson, “Where the Dead Are” has a satisfying Edgar Allan Poe atmosphere, with some strong turns by the cast. 

There’s also the ultimate question: if you could accomplish immortality, would you? Would you even if it meant leading a monotonous, routine existence? While the overall message is much more interesting, “Where the Dead Are” just isn’t worth the journey, and drones on and on until finally getting to the point. I guess you could admire what the producers were initially aiming for with “Lost Classics” (James Earl Jones is very good as the narrator, no surprise there), but in the end it’s very much a TV movie that doesn’t work to Matheson’s innate strengths. The narratives feel strained to build momentum and atmosphere, and the overall movie lacks the palpable menace and camp of the 1983 feature film.

“The Twilight Zone: Rod Serling’s Lost Classics” came and went without much fanfare in 1994 and is mainly known by the fan base as one of the many efforts to breathe new life into the property. All things said, even if you’ve never seen this before, I’d recommend it mainly for those who consider themselves part of the hardcore fan base; you’re just much better off with the original series, or even the 1985 reboot.

Is It On DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming? “The Twilight Zone: Rod Serling’s Lost Classics” is sadly only available for purchase on Region 2 PAL DVD, but it is readily available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video, in its uncut form.

The post “The Twilight Zone: Rod Serling’s Lost Classics” Attempted to Revive the Series for the 1990s [TV Terrors] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

While CBS All Access actually did want to continue on with a third season, which would have appeared on the newly rebranded Paramount+ later this year, the site reports that Jordan Peele and Simon Kinberg’s companies both walked away. 

Personally, I feel like the team behind “The Twilight Zone” completely missed the target and never tapped into the spirit of Rod Serling’s original black and white classic. Maybe Peele and Kinsberg felt the same or weren’t able to give the series the attention it needed in order to ascend to greatness?

If anything, Paramount’s desire to make a third season bodes well for the franchise’s future – maybe the series gets rebooted once again or we even finally get that long-gestating feature film that’s been in development for years?

Digressing, “Peele’s Twilight Zone ran for two seasons and 20 episodes and wrapped its run last summer when CBS All Access abandoned its weekly rollout to a binge model. The series, from CBS Studios and Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions, attracted an all-star cast, including Steven Yeun, Kumail Nanjiani, Rhea Seehorn, Sanaa Lathan, Adam Scott, Billy Porter, Jurnee Smollett and Chris Meloni, among others.”

If you haven’t seen it yet, Serling’s original “Twilight Zone” currently lives on the CBS/Paramount+ platform and carries some of the best sci-fi and horror stories ever told.

The post “The Twilight Zone” Reboot Series Ends After Just Two Seasons appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

A sudden burst of cold makes people feel physically vulnerable, but it can also shake their assuredness in knowing everything will be okay. That downturn in temperature challenges the order of everything accepted as normal. The everyday systems society lives by can be thrown into chaos by the first sign or snow or by a night so wet and frigid, stepping into that bitter terrain can feel like entering the vast unknown.

Sinister stories set around the winter holidays are widespread given the loneliness and despair that swell around that time of year. Yet, much like the icy winds, rain and snowfall that remain long after the Christmas trees and lights come down, horror lingers. 

Chilling tales like these might just leave someone frostbitten.

One Step Beyond (1959-1961)
The Haunting

Although ABC’s Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond debuted months before The Twilight Zone premiered on CBS, it was eclipsed by Rod Serling’s series in terms of popularity and, eventually, legacy. John Newland served as both the host and every episode’s director; each tale he presented was supposedly based on a real-life account.

“The Haunting” begins in the Swiss Alps where an engaged man, Colin (Ronald Howard), leaves his friend and best man Peter (Keith McConnell) to die in the snow because of unfounded suspicions. Upon returning to England for his wedding, Colin is then haunted by not only questions about Peter’s “accidental” death but also an unearthly presence that brings coldness wherever it goes.

Paranoia about his fiancée being unfaithful with Peter gets the best of Colin. No one suspects the groom of foul play, of course, but in addition to a supernatural punishment, he still has to hear all about Peter’s accomplishments and desirable attributes. Another character indirectly insults Colin by saying Peter’s death was strange because such a thing shouldn’t happen to a “big, strong man” and war veteran like him. Even though the best man is out of the picture, no one can stop talking about him.

A jealous friend and partner getting their just desserts is routine by today’s standards. Seeing past the episode’s inevitable predictability, those enamored with Old Hollywood’s nebulous depictions of ghosts will find pleasure in the episode’s sound design and general eeriness. Once the low-howling winds start to appear and signal the arrival of cold vengeance, “The Haunting” lives up to its apt title.

The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)
Nothing in the Dark

One fateful and snowy day, Wanda Dunn (Gladys Cooper) sees strangers lurking outside her basement apartment. Following a pair of gunshots and a plea for help heard from her doorstep, the frightened occupant then reluctantly brings in a wounded man (Robert Redford) little knowing how he might repay her act of kindness.

This episode was filmed for Season Two but was postponed along with “The Grave” to give “the series a running jump for Season Three,” according to Martin Grams Jr.’s The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic. Although Redford apparently was unhappy with his performance, “Nothing in the Dark” has gone on to become one of the series’ most profound episodes with an enduring theme to remember it by. Despite the episode airing nearly six decades ago, the main character’s debilitating sense of panic is particularly vital when trying to understand old-fashioned mindsets. Dunn, a person of another generation now incapable of accepting progress, would rather live in terror of the unknown than evolve and be more aware of what’s going on around her.

“Nothing in the Dark” is a one-location episode where the characters never leave Dunn’s dilapidated apartment; which feels more like a prison than a home because the woman is so trapped by her absolute fear of dying and a determination to live. Yet as she confides in Redford’s character Harold about her paranoia, she slowly accepts that it wasn’t the looming threat of “Mr. Death” that truly scared her. Rather, it was the prospect of change that inspired her self-imposed isolation from the rest of society.

George Clayton Johnson’s script isn’t a polemic against people who fight change. Rather, it makes a case, both frank and progressive, to help ease those like Wanda Dunn into thinking differently about the things they feared all along.

Night Gallery (1970-1973)
Silent Snow, Secret Snow

While the weather is chiefly warm in this adaptation of Conrad Aiken’s 1934 short story of the same name, the central character fantasizes about the wintriest of winters. The late Orson Welles narrates this downhearted segment about a boy whose flights of fancy consume him. In every waking moment, the young protagonist Paul Hasleman (Radames Pera) is daydreaming of a world unlike his own; for he stares into a snowglobe and covets that temporary tempest within. The heat and unsightliness of reality have become too unbearable, and ultimately, only the cold can comfort Paul.

Here, the main character regularly gets lost in the winter wonderland inside his mind. It all innocently begins with Paul stargazing into a snowglobe before his reverie becomes intrusive in real life. His parents look for medical advice, but of course, their boy isn’t physically unwell. On the contrary, what he suffers from is something entirely intangible. Aiken compellingly puts into words what depression can feel like when experienced by a child.

From emotional camouflage to symbolic rebirth, a heavy blanket of snow has multiple meanings in storytelling. Paul’s occupation with it is likely a response to an uneasiness that he can’t quite explain to those around him. As the writing might suggest — “Snow growing heavier each day, muffling the world, hiding the ugly” — snow is a panacea for Paul. Thinking of a storybook white winter, he can, for the time being, escape the apathy he has toward life.

Aiken’s most famous work provides the basis for one of Night Gallery’s most glaring successes. Welles’ delivery of the author’s prose, a poetic veneer that accentuates everything shown on screen, is a perfect touch. It’s thinly horror when compared to other offerings in the series, but Paul’s metaphorized and unresolved misery is as alarming as it is haunting.

Fear Itself (2008)
Skin & Bones

Director Larry Fessenden has never shied away from the lore of the Wendigo, and he brings his stock of knowledge about the mythical creature to Mick Garris’ Fear Itself. Set on an isolated ranch near the snowy mountains, a family anxiously awaits the return of their lost patriarch. Just as the uncle is about to start a search, his missing brother returns. However, he’s not himself and there are questions about his survival that cannot be easily answered.

Unlike his movies Wendigo and The Last Winter, Fessenden didn’t have a hand in writing “Skin & Bones;” Masters of Horror carryovers Drew McWeeny and Scott Swan are responsible on that end. Even so, the director’s intrigue with Wendigos is patent throughout the episode. He battles his way through middling dialogue and censorship, finally revealing one of the most depraved entries in the entire series.

Genre character actor Doug Jones plays Grady, a ranch owner who disappeared after going hunting with his friends. He makes his way home, alone, after ten days in the wild, but he was severely affected by the elements. His wife, two sons, and brother are all concerned with the state of his health — both physical and mental. After learning of how Grady survived the inclement weather, his family is fearful of the monster he’s quite literally become.

The story relies on a variation of the Wendigo myth about humans becoming said creature after committing cannibalism. Fear Itself had already visited the taboo topic in “Eater,” but the series takes the act even further here. Rather than showing Jones’ gaunt and demonic-looking character maim and consume someone on screen, he forces another person to prepare his next meal and then eat it with him. The scene in question is never especially gory; revulsion mostly comes from the power of suggestion. Still, Fessenden sprinkles in unambiguous moments like raw, bloody flesh falling into a pot of boiling water to further emphasize what’s actually unfolding in the episode’s tense denouement. “Skin & Bones” was a wicked highlight in this short-lived series.

Inside No. 9 (2014-)
The Stakeout

After his previous partner is murdered on the job, Constable Thompson (Steve Pemberton) relentlessly searches for the unidentified culprit. Meanwhile, his new partner Varney (Reece Shearsmith) joins him as they stake out a cemetery in hopes of catching the killer.

The cold open, showing Shearsmith’s character all bloody-mouthed and sitting in the backseat of a squad car, strongly suggests “The Stakeout” is a riff on brutally unhappy police procedurals. The episode even mocks itself by calling out police drama tropes like “the maverick loner who wants to solve one last case before he retires.” The thing with Inside No. 9 is, audiences are never quite sure what’s going to happen as the creators, Pemberton and Shearsmith, enjoy blending genres and toying with viewers’ perceptions until the last second. Season Five’s closer is no exception.

The central setting is a police vehicle identified as Oscar Nine, and to a large extent, the main characters stay put inside of that car. By not showing the dreary and wet outside world, “The Stakeout” can focus on the interiority of its key players without the distraction of other locations and events. A convenient game of Fortunately, Unfortunately helps to peel away at layers and get a better grasp of these two very different policemen.

As engaging as this character study is, the final act is blindsiding. The essential breadcrumbs are there, and they’re even restated matter-of-factly at the end. The success of Inside No. 9 hinges on rug-pulls, but “The Stakeout” stands alone. Now, whether or not that reveal works can be an issue; everyone’s mileage will vary when it comes to abrupt plot developments. While conclusions like this don’t have the same power the second time around, they make for an impressionable first-time watch.

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Kelly reveals in the chat that he’s been working on the Serling biopic “for several years,” with the film set to adapt the memoir written by the late Rod Serling’s daughter, Anne Serling.

“Well, that is a very special project. It’s a very ambitious project and we want to get it right,” Kelly explains. “We want to make sure we have the right talent and the right budget and all the elements need to be just perfect for that project to get made and we have such respect for Rod Serling’s legacy and the enormous footprint that he left in our business and in our culture. So, we’ve been working on that for several years. We’ve been working closely with Anne Serling, Rod’s daughter. I’ve adapted her memoir that she published about her father and his life and it’s a very ambitious approach to a biopic and it involves a lot of fantasy elements.”

Kelly continues, “There is a big fantasy science fiction concept in the sort of approach that we’re taking to try and tell the story of his life. So, that’s a really complicated, difficult needle to thread. We are definitely working on it and hopefully at some point, we’ll get that project off the ground and it’s really just about getting all of the elements to work. So fingers crossed that we’ll get there and we can really pay a tribute to Rod’s life in the best possible way.”

Anne Serling’s memoir is titled As I Knew Him: My Dad, Rod Serling, published in 2014.

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The three-disc collection features all 10 twisted and mind-boggling episodes of the sophomore season, including “A Small Town“, directed by Alonso Alvarez-Barreda.

In this episode, a quiet church handyman (Damon Wayans Jr.) uncovers a magical scale model imbuing him with the power to help his struggling small town. But with the sleazy Mayor Conley (David Krumholtz) taking all the credit, will Jason’s good intentions be corrupted? Natalie Martinez and Paula Newsome also guest star.

