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Hello Ghouls and Boils,
It’s 2010 and I want to update SNS with a new logo! Sadly, I can only draw with my words… that is where my artistic talent stops… the pencil/wacom is not my friend… so I have decided to hold a contest. Maybe you can be the one to help give She Never Slept a new look for the new year!
What do you need from me? The image can be as large as you like, but it must look good at 140×140 pixels. It must be relevant to the site’s theme and content (Science Fiction, Strange Tales, Horror, Drive-Ins and more — or read our About page for furter info). You can incorporate the sites name or initials (SNS) but they must be legible at 140×140. Try to stick in the same color ranges of the exisiting site.
What do I get out of the deal? As the winner you willl receive a $50 cash prize. Your logo will be the official logo at She Never Slept and you will be credited on the site. You will also receive a sidebar link (with image) to the site of your choosing!
And lastly… The deadline for entry is February 16th. A winner will be announced and showcased by March 2nd. Entries or questions should be sent to me >>here<< ! Good luck and as always… Enjoy my fiends!
Abstrusely,
Sarah L. Gerhardt
Jan 14 2010
Filed In: News
Hello Ghouls and Boils,
I have terrorific news to announce! The Bleeding Edge Anthology is now available. This book is filled with legendary masters of the strange and a good smattering of the new breed as well. We will be presenting a review here on She Never Slept soon (it is on my nightstand pile now). Also, if you live in LA – or near LA – or can easily get to LA towards the end of February – I recommend going to the book signing on the 20th. And if you go tell Ray he is one of my biggest heroes! The information from the publishers on the book and signing are below. Enjoy my fiends!
Abstrusely,
Sarah L. Gerhardt
The Bleeding Edge
Edited by William F. Nolan and Jason V Brock. Trade Hardcover with dust jacket; cover art by Kris Kuksi. Foreword by S. T. Joshi. Signed by both editors.
A landmark anthology that contains original, never before published works by: Ray Bradbury, Gary A. Braunbeck, Jason V Brock, Christopher Conlon, Norman Corwin, Cody Goodfellow, Earl Hamner, George Clayton Johnson, Nancy Kilpatrick, Joe R. Lansdale, Richard Matheson, Richard Christian Matheson, Lisa Morton, Kurt Newton, William F. Nolan, Dan O’Bannon, Frank M. Robinson, John Shirley, James Robert Smith, Steve Rasnic Tem, and John Tomerlin. Both editions feature opaque vellum pages, printed with 100% vegetable inks using wind power; printed and bound in the USA. Trade has a Smyth-sewn binding in cloth boards.
Deluxe signed by 23 contributors
The Official signing for The Bleeding Edge! Over 10 writers in attendance! Surely to be the largest event in 2010, with MANY legends attending from the anthology…
CONFIRMED to sign (health allowing):
RAY BRADBURY (The Martian Chronicles; Fahrenheit 451)
WILLIAM F. NOLAN (Logan’s Run; Burnt Offerings)
GEORGE CLAYTON JOHNSON (Ocean’s 11; The Twilight Zone)
R.C. MATHESON (Dystopia; Masters of Horror)
JASON V BROCK (Charles Beaumont documentary; Dark Discoveries)
LISA MORTON (The Lucid Dreaming)
JAMES ROBERT SMITH (The Flock)
JOHN TOMERLIN (The Twilight Zone; Challenge the Wind)
NORMAN CORWIN (On a Note of Triumph; Lust for Life)
EARL HAMNER, JR. (The Twilight Zone; The Waltons)
CODY GOODFELLOW (Radiant Dawn; Jake’s Wake)
We are also anticipating other writers and filmmakers to attend as Special Guests!
Additionally, Jason V Brock would like to dedicate this signing to the memory of Dan O’Bannon, who was planning to attend before his premature passing on 12/17/09. He will be missed!
UPDATE — 1/13/10: Looks like Dennis Etchison (Dark Country; Talking in the Dark) and Marc Scott Zicree (The Twilight Zone Companion; Babylon 5) will be there. Stay tuned.
Host: The Bleeding Edge – anthology
Date: Saturday, February 20, 2010
Time: 3:00pm – 6:00pm
Location: Mystery & Imagination Bookstore (818) 545-0206
Street: 238 N. Brand Blvd.
City: Glendale, CA
Tags: Bleeding Edge, Books, Christopher Conlon, Cody Goodfellow, Dan O'Bannon, Earl Hamner, Frank M. Robinson, Gary A. Braunbeck, George Clayton Johnson, Horror, James Robert Smith, Jason V Brock, Joe R. Lansdale, John Shirley, John Tomerlin, Kurt Newton, Lisa Morton, Nancy Kilpatrick, Norman Corwin, Ray Bradbury, Richard Christian Matheson, Richard Matheson, S.T. Joshi, Science Fiction, Short Stories, Steve Rasnic Tem, Strange Tales, William F. Nolan
Jan 08 2010
Filed In: News
Hello Ghouls and Boils
Happy 2010 to all of our fiends – old and new! I hope your holiday season was filled with spooktacular surprises. 2010 is going to be a phantastic year for scifi, strange tales and horror! I am already receiving some brilliant stuff to talk with you all about. I am so excited to share the treasures I have dug up (or have magically landed in my lap). I am almost done reading The Saint Perpetuus Club of Buenos Aires by Eric Stener Carlson (a Tartarus Press book) – you can expect to hear all about it in the next week or so. I am also working on an article called, “My Decade of Horror”. We have new reviews coming from the Minions as well – so stay tuned!
