Buzz
Heads-up: spoilers ahead. A little over a week back, we shared our initial compilation of essential Twilight Zone episodes—the iconic series commemorating its 50th anniversary this year. Inspired by the list, I started downloading the entire series. I’m thrilled to have received a follow-up list of must-watch episodes. Rest assured, the combined twenty episodes from both lists will be at the top of my viewing queue.
10. The Silence
Though devoid of supernatural elements, this story fits seamlessly into the show’s universe. Set in a gentleman’s club, it revolves around a young man who talks incessantly. An older member, portrayed brilliantly by Franchot Tone, grows weary of the chatter and wagers a substantial amount that the young man cannot stay silent for a year. A standout moment occurs when the elder visits the young man’s glass enclosure, attempting to provoke him by insinuating his wife’s infidelity. The climax is powerful, revealing the young man’s drastic measure to win the bet: surgically removing his vocal cords.
9. The Shelter
This episode expands on the themes introduced in Season 1’s ‘The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street’. When a radio broadcast warns of an incoming nuclear missile, a man escorts his family to the basement shelter he constructed. His unprepared neighbors, desperate for safety, clash over access to the bunker. Fear and panic escalate, revealing humanity’s primal instincts as they turn on each other. The tension builds rapidly, mirroring the earlier story, culminating in a near-fatal confrontation. This installment delves deeper into mob mentality, explicitly addressing racism. The episode concludes with the revelation that the threat was a false alarm, leaving the characters emotionally shattered by their own actions—arguably more devastating than the missile’s impact would have been.
8. The Grave
A haunting western ghost story featuring Lee Marvin, Strother Martin, and Lee Van Cleef. It follows a gunslinger who accepts a bet to visit the grave of a man he killed. The eerie climax at the gravesite leaves viewers questioning the existence of ghosts. The opening scene, set in an abandoned saloon, sets a tense and foreboding tone.
7. The Howling Man
Blending folk tale elements with 1940s Universal gothic horror, this episode centers on a traveler in Europe who takes refuge in a hermitage led by John Carradine’s quasi-religious sect. A prisoner in a cell emits terrifying howls each night, and the protagonist learns it’s the Devil himself, captured to prevent global evil. The concept is chilling, though the execution leans toward the campy, with a finale featuring a stereotypical depiction of Satan—complete with a twirly mustache, satin cape, and horns.
6. The Lateness of the Hour
This episode marks the first of six to be videotaped instead of filmed, giving it a distinct visual style that works in its favor. Set in a grand, wood-paneled home, it follows a wealthy couple who live in isolation, surrounded only by lifelike robots. The narrative unfolds like a serious TV play, reminiscent of works by Edward Albee or Eugene O’Neill, exploring themes of loneliness, childlessness, and artificial substitutes for life. A standout moment occurs when the father commands his cherished robot servants to the basement for dismantling. In a chilling, unified response, they resist quietly, pleading for their continued existence. Inger Stevens, known for her role in ‘The Hitch-Hiker’ (Season 1), delivers a gripping performance as the daughter who slowly realizes she, too, is a robot. Her poignant search through a family photo album for missing childhood images adds a layer of tragic depth, making this one of the series’ finest episodes.
5. And When the Sky Was Opened
This episode excels by leaving its central mystery unresolved. Three astronauts return from a space mission, only to vanish one by one, as if erased from existence. A newspaper photo of the trio celebrating their return gradually shows only two, with no trace of the third. Rod Taylor (‘The Birds’, ‘The Time Machine’) portrays one of the pilots, delivering a compelling performance as he grapples with the realization that an unseen force has deemed their survival a mistake. The story’s power lies in its ambiguity, leaving viewers to ponder the nature of the force that sealed their fate. While some criticize its lack of clear answers, this very ambiguity adds an existential dread, making the episode both haunting and unforgettable.
4. Mirror Image
Late at night, a woman waits at a station for her delayed bus. When she inquires about the delay, the attendant scolds her for asking the same question minutes earlier—something she doesn’t recall. As the story unfolds, she begins to suspect an unseen, alternate version of herself is at work. One particularly chilling moment occurs as she exits the station restroom and sees herself sitting where she had just been. Another unsettling scene involves a young man who, after theorizing about dimensional doubles, chases his malevolent twin down a silent, eerie street. The lack of music amplifies the strangeness of the sequence.
3. Long Distance Call
This episode is remarkably dark and controversial, even for *The Twilight Zone*. It follows Billy, a five-year-old boy (played by Billy Mumy of ‘It’s A Good Life’ fame), who maintains a connection with his deceased grandmother through a toy telephone she gifted him. His parents grow alarmed as his conversations grow secretive and he attempts suicide multiple times. It’s revealed that his grandmother, lonely in death, is urging Billy to join her. In a heart-wrenching scene, Billy’s father pleads with his late mother over the toy phone to spare his son’s life. The episode’s exploration of death, grief, and familial bonds is both haunting and deeply emotional, with standout moments like Billy’s mother hearing the grandmother’s breathing on the phone, confirming the supernatural connection.
2. The Passersby
This episode resonates deeply with me, blending elements of Ambrose Bierce’s Civil War ghosts, the Southern Gothic style of Tennessee Williams and Poe, and the melancholic introspection of O’Neill. A woman waits outside her decaying mansion, longing for her husband’s return from the war. As she watches, a procession of wounded soldiers silently passes by her gates. Unbeknownst to her, these are the war’s dead, journeying to the afterlife. A particularly eerie moment occurs when a shadowed soldier on horseback pauses to speak, his voice heavy with the gravity of death.
1. Nightmare as a Child
This episode is deceptively dark. Helen Foley befriends a peculiar little girl who seems to know intimate details about her past. When an older man visits Helen, revealing himself as her mother’s murderer and now intent on silencing her as the sole witness, she realizes the girl is a manifestation of her younger self. This apparition has returned to awaken repressed memories of the tragedy, ultimately saving her life. The tension builds as the man subtly probes Helen’s recollection of events, deciding her fate based on what she remembers.