Bloody has a deleted scene from the episode in which Damon Wayans Jr.’s Jason Grant meets with Pastor Nichelle Del Rio (Paula Newsome) and discovers the whole town is without electricity. He realizes that it may be caused by the town’s welcome sign in the town model he has control over, and quickly acts to remove it.

“A Small Town” was written by Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes.

The post Deleted Scene from “The Twilight Zone: Season Two” Casts Darkness on “A Small Town” [Exclusive] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

It’s been an annual tradition for many years now for Syfy to air a marathon of “The Twilight Zone” in celebration of New Year’s Eve/Day, and this year is no exception!

The “Twilight Zone” marathon kicked off at 6am EST this morning (December 31st, 2020) and continues straight into the early morning hours of Saturday, January 2nd, 2021.

Here’s this year’s full schedule:

Thursday, December 31st:

• 6 a.m. ET – “Where Is Everybody?”
• 6:30 a.m. ET – “One for the Angels”
• 7 a.m. ET – “Mr. Denton on Doomsday”
• 7:30 a.m. ET – “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine”
• 8 a.m. ET – “Walking Distance”
• 8:25 a.m. ET – “Escape Clause”
• 8:50 a.m. ET – “The Lonely”
• 9:15 a.m. ET – “Judgment Night”
• 9:40 a.m. ET – “And When the Sky Was Opened”
• 10:05 a.m. ET – “What You Need”
• 10:30 a.m. ET – “The Four of Us Are Dying”
• 10:55 a.m. ET – “Third From the Sun”
• 11:20 a.m. ET – “I Shot an Arrow Into the Air”
• 11:45 a.m. ET – “The Fever”
• 12:10 p.m. ET – “The Last Flight”
• 12:35 p.m. ET – “The Purple Testament”
• 1 p.m. ET – “Elegy”
• 1:25 p.m. ET – “Mirror Image”
• 1:50 p.m. ET – “Long Live Walter Jameson”
• 2:15 p.m. ET – “People Are Alike All Over”
• 2:40 p.m. ET – “Execution”
• 3:05 p.m. ET – “The Big Tall Wish”
• 3:30 p.m. ET – “Nightmare as a Child”
• 3:55 p.m. ET – “The Chaser”
• 4:20 p.m. ET – “A Passage for Trumpet”
• 4:45 p.m. ET – “Mr. Bevis”
• 5:10 p.m. ET – “The After Hours”
• 5:35 p.m. ET – “The Mighty Casey”
• 6 p.m. ET – “A World of His Own”
• 6:25 p.m. ET – “King Nine Will Not Return”
• 6:50 p.m. ET – “Time Enough at Last”
• 7:15 p.m. ET – “Perchance to Dream”
• 7:40 p.m. ET – “The Hitch-hiker”
• 8:05 p.m. ET – “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street”
• 8:30 p.m. ET – “A World of Difference”
• 8:55 p.m. ET – “A Nice Place to Visit”
• 9:20 p.m. ET – “A Stop at Willoughby”
• 9:45 p.m. ET – “The Howling Man”
• 10:10 p.m. ET – “Eye of the Beholder”
• Thursday, December 31st – 10:35 p.m. ET
• 10:35 p.m. ET – “Night of the Meek”
• 11 p.m. ET – “Dust”
• 11:25 p.m. ET – “The Invaders”
• 11:50 p.m. ET – “The Man in the Bottle”

Friday, January 1st:

• 12:15 a.m. ET – “Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room”
• 12:40 a.m. ET – “A Thing About Machines”
• 1:05 a.m. ET – “Nick of Time”
• 1:30 a.m. ET – “The Lateness of the Hour”
• 1:55 a.m. ET – “The Trouble With Templeton”
• 2:20 a.m. ET – “Once Upon a Time”
• 2:45 a.m. ET – “A Quality of Mercy”
• 3:10 a.m. ET – “The Hunt”
• 3:35 a.m. ET – “Kick the Can”
• 4 a.m. ET – “A Piano in the House”
• 4:30 a.m. ET – “The Little People”
• 5 a.m. ET – “The Trade-Ins”
• 5:30 a.m. ET – “A Kind of Stopwatch”
• 6 a.m. ET – “A Most Unusual Camera”
• 6:30 a.m. ET – “Back There”
• 7 a.m. ET – “The Whole Truth”
• 7:30 a.m. ET – “A Penny for Your Thoughts”
• 8 a.m. ET – “Twenty-Two”
• 8:30 a.m. ET – “The Odyssey of Flight 33”
• 9 a.m. ET – “Mr. Dingle, The Strong”
• 9:30 a.m. ET – “Static”
• 10 a.m. ET – “The Prime Mover”
• 10:30 a.m. ET – “A Hundred Yards Over the Rim”
• 11 a.m. ET – “The Rip Van Winkle Caper”
• 11:30 a.m. ET – “The Silence”
• 12 p.m. ET – “Shadow Play”
• 12:30 p.m. ET – “The Mind and the Matter”
• 1 p.m. ET – “Two”
• 1:30 p.m. ET – “The Arrival”
• 2 p.m. ET – “The Shelter”
• 2:30 p.m. ET – “The Passersby”
• 3 p.m. ET – “The Mirror”
• 3:30 p.m. ET – “The Grave”
• 4 p.m. ET – “It’s a Good Life”
• 4:30 p.m. ET – “Deaths-Head Revisited”
• 5 p.m. ET – “Still Valley”
• 5:30 p.m. ET– “The Jungle”
• 6 p.m. ET – “Long Distance Call”
• 6:30 p.m. ET – “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?”
• 7 p.m. ET – “The Obsolete Man”
• 7:30 p.m. ET – “A Game of Pool”
• 8:00 p.m. ET – “The Midnight Sun”
• 8:30 p.m. ET – “Five Characters in Search of an Exit”
• 9:00 p.m. ET – “To Serve Man”
• 9:30 p.m. ET – “The Dummy”
• 10:00 p.m. ET – “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet”
• 10:30 p.m. ET – “Living Doll”
• 11:00 p.m. ET – “The Masks”
• 11:30 p.m. ET – “Jess-Belle”

Saturday, January 2nd:

• 12:30 a.m. ET – “What’s in the Box?”
• 1 a.m. ET – “I Am the Night – Color Me Black”
• 1:30 a.m. ET – “Sounds and Silences”
• 2 a.m. ET – “Caesar and Me”
• 2:30 a.m. ET – “The Jeopardy Room”
• 3 a.m. ET – “The Encounter”
• 3:30 a.m. ET – “Mr. Garrity and the Graves”
• 4 a.m. ET – “The Brain Center at Whipple’s”
• 4:30 a.m. ET – “Come Wander With Me”
• 5 a.m. ET – “The Fear”
• 5:30 a.m. ET – “The Bewitchin’ Pool”

The post “The Twilight Zone”: Here’s the Full Schedule for Syfy’s New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day Marathon! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The power of anthologies rests in their potency — the ability to entertain in a limited amount of time. This sounds easy in theory, but as anyone who’s ever created short fiction of any kind, they know otherwise. World-building, scaring, and enthralling audiences with so little time on the clock is never easy; standalone segments have to earn their existence more than longer features do.

One thing that certainly makes the traditional horror anthology show so attractive — the kind where the episodes are self-contained and disconnected to any kind of overarching plot — is the twist. This staple of bottled storytelling makes or breaks, accentuates, and immortalizes. While most episodes have this basic feature, some twists remain better than others.

The Twilight Zone (1959): “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?”

Rod Serling’s influential anthology gave a voice to unspoken concerns and progressive ideas that weren’t being expressed too often, if at all, on television at the time. The Twilight Zone also never forgot to entertain nor did its themes replace storytelling. A remarkable episode like “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” captures paranoia and xenophobia in under half an hour, and the witty ending is hard to forget.

State troopers investigating reports of a UFO discover footprints leading out of a frozen pond and to a nearby late-night diner. Inside, the passengers of a bus parked outside are each suspected of being the alien intruder. One by one, they’re cleared until the real culprit is revealed.

The Frighteners (1972): “Bed and Breakfast”

“Bed and Breakfast,” from the non-supernatural British anthology The Frighteners, meticulously unfurls the characters’ ulterior motives before setting loose a twist that no one could have foresaw. Audiences will be shocked by both the revelation and conclusion.

A couple driving through the countryside late at night stops at a remote house. After affixing a sign to a tree that claims the place is a B&B, the man and woman practically invite themselves into the owners’ home and demand a room for the night. The elderly residents begrudgingly allow the couple to stay, but they soon regret their generosity as their guests have sinister intentions.

Tales of the Unexpected (1979): “The Flypaper”

Although Roald Dahl’s work was the original basis of this anthology, the show quickly found inspiration elsewhere. “The Flypaper” continues the series’ history of tragic and harsh outcomes for the characters, but the episode is especially eager to please those looking for more brio in their dark twists.

News of a serial killer stalking children has a small community on edge. A girl is forbidden from talking to strangers, but on her way home from school, she’s approached by a suspicious man who she fears might be the murderer. The girl evades him thanks to the help of a kind woman, but that won’t be the last she sees of the man.

Tales from the Darkside (1983): “The Cutty Black Sow”

For four seasons, George A. Romero, Richard P. Rubinstein, and the rest of the Darkside staff gifted audiences with the most bizarre stories to ever grace television. Not every episode was as successful as the next when it came to surprising twists, but “The Cutty Black Sow” totally catches viewers off guard. This Halloween-set story delves into Gaelic folklore and uncovers a malevolent entity fairly unheard of outside of Europe. Screenwriter Michael McDowell (Beetlejuice), whose only directed work in the series is “Seasons of Belief,” does a faithful job of adapting Thomas F. Monteleone’s short story about family obligations and ancient evils.

Before she finally passes away, Jamie’s great-grandmother asks him to prevent her soul from being claimed by a horrific demon called the Cutty Black Sow. The creature then stalks the boy as he stays home alone on Halloween night.

The Ray Bradbury Theater (1985): “The Emissary”

This episode understands scares don’t necessarily equal horror. In fact, “The Emissary” is seemingly wholesome with no hint of anything nasty on the horizon; the story plays things close to the vest and gives viewers a nice surprise. Another bonus is the thoroughly autumnal setting — carnelian leaves decorate the town, jack-o’-lanterns sit idly in the background, and talk of trick-or-treating can be heard. And before anyone accuses Bradbury of siphoning the popular 1983 work of another renowned author of horror whose name shall not be mentioned to avoid spoilers, they should remember the short story this episode is based on, was first published in 1947.

A young, sick boy who can’t go outside has a dog who fetches him everything his heart desires. This includes a caring teacher who changes the child’s life in an astounding way.

Tales from the Crypt (1989): “House of Horror”

Filmed inside the derelict, looming house previously seen in Nothing but Trouble, “House of Horror” feels like a greatest hits collection of other Tales from the Crypt episodes. There are also several familiar faces here: Kevin Dillon, Wil Wheaton, Brian Krause, Meredith Salenger, Jason London, and Keith Coogan. This offering blatantly plants the makings of its first twist, but as the episode nears an end, you realize there’s more to the story.

A fraternity on probation is approached by a new sorority on campus; the frat is asked to become their affiliate. The pledgemaster instead asks the sorority members to accompany them to their pledges’ final ritual at an off-site location: a creepy, old house supposedly haunted by an ax murderer’s ghost. The initiation doesn’t go quite as well as everyone expected seeing as the venue isn’t exactly empty.

Goosebumps (1995): “Welcome to Camp Nightmare”

It’s pretty common for anthology stories to end things with a cliffhanger that suggests the characters are still in trouble; the same can be said for R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps. “Welcome to Camp Nightmare,” however, seeks some resolution while still raising more questions. The startling ending is essentially lifted from classic Twilight Zone, too.

Billy is having a miserable time at summer camp, but his experience only worsens with news of a horrible creature, Sabre, prowling the woods. There is also a cloud of mystery surrounding the “Forbidden Bunk” that may have something to do with all the disappearing campers.

Night Visions (2001): “A View Through the Window”

Actor Bill Pullman pulls double duty in his segment of Fox’s Night Visions; he both stars in “A View Through the Window” as well as directs it. The episode focuses on the military investigating an anomaly in the middle of the desert: an idyllic, lush farm, surrounded by an invisible force field, appears out of nowhere. Pullman’s character becomes so intent on finding an entrance into this strange world that he never stops to think what the other side could be like. It’s a guileful “the grass is greener” kind of story accented with an unkind ending.

