DVD Review: THE TWILIGHT ZONE – ESSENTIAL EPISODES

Image Entertainment is releasing another collection of The Twilight Zone episodes on DVD. They have previously released the seasons individually on DVD & Blu-Ray. However, their past collection releases, The Twilight Zone: Fan Favorites and The Twilight Zone: More Fan Favorites, with the former being available on DVD & Blu-Ray and the latter only available on DVD, left fans of the show upset. While it is hard to please everyone, some integral episodes like “The Hitch-Hiker”, “It’s a Good Life” and “To Serve Man”, for example, were missing.

A new collection celebrating the 55 years of The Twilight Zone seems to correct the glaring omissions from the previous sets.

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Episodes

Walking Distance

A man who gets away from his job at a high stress job at an ad agency.and goes on a drive. After stopping at a full-service gas station, he realizes his hometown, which he hasn’t been to in 20 or 25 years, is within walking distance. He decides to walk to town and finds that nothing has changed. Why, it was as if he was there yesterday.

I don’t think I have seen this one before I watched it on this set. While it is a bit predictable, it’s a good episode worth watching.

Time Enough At Last

A true classic. I believe it was one of the first Twilight Zone episodes I have ever seen. I believe I saw it on a VHS tape with “The Invaders” (which is also on this set). If you have never seen this iconic episode starring Burgess Meredith as a Mr. Bemis who is obsessed with reading. This was back in the day when apparently reading was frowned upon as his wife deliberately scratches out books and Bemis’ boss agrees with the wife’s views on reading. If you have never seen this episode, it is worth purchasing this DVD collection just for this episode alone.

The Hitch-Hiker

While it might not be the best written episodes when it comes to that iconic Twilight Zone twist, that doesn’t make the episode less creepy. A woman on a road trip keeps encountering a man on the side of the road. No matter how far she travels, the hitch-hiker pops up ahead of her.

The Monsters are Due on Maple Street

This is another must see episode. It has been remade a few times and there is a reason for it. Besides being pretty revolutionary for its time with its commentary on prejudice and paranoia, it is one of the best structured, fast-paced episodes of the series. It is a truly frightening piece of television.

A Stop at Willoughby

Much like “Walking Distance”, Gart is on the brink of leaving his highly stressful job as an advertising television agent. Traveling between his job and home, he rides the train. When he falls asleep he sees a town named Willoughby, a peaceful, quaint community. He is told when he sees the town of Willoughby outside the train window that it is July 1888. He wakes up from his slumber to find himself on his way home in the snowy environment of November. The best part of this story is the fact that is more of a reflection of the time when the episode aired and the pressures of the working man and his environment in the highly competitive entertainment industry, a industry that was still trying to find its way.

The After Hours

“The After Hours” is episode that is new to me. I may have seen the end of the episode televised in syndication. It’s another example of paranoia used at its best. The viewer doesn’t know if the main character is crazy or experiencing a unique, supernatural situation. The twist on this one is one that makes The Twilight Zone one of the best shows in history. It would be later used to maximum effect in a film in the 2000’s, which if I told you the title, I would be giving away the twist.

The Howling Man

“The Howling Man” feels like a departure to the normal Twilight Zone episodes and particularly this episode provides a break from what has been represented in this DVD set. Written by Charles Beaumont, this episode takes a religious angle upon it and what our character, as well as the audience, believes or has faith in. Some fans and newcomers to the series might find this one to be a bit of a dud but it is a very interesting episode and I’m glad it was included in this DVD set as it differentiates itself from the “normal” episodes.

The Eye of the Beholder

This episode literally came after “The Howling Man” when it originally aired so it is kind of nice to see Rod Serling preview this episode at the end of “The Howling Man”. The less known about this episode, the better it is in its impact. Granted, it is another pretty iconic episode but for newcomers, it is iconic in the fact that you may have only seen the last 10 minutes out of context meaning that you should still be in for a treat. It is a great capture of a character trying to fit into society by altering her cosmetic state. The execution in this episode shows The Twilight Zone in its best form.