Inside No. 9 (2014) – “The Devil of Christmas”

It seems unconventional to watch anything Christmas-themed outside of December, but horror also isn’t contained to one season. Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton’s acclaimed anthology is thoroughly eclectic; their stab at holiday horror features one of the show’s biggest rug pulls and some of the show’s best pastiche work.

In this Christmas special, a man (Derek Jacobi) provides audio commentary as the audience at home watches a ‘70s movie called “The Devil of Christmas.” The film sees an unpleasant fate unfold for the actors, who are playing an English family vacationing at an Austrian chalet.

Bobcat Goldthwait’s Misfits & Monsters (2018): “Goatman Cometh”

This short-lived anthology from stand-up comic and director Bobcat Goldthwait was largely comedic, but episodes like this are dipped in horror. The series’ creator is no stranger to the genre since he directed the Bigfoot movie Willow Creek; his distinct sense of humor is writ large in God Bless America. “Goatman Cometh” puts Goldthwait’s twisted mind to work and the results are wickedly fun.

Melissa Joan Hart plays a single mother who’s desperate for her young son to fit in and make friends. When she invites a few of his classmates over for a backyard campout one night, the kids are attacked by the infamous Goatman that preys on local children. Of course, things are not what they seem and the characters uncover something far more menacing than a supposed cryptid lurking in their neighborhood.

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Homes are an extension of our identities and make us feel like we belong to something. For more practical reasons, they also keep us safe from an outside world that isn’t always so nice. Even so, what about the household dangers that lurk behind corners, roam our hallways, or wait at the top of the stairs? Evil doesn’t always need an invite, after all.

Due to their short runtimes and quickened pacing, TV anthologies often rely on one-location settings. And episodes like the following strike fear into the heart because they’re proof that horror sometimes starts at home.

The Twilight Zone (1959): “Night Call”

Richard Matheson was a welcome addition to the Twilight Zone staff because his horror stories were like no other in the series. One of his spookiest is “Night Call,” an episode where telephone calls are the source of terror for a lonely woman. During a dark and stormy night, Miss Elva Keene receives an unsettling call from an unknown party. The phone company later traces the calls to a surprising source.

Matheson’s short story was notably changed for the television adaptation. In particular, the original ending was more vague and ominous. Here, audiences are left with more closure but also an undeniable sense of sadness for Miss Keene.

Night Gallery (1969): “Certain Shadows on the Wall”

A trio of bickering siblings wait for their ill sister to die so they can inherit her house and belongings. Upon her suspicious death, though, an immovable shadow shaped like the recently departed appears on a wall.

Mary E. Wilkins Freeman’s “Shadows on the Wall” is given the Night Gallery treatment, and Rod Serling embellishes the short story’s ending so that it feels more climatic than originally stated. As a result, we’re treated to a Gothic ghost story with a haunting resolution.

Shadows of Fear (1970): “Did You Lock Up?”

Being robbed is a traumatic experience because the one place we should feel secure, is now tainted and there’s little you can do to change that. Shadows of Fear avoided the supernatural and instead focused on the deep, dark regions of the human psyche. The premiere episode “Did You Lock Up?” begins with a couple feeling completely vulnerable after their house is burglarized. The husband then decides to do whatever he can to feel safe again — even if that means putting himself in harm’s way.

The episode brilliantly captures one person’s extreme coping mechanism. It seems easier to just leave the house until further notice, but Michael Craig’s character isn’t an easy man to deal with. In time, the audience learns just how far he’s willing to go to reclaim his security. By that, “Did You Lock Up?” ends on a chilling and incredibly dark note.

Circle of Fear (1972): “Doorway to Death”

William Castle’s Ghost Story renamed itself Circle of Fear and removed Sebastian Cabot as the host as part of an effort to save the show from cancellation. Although their strategy didn’t change the course of things, audiences at least found a few spooky, slow-burning stories like “Doorway to Death.” 

After a single father and his two children move into a city apartment, the son discovers an anomaly in the empty unit upstairs: a door leads to a snowy cabin where a mysterious man chops wood. Meanwhile, the daughter has prophetic dreams about the same foreboding scene.

Beasts (1976): “During Barty’s Party”

Nigel Kneale, the genius behind the Quatermass franchise and The Stone Tape, conceived this unique anthology that centered on various creatures. The episode “During Barty’s Party” sees an elderly couple whose home is invaded by aggressive rats. The rodents initially fester in the basement before making their way upstairs. Meanwhile, the husband and wife listen helplessly, waiting for help that never seems to come.

A dense layer of dread is spread across this episode as the only two visible characters crumble before our very eyes. The rats are never seen, but their presence is felt in every second of this minimalist, nerve-wracking story.

Tales from the Darkside (1983): “Halloween Candy”

Two of the most memorable episodes from George A. Romero and Richard P. Rubinstein’s anthology were directed by special effects guru Tom Savini; one was “Inside the Closet” and the other was the equally creepy “Halloween Candy.” The latter was about a cantankerous old shut-in who doesn’t believe in giving out candy to trick-or-treaters on Halloween night. When a goblin then goes away empty handed, he strikes back. 

Savini is known for crafting overt and tangible horrors like monsters and slashers but here his approach to terror is more calculated. The buildup eventually leads to a shivery and harsh conclusion for our curmudgeonly character.

The Twilight Zone (1985): “Acts of Terror”

Public service announcements, or PSAs, became popular in the 1980s; these messages often raised awareness about social problems like domestic abuse. And as usual, horror and other forms of genre storytelling were on the forefront when addressing these pressing topics. “Acts of Terror” spoke on the behalf of the abused in only a way that something out of the 1980s Twilight Zone could.

Louise is a devoted woman so mistreated by her husband Jack that she cannot even open a package from her sister without him getting upset. Inside the box, however, is a belated birthday present: a Doberman Pinscher figurine. When Jack’s violent and uncaring behavior doesn’t change, Louise’s innermost desire to finally escape materializes in the form of a real attack dog. The episode is not at all subtle, and it’s considerably heavier than others in the revival, yet “Acts of Terror” is also powerful and affecting.

Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction (1997): “House of Shadows”

House-sitting seems easy enough, but for the main character in this segment, the job’s not without its own set of problems. When a college student agrees to watch over a couple’s house while the husband goes to meet his wife on vacation, she experiences an unusual problem with the television. Footage of someone digging in what looks to be a basement continues to show up on the TV no matter what the house-sitter does; she can change the channel or turn the set off, and the same clip continues to play. It’s when she finally follows the weird noises inside the house that she gets some answers.

“House of Shadows” is another one of the show’s many eerie yet somewhat hopeful segments about the supernatural being more helpful than harmful. More importantly, though, is the story based on fact or fiction? According to Jonathan Frakes, it’s inspired by truth.

R. L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour: The Series (2010): “The Girl in the Painting”

The majority of Billy Brown and Dan Angel’s anthology for kids and young adults was original and not based on anything written by R. L. Stine — and quite often, episodes ended with a mean-spirited conclusion. “The Girl in the Painting” is no exception, either.

Bailee Madison’s character finds a painting in the trash and brings it home in hopes of brightening up her dull room. Her interest in the painting later borders on obsessive and her mother begins to worry. In the end, the girl realizes appearances can be deceiving in the most painful way possible.

Inside No. 9 (2014): “The Harrowing”

For £88, a teenager agrees to watch over an eccentric brother and sister’s house one evening; their bedridden brother is upstairs, but he likely won’t be a bother for the young house-sitter. Of course that all changes when the girl’s friend comes over and they explore the property. One thing leads to another and the owners’ dark secret is soon revealed.

At the time, “The Harrowing” was the show’s first true horror-themed episode. Inside No. 9 would only get more and more twisted with its horror stories, but this one was particularly nasty in spite of all the undisguised humor.

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The ghost is a staple in all kinds of storytelling. Whether it be a figurative device or a literal character, spirits haunt our homes and minds; their presence is a reminder of the great and intimidating unknown. Ghosts have been scaring people for generations, yet not every phantom, spirit, wraith or spectral plume is the same, nor do they all linger among the living for one singular purpose.

As seen in the following ten episodes, the ghost plays a significant role, and their message from the land of the dead is rarely friendly.

The Twilight Zone (1959): “The Hitch-hiker”

As familiar as the stories are now from The Twilight Zone, episodes like “The Hitch-hiker” are so ineffaceable. This classic chiller is based on Lucille Fletcher’s radio play that was first heard on The Orson Welles Show. The outcome is conventional by today’s standards, but “The Hitch-hiker” was well ahead of the game in 1960.

While the original play starred a male protagonist, Inger Stevens fills the role as Nan, a woman driving by herself on a cross-country trip. Her journey is delayed by the infrequent appearances of an ominous hitcher who appears wherever she goes. No matter what she does or where she’s at, he’s always there asking for a ride.

Night Gallery (1969): “The Ghost of Sorworth Place”

The Twilight Zone’s approach to the supernatural was rich in nuance, but Rod Serling’s successor series Night Gallery allowed for more overtly macabre stories concerning otherworldly characters and anomalies. Most episodes never quite raised goosebumps or clung to our memory banks like the aforesaid show ever did. Even so, there was a sense of ingenuity that audiences overlooked.

“The Ghost of Sorworth Place” is a subtle and uncanny segment about an American tourist who crosses paths with a beautiful and reclusive widow in Scotland. When the woman asks her guest to remove a ghost haunting her mansion, the tourist is dealt an unfortunate fate of his own.

Ghost Story (1972): “The Dead We Leave Behind”

Some might know this show as Ghost Story; others are familiar with its mid-season retitling of Circle of Fear. The sudden name change and retooling, all spurred by low ratings, made no difference seeing as the series was inevitably cancelled. While the viewership for this anthology was paltry, there are episodes that have aged rather well because of their brand of uncombed spookery.

One of the strongest episodes is “The Dead We Leave Behind,” a story that feels like it was ripped straight out of EC Comics, albeit with no blood or viscera in sight. This creepy chronicle of comeuppance is built upon a lousy husband who murders his wife as she tries to leave him, then buries her to hide the crime. He finally starts to see her image inside the television he so resented, but is this vision a byproduct of his guilty conscience, or has his wife’s ghost really risen from her grave?

Hammer House of Horror (1980): “The House that Bled to Death”

There is just some imagery that viewers can never, ever forget. A crucial scene in this Hammer House of Horror episode remains ingrained in collective memories not just because of a scene where children are showered in free-flowing streams of blood but because of its timeliness. By no coincidence, this episode aired a week after the Housing Act 1980 became law in the UK; homeowner status and greed were becoming national hot topics as the decade furthered along. And “The House that Bled to Death” is a clever and deceptive story that plays upon these themes with indelible results.

The episode takes place inside a run-down council home with a dark past. Upon moving in, a family is subjected to paranormal activity that appears to be tied to the home’s former resident.

The Ray Bradbury Theater (1985): “The Crowd”

A man survives his late-night car crash in spite of the intrusive bystanders who gathered at the scene, pulling at his injured body before help arrived. Their swift appearance in an otherwise empty area late at night raises questions. In his research, the survivor learns these very same onlookers have appeared at other accidents.

Ray Bradbury’s allegorical story is a chilling one because it examines people’s subconscious obsession with others’ misery and how everyone is susceptible to the same unsavory behavior.

Tales from the Crypt (1989): “Television Terror”

The forefather of trash TV, Morton Downey Jr., essentially played himself in one of the most gratifying episodes of Tales from the Crypt; “Television Terror” helped pioneer the first-person format that became prolific in millennium-era horror. This rousing story follows a tabloid show host as he and his crew visit an allegedly haunted murder house.

Crypt frequently leaned towards horror hilarity, but “Television Terror” provides more than just gallows humor — there are bonafide dread-inducing moments during Horton Rivers’ terrifying tour of the real-life Higgins-Verbeck-Hirsch House.

Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1990): “The Tale of the Quicksilver”

While ghosts weren’t always malevolent in Nickelodeon’s iconic horror anthology, the titular spirit in this classic episode is anything but nice. Tatyana Ali plays a set of twins torn apart by evil; only one lives to tell the “Tale of the Quicksilver.” After a tragic event forced the previous tenants to move out, a new family of four settles into their new home and incidentally awakens a lurking spirit. The two sons, Aaron and Doug, occupy the bedroom with a sinister past. As Doug becomes mysteriously ill, his older brother befriends a classmate named Connie (Ali); she and her sister once lived in the house that his family moved into. Her late twin’s sudden demise is related to the supernatural phenomena that has now attached itself to Doug.

“Quicksilver,” a genuine campfire tale chock full of ghoulish and lasting scares as well as tender bits, still holds up to this day as one of the best episodes in the show’s entire run.

Inside No. 9 (2014): “Dead Line”

Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton’s ongoing series plays in many sandboxes — from comedy to suspense, Inside No. 9 is one of the more remarkable anthologies to ever air on television. Their 2018 Halloween special “Dead Line” is just an example of the duo’s brilliance when it comes to writing horror. In the same vein as BBC One’s notorious Ghostwatch, the live episode was a cunning and ambitious event that no one could have foresaw. The final product is a delight even for today’s more cynical viewers.

“Dead Line” has a routine start before technical difficulties lead to a rollercoaster of doubt and thrills for the audience. Combining the supposed paranormal activity of real-life Granada Studios with media smoke screens — before the special aired, The Sun reported that Inside No. 9 had suspended filming at Granada because of the location’s haunted history — the episode is a sinuous ghost story.

Ghost Theater (2015): “Ruins”

To promote Hideo Nakata’s movie Ghost Theater, a tie-in series was produced for television. Almost every self-contained episode is about ghosts, and some star notable Japanese idol celebrities. The most standout entry was “Ruins,” a story about a family of four getting stranded near an abandoned building after their car breaks down. The same place happens to be home to an urban myth known as the Bandage Woman, who resembles the fabled Kuchisake-onna.

“Ruins,” partially shot found-footage style, uses several in-camera visual effects to generate an effective, jumpy moment or two.

50 States of Fright (2020): “The Golden Arm (Michigan)”

As part of Quibi’s 50 States of Fright anthology, Sam Raimi and his brother Ivan tackled the obscure folktale “The Golden Arm” that many people know of because of Mark Twain. Most forms of this regional legend entail a man’s wife whose golden arm is stolen from her grave following her death; she then returns to haunt him. The Raimis focus on a variant of the story where the wife receives her golden prosthetic limb only after a terrible accident ends in amputation. Eventually, the husband needs to find a way to pay off his debt, and his choice of separating his late wife from her beloved golden arm yields a ghastly reunion.

Sam Raimi knows when he needs to reel in his gruesome, trademark campiness. The tail end of “The Golden Arm” is a prime example of traditional spooky storytelling.

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When Jordan Peele rebooted the series last year, critics and audiences alike agreed his version fell short of imposing expectations. Seeing as the 1959 series tackled topics that its contemporaries — largely escapist and family-friendly fare — dare not bring up, doing the same thing but in a modern setting just did not work in the reboot’s favor. Heavy-handed social messages frequently superseded creative storytelling, and any sort of intrigue was either minimal or absent altogether.

Unlike the first season, the second’s arrival was more downplayed. Another change was its scheduling habit; all ten episodes were simultaneously released. Season Two was already off to a curious start. Yet, as everyone worked their way through the episodes, the wary ones couldn’t help but feel like things were going to be different this time around.

While Season Two isn’t outstanding all across the board, the various improvements and a greater consistency in quality make the Twilight Zone‘s return all the more enjoyable.

10. The Who of You

Directed by Peter Atencio
Written by Win Rosenfeld

An out-of-work actor (Ethan Embry) develops the uncanny ability to switch consciousnesses with other people after he fails to rob a bank. However, this experience is nothing short of traumatizing as his tormented mind is passed around from stranger to stranger with no end in sight. In the meantime, a cop (Daniel Sunjata) wants to arrest him for the attempted robbery, but he can only do so if the suspect is returned to his rightful body.

As much as body swapping is a cliché nowadays, the device can work under the right conditions. Audiences will surely feel every misstep in the protagonist’s fraught and agonizing mind trip; the sharp, if not peculiar, twist near the end is worth a mention. On the downside, the plot wears thin, and Billy Porter is incredibly underused as an all-seeing swindler. The theme of feeling like you’re trapped in someone else’s skin is also not lost on viewers — the new Twilight Zone definitely understands that sentiment.

9. A Small Town

Directed by Alonso Alvarez-Barreda 

Written by Steven Barnes & Tananarive Due

The snowy hamlet of Littleton is in need of serious fixing, but the lousy mayor (David Krumholtz) is too inept for that kind of undertaking. That is, until the former mayor’s widower (Damon Wayans Jr.) finds a scale model replica of the town. As he tinkers with what he assumes to be just a toy, he magically repairs all that’s broken in the real town. The mayor then decides to take credit for something he obviously didn’t do.

The most important thing to say about Season Two is that there are no outright bad episodes. Something like “A Small Town” is modest. Maybe too much. Besides some noteworthy visual effects — the massive spider is a sight to behold — the story comes off as a tad too plain.

8. Ovation

Directed by Ana Lily Amirpour
Story by David Weil
Teleplay by Emily C. Chang & Sara Amini

A struggling singer (Jurnee Smollett) is handed a strange coin before the gifter, a famous musician (Sky Ferreira), dies in front of her. Now, the singer is offered the chance of a lifetime as she’s cast in a televised talent show. Audiences all around love her, but looking beyond their unconditional devotion, she sees something unnatural and scary about the world as well as herself.

Although exposing the dark and disposable side of fame is nothing new, “Ovation” breathes just enough life into an old chestnut that it entertains on the most fundamental levels.

7. A Human Face

Directed by Christina Choe
Written by Alex Rubens

In this one-location story, a couple (Jenna Elfman and Christopher Meloni) discovers an alien in their house following a cosmic flare. The creature absorbs their dead daughter’s (Tavi Gevinson) memories and replicates her appearance. The parents are then given a life-changing choice.

Again, the show chooses clarity over complexity. It is easy to write another harrowing alien invasion tale, but “A Human Face” takes a completely different route. The ending here is truly bittersweet.

6. You Might Also Like

Directed and written by Osgood Perkins

One of the best things about the reboot has been its desire to reference the classic series through easter eggs and sight gags. “You Might Also Like” continues the tradition but goes one step further. In the episode, a housewife (Gretchen Mol) looks to acquire a new product that is intended to make life easier. As she and others later learn, the device’s creators have different plans for their consumers.

Osgood Perkins’ overwhelming affinity for triangles is front and center in the season’s closing episode. His knack for the unconventional is present, too. This is genuinely the weirdest and most confounding offering in the reboot so far. The callbacks to the 1959 show are appreciated, and the episode looks like it was fun to make. Be that as it may, “You Might Also Like” is a certifiable head scratcher that banks on its sheer kookiness and visual appeal.

5. Downtime

Directed by JD Dillard
Written by Jordan Peele

From Philip K. Dick to the Wachowskis, sci-fi authors and auteurs have suggested our lives are nothing more than artificial realities. Jordan Peele lends his skills as a writer in this astoundingly pensive episode. “Downtime” begins with a recently promoted hotel manager (Morena Baccarin) learning her world is nothing more than an invention of technology.

“Downtime” may come off as simple, but it’s affecting. It is thoughtful and just the kind of story that the original Twilight Zone would have come up with.

4. Try, Try

Directed by Jennifer McGowan
Written by Alex Rubens

“Try, Try” addresses a pressing topic in today’s social climate, but it does so without the clumsiness of Season One’s “Not All Men.” A meet-cute goes terribly wrong for a woman (Kylie Bunbury) when her savior (Topher Grace) turns out to be a creepy stalker who is reliving the same day over and over.

One shouldn’t mistake this episode as the show going back to its old ways; “Try, Try” is infinitely more clever than that. The stark conclusion and Jordan Peele’s revealing and astute narration — Grace’s character is just as trapped as his victim — are nothing short of brilliant.

3. Meet in the Middle

Directed by Mathias Herndl
Written by Emily C. Chang & Sara Amini

A man (Jimmi Simpson) suddenly hears a stranger’s (Gillian Jacobs) voice in his head one day; she hears him, too. From there, the two engage in a physically distant relationship that can never be anything more so long as they’re apart. Regardless of the obstacles before them, the two agree to finally meet.

Audiences anxiously wait for the other shoe to drop in “Meet in the Middle,” an insidious story about twin souls. Viewers will linger over the chilling ending long after Peele’s closing statement.

2. 8

Directed by Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead
Written by Glen Morgan

At the bottom of the ocean, a team of researchers look for displaced sea creatures. They find a unique species of octopus that is highly coveted by a pharmaceutical company. Capturing the dangerous and elusive mollusk will be no easy task, though.

Season Two has been positively diverse when it comes to the kinds of stories it tells. X-Files alum Glen Morgan, also one of the reboot’s executive producers, wrote some of the better episodes last season (“A Traveler,” “The Blue Scorpion”). Here, he crafts an expertly oddball story which Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, the great minds behind The Endless, punctuate with deep-sea dread. “8” distinctly belongs in the aquatic horror category with elements of Alien thrown in for good measure. It’s ambitious and risky; this is the kind of experimentation the new Twilight Zone can benefit from. As absurd as an episode about a hyper intelligent, killer octopus sounds, it’s hands down one of the season’s standouts.

1. Among the Untrodden

Directed by Tayarisha Poe
Written by Heather Anne Campbell

At a boarding school, a new student (Sophia Macy) is bullied by her classmates. When she realizes one of them (Abbie Hern) has psychic abilities, the two become secret friends. In exploring the other’s extraordinary talents, the new girl makes an unsettling discovery about herself.

“Among the Untrodden” is an impressive depiction of teenage growing pains seen through a supernatural lens. It’s more raw and straightforward than other episodes in the season, but the ending is absolutely devastating and startling.

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Exclusively available on CBS All Access, all of season two drops at once, versus the weekly episode release schedule of The Twilight Zone’s inaugural season. The new season kicks off with “Meet in the Middle”, a meet-cute tale starring Jimmi Simpson and Gillian Jacobs, directed by Mathias Herndi and penned by Emily C. Chang and Sara Amini. Simpson’s Phil is a lonely bachelor longing to find the one, subjecting himself to awkward dates from online matches. It’s in the middle of one particularly uncomfortable date that he forges an unexpected and random telepathic connection to a stranger named Annie (Jacobs), a woman living in a different part of the country. Their link sparks a full-blown romance, but in this show, nothing is ever quite as it seems.

With the relationship all internal, much of this episode requires Simpson to do the heavy lifting. While the relationship evolves through playful banter inside Phil’s head, it’s up to Simpson to physically convey the evolution of their romance on his own. He’s more than up to the task, as his range of expression and physicality effectively gives rooting interest in Phil’s ultimate happiness. The downside, though, is that the bulk of the episode spends so much time building the quieter moments that it’s a bit of a slow-burn. One that crescendos into a satisfying though predictable conclusion.

Episode two’s “The Who of You” picks up speed with a fun meditation on empathy via body-swapping. Directed by Peter Atencio and written by Win Rosenfeld, this episode stars Ethan Embry as struggling actor Harry. Tired of not being given the chance he feels he deserves, Harry makes a bold, risky move to claim what he’s owed. It results in a bizarre body-hopping journey with the police on his trail. Embry’s energy level, combined with the zippy pacing, makes this episode an enjoyable one. Billy Porter steals his brief appearance, transforming exposition into a potent moral lesson.

The Osgood Perkins-directed/written episode “You Might Also Like” stars Gretchen Mol as a housewife excited about the latest home product release designed to make everyone’s life so much easier. As she begins to notice she’s losing track of time, however, she sees that perhaps this new product might be hiding an unsavory truth. Of the three episodes, “You Might Also Like” delves the farthest into the genre space, delivering a mind-bending journey into sci-fi with a little bit of horror thrown into the mix. It’s also one that ties directly into the original series, acting as a riff on 1962’s “To Serve Man” episode.

The craftsmanship and talent involved with this modern reboot are top-notch. The well-acted and produced episodes carry forth Serling’s modus operandi of wrapping socially relevant parables in engaging suspense, sci-fi, and horror packaging. It’s far less successful at continuing the original series’ reputation for compelling twists, though. Many of the twist endings here feel easily foreseen or like tacked on afterthoughts. The extended length of the episodes in comparison to the original series might contribute to that. As a result, some of the episodes suffer from bloat.

There’s a ton of potential for season two with episodes by notable genre names like Ana Lily Amirpour (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night), J.D. Dillard (Sweetheart), and Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead (The Endless, Spring) still on the horizon. There’s also a lot of potential for season two to reach the same highs that episodes like last season’s “Replay” delivered. For now, though, season two is off to a mixed start.

All of “The Twilight Zone” season two drops exclusively on CBS All Access on June 25, 2020.