Nick of Time

Another iconic episode starring William Shatner, who we will see later in “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” where he and his wife are stuck in town due to car repairs (maybe this is why people fear major car repairs since it is a catalyst for characters being catapulted into The Twilight Zone). They go into a restaurant where the water tastes like it came from the swamp and a miniature fortune teller is either predicting the future or the machine is driving the character to make decisions that will determine his future.

The Invaders

Another deviation in The Twilight Zone with this episode. Agnes Moorehead drives a simplistic yet well-crafted script by Richard Matheson. Like I said with “Time Enough at Last”, this was one of the first Twilight Zone episodes I saw. In retrospect, it is an amazing episode that really shows that having great actors in the series propelled The Twilight Zone into the mainstream. Moorehead propels this piece above a typical twisty story into a highlight of when great actors were taking part in this classic series.

The Obsolete Man

Burgess Meredith makes another appearance in The Twilight Zone, ironically as a librarian, who has been deemed “obsolete” which is a crime in a totalitarian state. We witness his final 48 hours. “The Obsolete Man” is sort of a morally heavy episode but it’s good to see Burgess Meredith doing what he does best.

It’s A Good Life

This is a real good episode, real good. Later remade in the film anthology by director Joe Dante, I saw this episode after seeing Dante’s interpretation. I’ll be honest, I like Dante’s version better as the episode is all about the twist with a boy who can make whatever he wants with his mind, even making people disappear. This might be one of the weaker episodes on the set but that might be because of my opinion of Dante’s version really knocking it out of the park.

The Midnight Sun

The last residents of an apartment building of New York City live out their day as Earth gets closer to the Sn which eliminates night and makes the temperature unbearable. Acting as a commentary our dependency on technology, this episode feels more relevant now than it did during its original run.

To Serve Man

An alien race comes down to earth offering to share its resources and help mankind advance life and technology but paranoia sets in and questions begin to be raised why are they really here. Later spoofed (if you really want to call it that) in the first Simpsons “Treehouse of Horror”, this is a classic episode that heavily relies on its twist. I don’t think it holds up as well as some of the other episodes on this set.

Nightmare at 20,000 Feet

Later remade by George Miller (Mad Max) in Twilight Zone: The Movie, this is one of those iconic episodes of the series. While I still like the film adaptation (probably for the same reasons like “It’s A Good Life”) better, this interpretation, which is the original, is pretty good. Directed by Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon), William Shatner really brings crazy on a plane. While not as frantic as the film adaptation, this one holds its own and really shows off Shatner’s capability to act as a man that may or may not be crazy.

Living Doll

Talky Tina….this one still gives my aunt the creeps. Telly Savalas plays a nasty stepfather that takes out his frustration on a doll that his wife & daughter have just put on the charge card. Tina has no problem telling anyone who she loves and who she might want to kill. A predecessor to Chucky and even the Zuni Doll from Trilogy of Terror, “Living Doll” is quite possibly a story that will give you the heebie-jeebies.

The Masks

The final episode on this set is a story about an wealthy man who is on his death bed. When his ungrateful children arrive to place false thought that they care, the man decides to have them take part in a Mardi Gras ritual of wearing masks until Midnight. While the masks almost look like “monster” designs from a previous episode, this one is a nice capper to the set. While it isn’t a show-stopper, the episode is still pretty potent.

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Presentation

Presented in 1.33:1 original aspect ratio on standard definition. Honestly, not a lot of fancy bells & whistles on this one but the transfer looks just as well as you would expect on DVD. Some scenes vary in grain but that is not the fault of the distributor as it looks to be the elements that they were working with.

Special Features

No special features are on this disc.

Overall

Image Entertainment has put out a fine collection of iconic episodes, if not some of the best. Granted, some people with have episodes that they consider are the best but that is why the whole series is available on DVD & Blu-Ray. This is a great set to introduce someone who is new to Twilight Zone or someone who might not have the luxury of watching the marathons on television. It also works a great mixtape of the highlights of The Twilight Zone. The one thing that anyone could really gripe about is why wasn’t this put on Blu-Ray instead of DVD since there are already high-def transfers. Recommended.