The post [Review] Season 2 of “The Twilight Zone” Is Off to a Mixed Start appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Bloody Disgusting has a first-look at the reboot series’ “You Might Also Like”, featuring the return of the Kanamits in an episode written and directed by horror favorite Osgood Perkins (The Blackcoat’s Daughter, Gretel & Hansel).

The Kanamits were seemingly friendly visitors to Earth until their sinister intentions were revealed – they weren’t looking to help man, but actually eat them.

“You Might Also Like” follows stay-at-home housewife Mrs. Warren (Gretchen Mol) as she looks forward to acquiring the widely marketed ‘Egg,’ an enigmatic device that promises to make everything better for everyone forever. But further investigation soon reveals the unsavory truth about this mysterious product.

Greta Lee also guest stars.

You can binge all of the new “The Twilight Zone” episodes tomorrow on CBS All Access.

The post Classic “The Twilight Zone” Episode ‘To Serve Man’ Gets a Sequel [Images] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Fans can reenter “The Twilight Zone” this summer when Season 2 premieres next Thursday, June 25th.

All 10 episodes of the original anthology series will drop at once.

Click here to check out the full trailer and read details on several of the episodes, directed by the filmmakers behind Spring, Sweetheart, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night and even Gretel & Hansel.

The post Jordan Peele Introduces New “The Twilight Zone” Footage [Video] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

But don’t worry, because in addition to independent horror films there are a lot of high profile debuts to excite you, including the long-awaited release of one of the most anticipated video game sequels ever!

The screaming begins on June 4, when the acclaimed documentary Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street premieres on Shudder. The film explores the unusual legacy of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge – a sequel which was originally derided, but later earned a cult following as a queer horror classic – and the impact it had on the film’s star, Mark Patton. Bloody-Disgusting critic Trace Thurman reviewed the film out of Fantastic Fest, and hailed it as “simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking.”

Or, if you’re looking for something brand new on June 4, you can open up the ol’ Crackle app and watch the new zombie thriller The Clearing, starring Liam McIntyre as a man trying to save his daughter as the zom-pocalypse begins.

You only have to wait one day for the next big wave of new horror movies, and they might just surprise you. Becky stars Lulu Wilson (The Haunting of Hill House) as young girl who must fight off an evil Kevin James (yes, THAT Kevin James). You can see how the comedian fares in a horror-thriller on VOD (and select drive-in theaters) on June 5.

Also on June 5, Elisabeth Moss (The Invisible Man) plays one of the greatest horror writers of the 20th century in Shirley. Moss plays Shirley Jackson, the author of The Haunting of Hill House and The Lottery, who draws inspiration for her latest, harrowing novel from a new houseguest. Directed by Josephine Decker (Madeline’s Madeline) and co-starring Odessa Young, Logan Lerman and Michael Stuhlbarg, it’s the film Bloody-Disgusting’s Meagan Navarro called “a spellbinding psychodrama that bends reality.”

But wait, there’s more! Pontypool director Bruce McDonald returns with the new thriller Dreamland on VOD on June 5. Dreamland stars Juliette Lewis, Henry Rollins and Stephen McHattie in a film about a killer hired to take the finger of a legendary jazz musician.

June 9 brings two more horror films to VOD and DVD, and one of them comes with snacks! The Candy Witch is about an evil urban legend with a hook hand. And if that sounds familiar, remember that the remake of Candyman was supposed to come out in June but got delayed by the pandemic, so this mockbuster from the director of Pet Graveyard (get it?) is actually beating the “buster” to the punch by a VERY long time. Also on VOD and DVD on June 9 is the thriller Outback, about a couple who get lost in the Australian wilderness and have to find their way home on foot.

Netflix jumps into the monthly horror fray on June 10 with Reality Z, a Brazilian remake of the cult favorite British horror comedy Dead Set. Like the original, Reality Z shows what happens to the secluded cast of a reality TV series when the zombie apocalypse strikes. Also coming to Netflix on June 10 is the Italian horror series Curon. In the series, “Seventeen years after the tragic events that forced her to leave Curon, a woman returns home with her twin children. They soon discover that the town is cursed: when you hear the bells of the old church tower ringing, repressed feelings come back to the surface.”

Thursday, June 11 brings with it a new supernatural horror story on Shudder, with an unexpected twist. Warning: Do Not Play tells the story of an aspiring filmmaker who learns of the existence of a movie that was shot by a ghost. The South Korean film is the latest from Kim Jin-won, the director of 2007’s The Butcher.

If it’s a new month, there must be a new episode of Into the Dark, the Hulu series of holiday-themed horror features from Blumhouse. In honor of Pet Appreciation Week, the June 12 thriller Good Boy stars Judy Greer as a woman whose emotional support dog is killing the people who add anxiety to her life. Good Boy comes from director Tyler McIntyre (Tragedy Girls) and co-stars Ellen Wong and Maria Conchita Alonso.

Also on June 12, the South African supernatural thriller The Soul Collector debuts on VOD. The film tells the story of an old man who’s doomed to collect souls for eternity, and the family who unwittingly turns up in his path.

Over on Netflix on June 13, a new television series based on the works of best-selling thriller writer Harlan Coben arrives on Netflix. Harlan Coben’s The Woods is a six-part Polish production that tells the story of a prosecutor whose sister mysteriously disappeared 25 years ago, but the discovery of a new body suggests she might still be alive.

A cab driver accidentally winds up in a war against the forces of evil in Driven, a new thriller arriving on VOD on June 16. The film stars Casey Dillard, who also wrote the screenplay, and the pitch makes it sound like a supernatural version of Collateral.

Shudder has a very special Scare Package for you on June 18! The horror-comedy anthology film takes place in a video store, where tales are told that highlight and subvert all your favorite horror movie clichés. The film co-stars Noah Segan and Baron Vaughn, who also make their directorial debuts on segments of the anthology. Meredith Borders reviewed Scare Package for Bloody-Disgusting and said the film is “gory and silly as hell” and also says, perhaps most importantly for anthology film fans, “you won’t find any weak links here.”

Also on June 18, Netflix debuts the second season of The Order, a horror fantasy series about werewolves at war with magicians. But you’ll want to watch that quickly, because June 19 brings with it one of the biggest premieres of the month: The Last of Us: Part II, the sequel to the acclaimed blockbuster video game about post-apocalyptic survival. The game is a PlayStation 4 exclusive, so dust off that console if you haven’t been playing much lately. (Actually, dust it off anyway. When was the last time you dusted?)

Back in the world of television – like, ACTUAL television, not just streaming – the second season of NOS4A2 debuts on AMC on June 21. And in the world of streaming, albeit on a service based on a television station, the second season of the recently rebooted The Twilight Zone debuts on June 25 on CBS All Access. This season’s cast includes Ethan Embry, Billy Porter, Sky Ferreira, Jimmi Simpson, Jurnee Smollett, Topher Grace, Chris Meloni and many more!

Back in the realm of streaming, June 25 brings with it the Shudder film Yummy, a gory Belgian horror film about an undead, flesh-eating outbreak at a plastic surgery clinic. And closing out the month on Netflix, June 27 debuts the third and final season of the acclaimed German Netflix series Dark, about missing children and time travel!

And of course, as always, there are surely some surprises ahead in the month of June. So stay tuned to Bloody-Disgusting for more announcements and updates!

• June 4th – Scream Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street, Shudder
• June 4th – The Clearing, Crackle
• June 5th – Becky, VOD & Drive-In Theaters
• June 5th – Shirley, VOD
• June 5th – Dreamland, VOD
• June 9th – The Candy Witch, DVD/VOD
• June 9th – Outback, DVD/VOD
• June 10th – “Reality Z,” Netflix
• June 10th – “Curon,” Netflix
• June 11th – Warning: Do Not Play, Shudder
• June 12th – “Into the Dark: Good Boy,” Hulu
• June 12th – The Soul Collector, VOD
• June 13th – “Harlan Coben’s The Woods,” Netflix
• June 16h – Driven, VOD
• June 18th – Scare Package, Shudder
• June 18th – “The Order” Season 2, Netflix
• June 19th – The Last of Us: Part II
• June 21st – “NOS4A2” Season 2, AMC
• June 25th – “The Twilight Zone” Season 2, CBS All Access
• June 25th – Yummy, Shudder
• June 27th – “Dark” Season 3, Netflix

The post Summer Screams: 21 New Horror Movies, TV Shows and Video Games to Scare You Silly in June appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

All 10 episodes of the original anthology series will drop at once.

They’ve also shared the first trailer and poster art that gives us a look at several of the episodes, directed by the filmmakers behind Spring, Sweetheart, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night and even Gretel & Hansel.

Executive producers Jordan Peele and Simon Kinberg’s modern re-imagining of the classic brings the original series’ legacy of socially conscious storytelling to new audiences, exploring the human condition and holding a lens up to the culture of our times. The series’ second season will use introspection and the exploration of self to usher viewers into a familiar dimension.

Peele will return as the host, joining a stellar guest cast, including Morena Baccarin, Kylie Bunbury, Jenna Elfman, Sky Ferreira, Tavi Gevinson, Topher Grace, Tony Hale, Gillian Jacobs, David Krumholtz, Thomas Lennon, Sophia Macy, Natalie Martinez, Joel McHale, Chris Meloni, Gretchen Mol, Paula Newsome, Jurnee Smollett, Billy Porter, Jimmi Simpson, Daniel Sunjata, Damon Wayans Jr., and more.

Check out episode details and first images below.

Season two cast and episode titles, in no particular order, include:

Episode: “8”

Starring (previously announced) Joel McHale (“Community,” “Stargirl”) and Brandon Jay McLaren (“UnREAL,” “Graceland”)

Written by Glen Morgan

Directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead

Episode: “A Small Town”

Starring Damon Wayans Jr. (“Happy Endings,” “Let’s Be Cops”), David Krumholtz (“The Deuce,” “Evel”), Natalie Martinez (“Reminiscence,” “The I-Land”), and Paula Newsome (“Barry,” “Chicago Med”)

Written by Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due

Directed by Alonso Alvarez-Barreda

Episode: “Try, Try”

Starring Topher Grace (“Blackkklansman,” “Black Mirror”) and Kylie Bunbury (“When They See Us,” “Pitch”)

Written by Alex Rubens

Directed by Jennifer McGowan

Episode: “You Might Also Like”

Starring Gretchen Mol (“Boardwalk Empire,” “Manchester by the Sea”) and Greta Lee (“Russian Doll,” “High Maintenance”)

Written and Directed by Osgood Perkins

Episode: “Ovation”

Starring Jurnee Smollett-Bell (“Birds of Prey,” “Lovecraft Country”), Tawny Newsome (“Space Force,” “Lower Decks”), Sky Ferreira (“Baby Driver,” “Twin Peaks”), Paul F. Tompkins (“BoJack Horseman,” “Comedy Bang! Bang!”), and Thomas Lennon (“Reno 911!” “Night at the Museum” franchise)

Written by Emily C. Chang and Sara Amini

Directed by Ana Lily Amirpour

Episode: “Downtime”

Starring Morena Baccarin (the “Deadpool” franchise, “Homeland”), Colman Domingo (“If Beale Street Could Talk,” “Fear the Walking Dead”) and Tony Hale (“Veep,” “Toy Story 4”)

Written by Jordan Peele

Directed by JD Dillard

Episode: “The Who of You”

Starring Ethan Embry (“Grace and Frankie,” “Blindspotting”), Daniel Sunjata (“Graceland,” “Rescue Me”), and Billy Porter (“Pose,” “Like a Boss”)

Written by Win Rosenfeld

Directed by Peter Atencio

Episode: “A Human Face”

Starring Jenna Elfman (“Fear the Walking Dead,” “Dharma & Greg”), Chris Meloni (“The Handmaid’s Tale,” “42”), and Tavi Gevinson (“Person to Person,” “Enough Said”)

Written by Alex Rubens

Directed by Christina Choe

Episode: “Among The Untrodden”

Introducing Abbie Hern and Sophia Macy

Written by Heather Anne Campbell

Directed by Tayarisha Poe

Episode: “Meet in the Middle”

Starring Jimmi Simpson (“Westworld,” “Black Mirror: USS Callister”) and Gillian Jacobs (“Community,” “Love”)

Written by Emily C. Chang and Sara Amini

Directed by Mathias Herndl

The post Brand New Second Season of “The Twilight Zone” Gets a Trailer and Summer Premiere Date appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Executive producers Jordan Peele and Simon Kinberg’s modern re-imagining of the classic brings the original series’ legacy of socially conscious storytelling to new audiences, exploring the human condition and holding a lens up to the culture of our times. The series’ second season will use introspection and the exploration of self to usher viewers into a familiar dimension.

Peele will return as the host, joining a stellar guest cast, including Morena Baccarin, Kylie Bunbury, Jenna Elfman, Sky Ferreira, Tavi Gevinson, Topher Grace, Tony Hale, Gillian Jacobs, David Krumholtz, Thomas Lennon, Sophia Macy, Natalie Martinez, Joel McHale, Chris Meloni, Gretchen Mol, Paula Newsome, Jurnee Smollett, Billy Porter, Jimmi Simpson, Daniel Sunjata, Damon Wayans Jr., and more.

Season two cast and episode titles, in no particular order, include:

Episode: “8”

Starring (previously announced) Joel McHale (“Community,” “Stargirl”) and Brandon Jay McLaren (“UnREAL,” “Graceland”)

Written by Glen Morgan

Directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead

Episode: “A Small Town”

Starring Damon Wayans Jr. (“Happy Endings,” “Let’s Be Cops”), David Krumholtz (“The Deuce,” “Evel”), Natalie Martinez (“Reminiscence,” “The I-Land”), and Paula Newsome (“Barry,” “Chicago Med”)

Written by Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due

Directed by Alonso Alvarez-Barreda

Episode: “Try, Try”

Starring Topher Grace (“Blackkklansman,” “Black Mirror”) and Kylie Bunbury (“When They See Us,” “Pitch”)

Written by Alex Rubens

Directed by Jennifer McGowan

Episode: “You Might Also Like”

Starring Gretchen Mol (“Boardwalk Empire,” “Manchester by the Sea”) and Greta Lee (“Russian Doll,” “High Maintenance”)

Written and Directed by Osgood Perkins

Episode: “Ovation”

Starring Jurnee Smollett-Bell (“Birds of Prey,” “Lovecraft Country”), Tawny Newsome (“Space Force,” “Lower Decks”), Sky Ferreira (“Baby Driver,” “Twin Peaks”), Paul F. Tompkins (“BoJack Horseman,” “Comedy Bang! Bang!”), and Thomas Lennon (“Reno 911!” “Night at the Museum” franchise)

Written by Emily C. Chang and Sara Amini

Directed by Ana Lily Amirpour

Episode: “Downtime”

Starring Morena Baccarin (the “Deadpool” franchise, “Homeland”), Colman Domingo (“If Beale Street Could Talk,” “Fear the Walking Dead”) and Tony Hale (“Veep,” “Toy Story 4”)

Written by Jordan Peele

Directed by JD Dillard

Episode: “The Who of You”

Starring Ethan Embry (“Grace and Frankie,” “Blindspotting”), Daniel Sunjata (“Graceland,” “Rescue Me”), and Billy Porter (“Pose,” “Like a Boss”)

Written by Win Rosenfeld

Directed by Peter Atencio

Episode: “A Human Face”

Starring Jenna Elfman (“Fear the Walking Dead,” “Dharma & Greg”), Chris Meloni (“The Handmaid’s Tale,” “42”), and Tavi Gevinson (“Person to Person,” “Enough Said”)

Written by Alex Rubens

Directed by Christina Choe

Episode: “Among The Untrodden”

Introducing Abbie Hern and Sophia Macy

Written by Heather Anne Campbell

Directed by Tayarisha Poe

Episode: “Meet in the Middle”

Starring Jimmi Simpson (“Westworld,” “Black Mirror: USS Callister”) and Gillian Jacobs (“Community,” “Love”)

Written by Emily C. Chang and Sara Amini

Directed by Mathias Herndl

The post Return to “The Twilight Zone” With Eleven First-Look Images from Season Two appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The 10-episode second season is set to premiere this summer, with episodes directed by the filmmakers behind Spring, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night and Gretel & Hansel!

Executive producers Jordan Peele and Simon Kinberg’s modern re-imagining of the classic brings the original series’ legacy of socially conscious storytelling to new audiences, exploring the human condition and holding a lens up to the culture of our times. The series’ second season will use introspection and the exploration of self to usher viewers into a familiar dimension.

Additional season two cast and episode titles, in no particular order, include:

Episode: “8”

Starring (previously announced) Joel McHale (“Community,” “Stargirl”) and Brandon Jay McLaren (“UnREAL,” “Graceland”)

Written by Glen Morgan

Directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead

Episode: “A Small Town”

Starring Damon Wayans Jr. (“Happy Endings,” “Let’s Be Cops”), David Krumholtz (“The Deuce,” “Evel”), Natalie Martinez (“Reminiscence,” “The I-Land”), and Paula Newsome (“Barry,” “Chicago Med”)

Written by Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due

Directed by Alonso Alvarez-Barreda

Episode: “Try, Try”

Starring Topher Grace (“Blackkklansman,” “Black Mirror”) and Kylie Bunbury (“When They See Us,” “Pitch”)

Written by Alex Rubens

Directed by Jennifer McGowan

Episode: “You Might Also Like”

Starring Gretchen Mol (“Boardwalk Empire,” “Manchester by the Sea”) and Greta Lee (“Russian Doll,” “High Maintenance”)

Written and Directed by Osgood Perkins

Episode: “Ovation”

Starring Jurnee Smollett-Bell (“Birds of Prey,” “Lovecraft Country”), Tawny Newsome (“Space Force,” “Lower Decks”), Sky Ferreira (“Baby Driver,” “Twin Peaks”), Paul F. Tompkins (“BoJack Horseman,” “Comedy Bang! Bang!”), and Thomas Lennon (“Reno 911!” “Night at the Museum” franchise)

Written by Emily C. Chang and Sara Amini

Directed by Ana Lily Amirpour

Previously announced cast and episodes include:

Episode: “Downtime”

Starring Morena Baccarin (the “Deadpool” franchise, “Homeland”), Colman Domingo (“If Beale Street Could Talk,” “Fear the Walking Dead”) and Tony Hale (“Veep,” “Toy Story 4”)

Written by Jordan Peele

Directed by JD Dillard

Episode: “The Who of You”

Starring Ethan Embry (“Grace and Frankie,” “Blindspotting”), Daniel Sunjata (“Graceland,” “Rescue Me”), and Billy Porter (“Pose,” “Like a Boss”)

Written by Win Rosenfeld

Directed by Peter Atencio

Episode: “A Human Face”

Starring Jenna Elfman (“Fear the Walking Dead,” “Dharma & Greg”), Chris Meloni (“The Handmaid’s Tale,” “42”), and Tavi Gevinson (“Person to Person,” “Enough Said”)

Written by Alex Rubens

Directed by Christina Choe

Episode: “Among The Untrodden”

Introducing Abbie Hern and Sophia Macy

Written by Heather Anne Campbell

Directed by Tayarisha Poe

Episode: “Meet in the Middle”

Starring Jimmi Simpson (“Westworld,” “Black Mirror: USS Callister”) and Gillian Jacobs (“Community,” “Love”)

Written by Emily C. Chang and Sara Amini

Directed by Mathias Herndl

Season one, as well as the entire original series, is available to stream now on CBS All Access.

The post Osgood Perkins! Benson & Moorhead! Ana Lily Amirpour! CBS All Access Previews “Twilight Zone” Season 2 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Syfy invites you into the wild, brilliant and groundbreaking world of Rod Serling‘s masterpiece of television with an all-day marathon of “The Twilight Zone,” March 31st into April 1st.

This article is being written at 11:00 am EST on March 31st and episodes are airing right now, with the marathon scheduled to run straight into the morning of April 1st at 6am EST.

Episodes being shown as part of the marathon include “Third from the Sun,” “The Last Flight,” “Nothing in the Dark,” “Dead Man’s Shoes,” “To Serve Man” and “The Dummy.”

Head over to Syfy’s website to browse the full schedule.

The post Syfy Airing Original Episodes of “The Twilight Zone” All Day Today, March 31st appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

During a chat with The Daily Texan, Perkins spilled the beans.

“I wrote and I am directing an episode of “The Twilight Zone” for Jordan Peele and that gang. Jordan Peele’s company and I have been looking into something together for a while. I think I’m the only person who’s written and is directing their episode in an authorship kind of way. So I’m going to do a really kind of bananas meta “Twilight Zone” episode. It’s pretty good.”

Perkins also teased the episode in an interview with Screen Rant that ran last week.

“It’s a very far out thing that I can’t really believe they’re letting me do. But Jordan’s been really supportive of everything that I’m trying, and CBS, somehow, is into it! (Laughs) The next thing you can expect is a really out of sight Twilight Zone episode.”

The second season of the series will also feature an episode written by host/producer Jordan Peele, so it sounds like CBS All Access is bringing out the big guns for this one.

Perkins is also attached to Lionsgate’s Incident at Fort Bragg.

The post Osgood Perkins is Writing and Directing a “Very Far Out” Episode of “The Twilight Zone”! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

With that said, Deadline reports that Peele will write an episode for the second season. The Get Out and Us writer and director Peele will write the episode “Downtime”, which features Morena Baccarin (Deadpool), Colman Domingo (“Fear the Walking Dead”) and Joel McHale (Deliver Us from Evil, The Happytime Murders).

As shown with Us and Get Out, Peele is a master at mixing the social commentary with horror, something that was completely out of place in the show’s first season. Now that Peele isn’t busy filming a movie, maybe he’s giving more attention to the show’s second season?

In any sense, CBS All Access also announced the following cast: Billy Porter, Jenna Elfman, Gillian Jacobs and Chris Meloni, with Ethan Embry, Tony Hale, Abbie Hern, Sophia Macy, Jimmi Simpson, Tavi Gevinson and Daniel Sunjata.

The CBS All Access series is a modern reimagining of Rod Serling’s original, which aired from 1959-64 on CBS.

The post Jordan Peele to Write “Twilight Zone” Episode with Morena Baccarin and Joel McHale Starring appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

It’s been an annual tradition for many years now for Syfy to air a marathon of “The Twilight Zone” in celebration of New Year’s Eve/Day, and this year is no exception!

The “Twilight Zone” marathon kicked off at 6am EST this morning (December 31st, 2019) and continues straight into the early morning hours of Thursday, January 2nd, 2020.

Here’s this year’s full schedule:

Tuesday, December 31st, 2019

• 6:00am – One for the Angels
• 6:30am – Mr. Denton on Doomsday
• 7:00am – The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine
• 7:30am – Walking Distance
• 8:00am – Escape Clause
• 8:30am – Perchance to Dream
• 9:00am – Judgment Night
• 9:30am – And When The Sky Was Opened
• 10:00am – What You Need
• 10:30am – The Four of Us Are Dying
• 11:00am – Third From The Sun
• 11:30am – The Fever
• 12:00pm – The Last Flight
• 12:30pm – The Purple Testament
• 1:00pm – Elegy
• 1:30pm – A World of Difference
• 2:00pm – Long Live Walter Jameson
• 2:30pm – People are Alike All Over
• 3:00pm – Execution
• 3:30pm – The Big Tall Wish
• 4:00pm – A Nice Place to Visit
• 4:30pm – Nightmare as a Child
• 5:00pm – A Stop At Willoughby
• 5:30pm – The Chaser
• 6:00pm – A Passage For Trumpet
• 6:30pm – Mr. Bevis
• 7:00pm – Where Is Everybody?
• 7:30pm – Time Enough At Last
• 8:00pm – The Hitch-Hiker
• 8:30pm – The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street
• 9:00pm – Eye of the Beholder
• 9:30pm – The Invaders
• 10:00pm – It’s a Good Life
• 10:30pm – Five Characters In Search of An Exit
• 11:00pm – The Dummy
• 11:30pm – Living Doll

Wednesday, January 1st, 2020

• 12:00am – The Mighty Casey
• 12:30am – A World of His Own
• 1:00am – King Nine Will Not Return
• 1:30am – The Man in the Bottle
• 2:00am – Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room
• 2:30am – A Thing About Machines
• 3:00am – The Howling Man
• 3:30am – The Lateness of the Hour
• 4:00am – The Trouble With Templeton
• 4:30am – A Most Unusual Camera
• 5:00am – Night of the Meek
• 5:30am – Dust
• 6:00am – Back There
• 6:30am – The Whole Truth
• 7:00am – A Penny For Your Thoughts
• 7:30am – Twenty-Two
• 8:00am – The Odyssey of Flight 33
• 8:30am – Mr. Dingle, The Strong
• 9:00am – Static
• 9:30am – The Prime Mover
• 10:00am – Long Distance Call
• 10:30am – A Hundred Yards Over the Rim
• 11:00am – The Rip Van Winkle Caper
• 11:30am – The Silence
• 12:00pm – Shadow Play
• 12:30pm – The Mind and the Matter
• 1:00pm – The Obsolete Man
• 1:30pm – Two
• 2:00pm – The Arrival
• 2:30pm – The Shelter
• 3:00pm – The Passersby
• 3:30pm – A Game of Pool
• 4:00pm – The Mirror
• 4:30pm – The Grave
• 5:00pm – Deaths-Head Revisited
• 5:30pm – Still Valley
• 6:00pm – The Jungle
• 6:30pm – Once Upon a Time
• 7:00pm – The Lonely
• 7:30pm- I Shot An Arrow Into the Air
• 8:00pm – Mirror Image
• 8:30pm – The After Hours
• 9:00pm – Nick of Time
• 9:30pm – Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?
• 10:00pm – The Midnight Sun
• 10:30pm – To Serve Man
• 11:00pm – Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
• 11:30pm – The Masks

Thursday, January 2nd, 2020

• 12:00am – A Quality of Mercy
• 12:30am – Nothing in the Dark
• 1:00am – One More Pallbearer
• 1:30am – Dead Man’s Shoes
• 2:00am – The Hunt
• 2:30am – Showdown With Rance McGrew
• 3:00am – Kick the Can
• 3:30am – A Piano in the House

The post Here’s the Full Schedule for Syfy’s New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day “Twilight Zone” Marathon! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The one-night-only event “The Twilight Zone: A 60th Anniversary Celebration” will combine digitally restored versions of six quintessential episodes with an all-new documentary short titled “Remembering Rod Serling” about the life, imagination and creativity of creator Serling, whose thought-provoking introductions continue to mesmerize fans.

Tickets are available now at www.FathomEvents.com and at participating theater box offices. The event will be presented in more than 600 movie theaters across the country.

While each of the 156 episodes of the mind-bending, sometimes nightmare-inducing, series has a legion of admirers, for this special 60th anniversary presentation, “Twilight Zone” CBS has curated six particularly noteworthy fan favorites to present on the big screen – the first time ever that original episodes of the series, which originally ran from 1959 to 1964, have been presented on the big screen.

“The incredible mind of Rod Serling led to some of the most indelible moments ever created for television, and selecting these episodes was both a great pleasure and a responsibility we took seriously, knowing how much the series means to generations of fans,” said Ken Ross, EVP and general manager of CBS Home Entertainment.

Fathom Events CEO Ray Nutt added, “‘The Twilight Zone’ has inspired many filmmakers and storytellers, so it is a great honor to be able to bring these classic stories to the big screen, and to offer such an incisive look into the mind of the man who created them.”

The six episodes that will be screened are:

• “Walking Distance”– Busy and stressed out, Martin Sloan (Gig Young) is a Madison Avenue executive who stops his car at a gas station that isn’t far from the small town where he grew up. Martin decides to walk to Homewood, which he left 25 years ago, where he meets his 11-year-old self, his parents … and learns about the dark side of nostalgia. (Original airdate: Oct. 30, 1959)
• “Time Enough at Last” – Harry Bemis (Burgess Meredith) loves to read. The only problem is, he can find neither the time nor the place for it, and he’s harangued by his boss and his wife for his passion. As sneaks into the bank vault for some reading time, there’s a massive nuclear explosion. With the world gone, Harry has nothing but reading time. There’s just one catch. (Original airdate: Nov. 20, 1959)
• “The Invaders” – An elderly woman (Agnes Moorhead) who lives alone a ramshackle farmhouse hears noises on her roof. When she investigates, she finds what seems to be a flying saucer, and from it emerge two small robots who seem bent on her destruction. She fights them off and destroys their ship, unaware of their true nature. (Original airdate: Jan. 27, 1961)
• “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street” – On a pleasant day, the residents of Maple Street are disturbed by a noise and a tremor. Unsure what to make of it, when young Tommy tells them a story he read about an alien invasion, paranoia descends upon the once-tranquil neighborhood, revealing an unsettling truth about the fragility of humanity. (Original airdate: March 4, 1960)
• “Eye of the Beholder” – Janet Tyler (Maxine Stewart) does not look like everyone else.  A horrible disfigurement has traumatized her all her life, and now on her 11th trip to the hospital, her bandages will soon come off. It this surgery to make her “normal” doesn’t work, she will be segregated for life with other afflicted people. The moment of truth is at hand. (Original airdate: Nov. 11, 1960)
• “To Serve Man” – Michael Chambers (Lloyd Bochner) recounts recent events on earth following the arrival of an alien spacecraft. Its occupants seem benevolent, and offer to share technology to provide limitless energy and cure all diseases. Chambers, an encryption specialist, is suspicious, particularly as he examines a book the aliens have left behind. (Original airdate: March 2, 1962)

“Remembering Rod Serling” takes viewers into the fertile imagination and life of series creator Serling. It offers a closer look at the life experiences that inspired Serling’s unique blend of thought-provoking and visionary storytelling, from his time as a paratrooper in World War II to his early writing days in live television, and ultimately to the creation of this indelible TV series. Friends, collaborators and members of the Serling family offer insight into the man whose creativity has inspired audiences around the globe for 60 years.

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In today’s television landscape, there’s an undeniable push for less filler in scripted programming. We also want to feel invested in the characters and plot. However, there’s no reason why a freestanding story can’t be just as engaging. There’s a certain enthusiasm to anthologies that’s made possible because of brevity and an emphasis on pacing. A punchy, indelible ending in a twenty-minute episode can be just as effective as a feature-length film.

With the season of the witch upon us, we naturally look to horror movies to fill our schedules until All Hallow’s Eve. But if you’re up for some short-form horror from the small screen, then here are thirteen underrated recommendations for your viewing pleasure this Halloween.

Two Sentence Horror Stories: Hide

Plot: When a woman babysits a rich couple’s daughter, she does everything in her power to protect her charge once two masked intruders break in.

Two Sentence Horror Stories began as a web series before it was picked up by the CW. The network then produced new episodes to fill the rest of the season. This high concept anthology is diverse and socially conscious, but for the most part, its stories are more nuanced than blunt. Overall, “Hide” plays out like a home invasion movie. At the very last second, however, the rug is swept from beneath your feet, and you’re reminded of the bleak reality we’re living in today.

Inside No. 9: Tempting Fate

Plot: As a trio of government workers clears out a dead tenant’s council house, they find a hare statue that grants three wishes.

Inside No. 9 is a clever and habitually wry anthology that is no stranger to horror. Little by little, the show is now finding an audience outside the U.K. But anyone looking to narrow down their choices to only top-tier episodes will find themselves in a dilemma. That’s because the entire series runs the gamut of solid to exceptional.

“Tempting Fate” leans towards the end of the spectrum. It was revealed the brass hare statue has had a cameo in every episode so far. Now, it’s central to this twisted morality tale, acting as a Monkey’s Paw-like talisman. “Tempting Fate” incidentally doubles as an origin story of sorts. It strongly hints at the significance of the number nine in each episode’s setting.

Night Visions: The Occupant

Plot: An anxious divorcée is convinced someone has broken into her home. She claims things have been moved around, but the police are skeptical.

Night Visions was an anthology hosted by Henry Rollins. The Fox series went under many people’s radars in the summer of 2001 before it was abruptly cancelled. Thankfully, the Sci-Fi Channel saved the show by airing it in its entirety.

The series was notable for its cast of familiar faces. For instance, “The Occupant” stars Bridget Fonda as the nervous homeowner. Her nuanced, fragile performance is downright haunting. The episode is a bit of a departure for Joe Dante, too, as the horror is more psychological than overt.

Tales of the Unexpected: The Flypaper

Plot: As the authorities search for the body of a missing, local girl, young Sylvia has her own run-in with a man she suspects to be the killer.

For the first few seasons of this long-running British anthology, episodes were mainly based on the works of Roald Dahl. The opener to the third, however, was from a short story of the same name by Elizabeth Taylor. No, not that Elizabeth Taylor. “The Flypaper” is by and large an adolescent mystery about how society has failed children. The outcome hits hard and grim, and it leaves viewers to worry about what will happen after the episode ends.

Night Gallery: The House

Plot: For ten years, Elaine has had a recurring dream where she drives to the perfect house in the countryside. In reality, Elaine has been an in-patient at a sanitarium. And after being discharged, she finds the house from her dreams. Elaine immediately moves in, but in time, she comes to think it is haunted by a ghost.

While Night Gallery is a worthy addendum to The Twilight Zone, it strays far from science fiction and more towards uncanny horror. “The House” may lack a bit when it comes to thought provocation, but the artful, dreamlike execution of the episode makes it one of the series’ best.

Chillers: Something You Have to Live With

A woman is surprised by an intruder one night. She is imperiled by the burglar, and in turn, she retaliates. How she now lives with what she’s done truly bewilders everyone around her.

Chillers — originally Mistress of Suspense — was a 1990 British anthology hosted by Anthony Perkins. The episodes are based on stories by author Patricia Highsmith, who is best known for The Talented Mr. Ripley. In “Something You Have to Live With”, Tuesday Weld’s character goes through something traumatizing. And yet, when her reaction doesn’t live up to others’ expectations, she becomes a source of frustration. The episode could have ended twenty minutes earlier, but then we never would have witnessed the best parts of Weld’s manifold performance.

The Twilight Zone (1985): The Shadow Man

Plot: Danny is harassed by his classmates on a daily basis. But when Danny discovers he has a boogeyman-like bodyguard called the Shadow Man hiding beneath his bed, he feels safer. Although the other kids might not feel the same way as they’re being targeted by a nocturnal prowler. Is Danny’s Shadow Man behind this rash of attacks?

Though the ’80s reboot of The Twilight Zone isn’t as revered as its predecessor, there are a number of gems sprinkled throughout the series. One that springs to mind is Joe Dante’s “The Shadow Man”, which ends in a delectably unforeseen way. It’s not the most undeserved outcome for the main character, but one would be remiss to not mention the cruel conclusion.

Tales from the Darkside: Ursa Minor

Plot: Things get uneasy after Richard and his wife Joan gift their daughter Susie a stuffed teddy bear. Not only is Richard’s drinking problem causing tension, Joan suspects something is not quite right about Susie’s new toy. It would appear the child has conceived an imaginary friend, but it becomes clear that Teddy is more alive than not.

Made on a small budget and often confined to a single location, Tales from the Darkside episodes relied more on story than special effects. In fact, this is why co-creator George A. Romero’s role in the series diminished over time. Among other issues, he simply couldn’t get past the meager production values.

That being said, entries like “Ursa Minor” illustrate what the series achieved in spite of its limited resources. This is one story — an odd interpretation of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” — where the horror is unadulterated and not aiming for sheer campiness.

Folklore: Toyol

Plot: Numerous dead fish are turning up in the local waters of a Malaysian fishing town. To remedy the situation, a member of parliament named Zul hires a mysterious woman who gives him a serious case of déjà vu. The stranger does as she promises, but the price for her services is higher than Zul ever expected.

The Malaysian installment in Folklore, a six-part East Asian anthology, is a no-holds-barred tale of witchery and vengeance. It seems like “Toyol” meanders at first, but the episode’s own madness is more insidious than instant.

Fear Itself: Eater

Plot: One night at a nearly deserted police station, a rookie cop is tasked with watching over a serial killer. The prisoner — who is notorious because he ate his victims — soon escapes from custody and plays supernatural mind games with the officers on duty.

Fear Itself is considered an extension of Masters of Horror. The general consensus, though, was Fear Itself was too restrained. Its airing on network television dampened the anthology’s chances of pushing the envelope like Masters did. On the other hand, exceptions like Stuart Gordon’s “Eater” proved otherwise. This slasher is hypnotic and baleful; it forges ahead regardless of network limitations.

Hammer House of Horror: The Two Faces of Evil

Plot: On a rainy day, a family picks up a hitchhiker wearing a yellow raincoat. The stranger then attacks the husband, who crashes the car shortly after. At a nearby hospital, the husband’s throat is severely damaged so he cannot speak. Meanwhile, the wife is asked to identify the face of their attacker in the morgue. To her shock, though, the assailant looks just like her husband. Doubt now overcomes the wife as she questions her own memories.

Hammer House of Horror was produced by Hammer Film Productions, the studio known for its brand of Gothic horror between and 1950s and 1970s. It was a diverse series whose subject matter ranged from cannibals to werewolves. To all appearances, “The Two Faces of Evil” is a giallo. From the color palette and style to the jumbled logic of the story. Surely there are aspects that say otherwise. Just the same, this is one of many fantastic episodes in a remarkable anthology.

Amazing Stories: The Amazing Falsworth

Plot: During his act, a nightclub mentalist with psychic abilities crosses paths with a serial killer. Unfortunately, he was blindfolded and has no idea what the murderer looks like.

Amazing Stories is one of the best-looking anthologies from the 1980s, but one wouldn’t expect anything less when Steven Spielberg is involved. And for every couple of lows the series had, there were standouts like Martin Scorsese’s “Mirror, Mirror” or Robert Zemeckis’ “Go to the Head of the Class”. Another strong contender is Peter Hyams’ “The Amazing Falsworth”. This white-knuckled game of cat-and-mouse, starring Gregory Hynes as the titular character, has the most unexpected ending.

Monsters: The Match Game

Plot: Four teenagers break into an abandoned Victorian house once owned by a man named Herbert Waverly. Inside, the group plays a game where one person makes up part of a story until a match flame goes out. Then, the next person continues the story, and so on. Unbeknownst to the players, though, their ghoulish tale about Waverly returning from the dead is coming true.

Monsters was a spiritual successor to Tales from the Darkside. It premiered just as Darkside was ending in 1988, and it was also produced by Richard P. Rubinstein. Although, every episode was strictly about a monster of some kind. “The Match Game” was atonal to a lot of the series’ other episodes because it was played straight. There was no campiness or humor to undercut the suspense. It’s actually quite gruesome — if you ever wanted to see Tori Spelling’s head get crushed by a zombie, here’s your chance — and, most of all, scary.

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The attraction opens by filing guests into a library (filled with Easter eggs) that loses power, revealing the glow of an old television set. On comes a Rod Serling look-a-like who explains the history of the hotel and how it became “haunted”. Guests would then line up for a ride on the haunted elevator, which would drop them directly into the Twilight Zone.

Now, the official Disney website has shared details of the newly modified library sequence that resides at Disneyland Paris:

“The television sequence in the Library scene of the attraction features a cast of characters that includes a rather precocious young girl. In this new version of the show, the girl becomes a starring character on the ride, warning us not to cross over into the Twilight Zone,” explains Tom Fitzgerald, senior creative director at Walt Disney Imagineering. “When we fail to heed her warning, thrills follow!”

In addition, “The Imagineering team also added new illusions, media sequences, and audio soundtracks to create not one, but three different show and ride sequences for the attraction.”

Here’s an official teaser video promoting the upgrade. Now, the question remains, will Disneyworld Orlando reimagine “Twilight Zone” or also reskin it to the Guardians of the Galaxy-themed “Mission: Breakout!”?

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This October, Humanoids, the publisher of some of the world’s most iconic and groundbreaking science fiction and fantasy graphic novels, will celebrate the 60th anniversary of “The Twilight Zone” with the publication of internationally acclaimed cartoonist Koren Shadmi’s dazzling biography, and we’re excited to share five sneak peek preview pages today.

“Before he became the revered master of science fiction, Rod Serling was a just a writer who had to fight to make his voice heard.”

“Both on and off the screen, Serling was active in politics. He vehemently challenged the networks and viewership alike to expand their minds and standards―rejecting notions of censorship, racism and war. But it wasn’t until he began to write about real world enemies in the guise of aliens and monsters that people started paying attention. Serling pushed the television industry to the edge of glory, and himself to the edge of sanity. He operated in a dimension beyond that of contemporary society, making him both a revolutionary and an outsider.”

“In my late twenties, when I was first exposed to the original Twilight Zone I felt a strong connection to the themes and visuals,” said Shadmi. “Years later I became curious about Serling, the enigmatic, chain-smoking creator/writer/presenter of the show. As I began to read about him I saw an incredible life story unfolding right in front of me; he was such an interesting character and lived at such a tremulous point in history. I quickly realized that it would make for a powerful graphic novel biography.”

Humanoids will publish The Twilight Man: Rod Serling and the Birth of Television in bookstores on October 8 and in comic stores on October 9, 2019.

The five pages we’re previewing exclusively today touch upon the initial genesis of “The Twilight Zone,” an idea that sprung from Serling’s mind when he realized that wrapping up his thought-provoking, politically-charged stories in science fiction packaging would allow him to get his ideas out into the world without them being heavily censored and toned down.

Out of sheer frustration, a legend was born…

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In “Where is Everybody?”, Mike Ferris (Earl Holliman) finds himself alone on a road with no memory of how he got there. As he explores the nearby town, he finds signs that life was recently there – cigarette smoke, running faucets- but no actual human beings. Only mannequins. The further he investigates, the more desperate and panic-driven he becomes. Once Ferris finally snaps from loneliness and isolation, the episode’s twist is revealed; he’s an astronaut in training, confined to an isolation chamber to test his ability to withstand being alone for the length of a trip to the moon and back.

The episode established Serling’s opening and closing narration, a central mystery, and the infamous twist ending. “Where is Everybody” also happens to be one of the few episodes that don’t have any supernatural or otherworldly elements, but the lack of supernatural is only revealed in the twist ending- when the viewer ultimately discovers Ferris’ broken mind was hallucinating the empty town.

Serling, an Army vet and radio and television scriptwriter, had grown tired of corporate censorship. An activist, he purposely wrote and created a sci-fi/fantasy show, knowing he could hide his social commentary from the censors within the genre space. It worked like a charm, too. Each episode focused on psychological or emotional drama, and the critics ate it up. Serling went on to explore all sorts of mature subject matter through the morality tales in this series.

As for the pilot episode, “Where is Everybody?” helped set a standard for the Last Man on Earth trope. Ferris winds up mistaking a mannequin for a woman in the episode, and once he realizes his mistake, he strikes up a conversation with the inanimate object. How many times have we seen that before? In the Omega Man and I Am Legend, both adaptations of Richard Matheson’s novel, the lead protagonist and last man on Earth speaks to mannequins in lieu of actual human interaction. In May, the titular character is isolated despite actually being near people, and uses her doll Suzy as a stand-in for a real-life friend.

The episode opens with Ferris coping with amnesia. He’s immediately dropped into a new setting with no idea how or when he arrived. We’ve seen this in the decades since, too. In episodes of Doctor Who and The Outer Limits. The entire plot revolves around this in Dark City, and even Hancock. Then there’s Jacob’s Ladder, a movie about an Army combat medic that begins in Vietnam before suddenly waking up in New York City, where he subsequently embarks on a hallucinogenic trip that blurs the lines between reality and horror fantasy. Only in the final moments do we see the twist that clicks the truth in place. American Psycho follows a similar formula as well. The town of Oakwood that Ferris is exploring might look familiar to eagle-eyed cinephiles; The Oakwood town square is the same set used as Hill Valley in the Back to the Future films.

“Where is Everybody?” wasn’t even the initially intended pilot. Serling planned to kick off the series with “The Happy Place”, which revolved around society killing citizens once they reach the age of 60. The network, CBS, felt it was a bit too grim, so Serling gave in and wrote the pilot that came to pass. What made this series, and this episode, resonate over the past six decades was Serling’s ability to tap into the human condition in thought-provoking ways with the palatable delivery system of fantasy and sci-fi. Isolation was a recurring theme of The Twilight Zone, but also in general fiction stories and media.

Serling didn’t invent science fiction, but he did permanently alter perception of what it could be. Both his series, and the pilot, remains one of television’s most influential of all time.

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Taking place on November 14, the one-night-only event “The Twilight Zone: A 60th Anniversary Celebration” will combine digitally restored versions of six quintessential episodes with an all-new documentary short titled “Remembering Rod Serling” about the life, imagination and creativity of creator Serling, whose thought-provoking introductions continue to mesmerize fans.

Tickets are available beginning Friday, September 27, at www.FathomEvents.com and at participating theater box offices. “The Twilight Zone: A 60th Anniversary Celebration” will be presented in more than 600 movie theaters across the country. A complete list of theater locations will be available September 27 on the Fathom Events website.

While each of the 156 episodes of the mind-bending, sometimes nightmare-inducing, series has a legion of admirers, for this special 60th anniversary presentation, “Twilight Zone” CBS has curated six particularly noteworthy fan favorites to present on the big screen – the first time ever that original episodes of the series, which originally ran from 1959 to 1964, have been presented on the big screen.

“The incredible mind of Rod Serling led to some of the most indelible moments ever created for television, and selecting these episodes was both a great pleasure and a responsibility we took seriously, knowing how much the series means to generations of fans,” said Ken Ross, EVP and general manager of CBS Home Entertainment.

Fathom Events CEO Ray Nutt added, “‘The Twilight Zone’ has inspired many filmmakers and storytellers, so it is a great honor to be able to bring these classic stories to the big screen, and to offer such an incisive look into the mind of the man who created them.”

The six episodes that will be screened are:

• “Walking Distance”– Busy and stressed out, Martin Sloan (Gig Young) is a Madison Avenue executive who stops his car at a gas station that isn’t far from the small town where he grew up. Martin decides to walk to Homewood, which he left 25 years ago, where he meets his 11-year-old self, his parents … and learns about the dark side of nostalgia. (Original airdate: Oct. 30, 1959)
• “Time Enough at Last” – Harry Bemis (Burgess Meredith) loves to read. The only problem is, he can find neither the time nor the place for it, and he’s harangued by his boss and his wife for his passion. As sneaks into the bank vault for some reading time, there’s a massive nuclear explosion. With the world gone, Harry has nothing but reading time. There’s just one catch. (Original airdate: Nov. 20, 1959)
• “The Invaders” – An elderly woman (Agnes Moorhead) who lives alone a ramshackle farmhouse hears noises on her roof. When she investigates, she finds what seems to be a flying saucer, and from it emerge two small robots who seem bent on her destruction. She fights them off and destroys their ship, unaware of their true nature. (Original airdate: Jan. 27, 1961)
• “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street” – On a pleasant day, the residents of Maple Street are disturbed by a noise and a tremor. Unsure what to make of it, when young Tommy tells them a story he read about an alien invasion, paranoia descends upon the once-tranquil neighborhood, revealing an unsettling truth about the fragility of humanity. (Original airdate: March 4, 1960)
• “Eye of the Beholder” – Janet Tyler (Maxine Stewart) does not look like everyone else.  A horrible disfigurement has traumatized her all her life, and now on her 11th trip to the hospital, her bandages will soon come off. It this surgery to make her “normal” doesn’t work, she will be segregated for life with other afflicted people. The moment of truth is at hand. (Original airdate: Nov. 11, 1960)
• “To Serve Man” – Michael Chambers (Lloyd Bochner) recounts recent events on earth following the arrival of an alien spacecraft. Its occupants seem benevolent, and offer to share technology to provide limitless energy and cure all diseases. Chambers, an encryption specialist, is suspicious, particularly as he examines a book the aliens have left behind. (Original airdate: March 2, 1962)

“Remembering Rod Serling” takes viewers into the fertile imagination and life of series creator Serling. It offers a closer look at the life experiences that inspired Serling’s unique blend of thought-provoking and visionary storytelling, from his time as a paratrooper in World War II to his early writing days in live television, and ultimately to the creation of this indelible TV series. Friends, collaborators and members of the Serling family offer insight into the man whose creativity has inspired audiences around the globe for 60 years.

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According to the online magazine, Kelly is in development on a feature film that chronicles the true story of the life of Rod Serling, creator of “The Twilight Zone”.

Serling, who passed away in 1975 at the age of 50, “was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science-fiction anthology TV series, ‘The Twilight Zone’. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen, and helped form television industry standards. He was known as the “angry young man” of Hollywood, clashing with television executives and sponsors over a wide range of issues including censorship, racism, and war.” (Wiki)

“The Twilight Zone” has been revived several times, including this year’s CBS All Access series with Jordan Peele acting as host.

The project is in development at Mandalay Pictures with Jason Michael Berman and Kevin Turen producing.

Kelly, who is also writing the docufilm, is an avid “Twilight Zone” fan having directed The Box, a feature film adaptation of Richard Matheson’s “Button, Button” that was initially adapted into a “Zone” episode. Kelly became a fan favorite with his mind-bending cult classic Donnie Darko.

Watch this spot for official news as it comes in.

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The actor plays Samir Wassan in “The Comedian,” a stand-up comic who’s unaware that every joke he tells results in someone from his life being erased from existence.

In the Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series category, Jessica Lange has been nominated for “American Horror Story: Apocalypse.” For her return to the FX anthology series, Lange reprised the role of Constance Langdon, a role that previously won her an Emmy.

The 71st annual Emmy Awards will be presented on September 22nd.

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