This evening I am having a (belated) birthday celebration. And since it’s my birthday I get to pick the theme! This year I am having a Lucky McKee Fest – a terrorific triple feature: May, Roman and The Woods! Good wine, good cheese, good friends – blood, guts and gore – what more could a girl ask for?
Lucky McKee is one of my favorite modern Horror Masters. If you are unfamiliar, do yourself a favor and look into his work.
The first movie we will watch is perhaps my favorite modern horror film – May
Second we are watching Roman (which ashamedly I have yet to see). I am excited to watch this one!
And the final movie for the night will be The Woods (Bruce Cambell, Patricia Clarkson – Woot!)
For those of my fiends who are sad they can’t be here to celebrate my 34th trip around the sun – fear not! I will be doing live updates on She Never Slept’s Twitter Page! That’s right, you can read all of my thoughts on the films (and I am sure the folks joining me for the fest will chime in too!) as I am watching them. The party starts at 7pm Pacific and goes until the films are over. WARNING: This will NOT be spoiler free. So if you haven’t seen these flicks it is probably best to avoid She Never Slept’s Twitter page for tonight. *grins wickedly* (Remember: you don’t have to sign up to see my updates. But if you are on Twitter, please do follow us for the latest news and exclusive content!)
I must go prep for the party now ghouls and boils. Have a frightening Friday whatever you do! Enjoy my fiends!
Abstrusely,
Sarah L. Gerhardt
The Twilight Zone Original Series Episode 30
A Stop At Willoughby
Original airdate:6 May 1960
Written by: Rod Serling
Director: Robert Parrish
Producer: Buck Houghton
Director of Photography: George T. Clemens
Music: Nathan Scott
Cast:
Gart Williams: James Daly
Jane Williams: Patricia Donahue
Mr. Misrell: Howard Smith
Hello Ghouls and Boils,
Thank you for joining us one last time for our 50-year anniversary of The Twilight Zone celebration. I realize there has been a gap between articles. The last two months of 2009 have been quite tumultuous for me. Thankfully it hasn’t all been bad… but I have experienced some big life changes that have kept me from my writing. No worries, I am back and SNS will be in full swing once again. Thank you all for your patience and understanding. Today I am going to talk about another favorite episode of mine – second only to “Time Enough at Last” – “A Stop At Willoughby“. Please feel free to discuss in the comment section, we welcome your opinions. I won’t keep you waiting any longer! Enjoy my fiends!
Abstrusely,
Sarah L. Gerhardt
Brief Synopsis:
“This is Gart Williams, age thirty-eight, a man protected by a suit of armor all held together by one bolt. Just a moment ago, someone removed the bolt, and Mr. Williams’ protection fell away from him and left him a naked target. He’s been cannonaded this afternoon by all the enemies of his life. His insecurity has shelled him, his sensitivity has straddled him with humiliation, his deep-rooted disquiet about his own worth has zeroed in on him, landed on target, and blown him apart. Mr. Gart Williams, ad agency exec, who in just a moment will move into the Twilight Zone— in a desperate search for survival.”
To say that Gart Williams is an unhappy man might be an understatement. He is at the end of his rope. He is an ad executive who is overworked and underappreciated. After losing a major account, he is distraught. When he falls asleep on the train home and hears the call for Willoughby. The conductor tells him it is a place where a man can “slow down to a walk and live his life to full measure”. He doesn’t get off the train. He awakes and is at his normal stop. When he tells his wife she merely laughs it off and ridicules him for believing such a place could even exist. When the pressures of his job push him over the edge he phones his wife to tell her he is quitting, but she hangs up on him. On the train ride back home he falls asleep again and hears the call for Willoughby… will he take the stop this time?
“Willoughby? Maybe it’s wishful thinking nestled in a hidden part of a man’s mind, or maybe it’s the last stop in the vast design of things, or perhaps, for a man like Mr. Gart Williams, who climbed on a world that went by too fast, it’s a place around the bend where he could jump off. Willoughby? Whatever it is, it comes with sunlight and serenity, and is a part of the Twilight Zone.”
Full episode recap and thoughts:
WARNING SPOILERS (I will talk about the ending of the episode. If you have not seen it and you would like to be surprised come back after viewing. See the full episode on CBS >here< !)
Gart Williams is an overstressed New York advertising executive. But the stress doesn’t stop at work for poor Gart, his wife is a shrew and not at all supportive. He is just one step away from falling over the edge.
The opening scene takes place in a board room. A group of balding, chain-smoking white men look angrily at Gart, awaiting the arrival of a promised pitch for a major account. Mr. Williams paces back and forth reassuring the men that the young exec he had handling the account would be along any moment. Just then the secretary comes in with a note from the young man; he left the firm and took the client with him. This obviously displeases Mr. Misrell (his boss) and he doesn’t hesitate to tell him about it. He lectures him on how this is a “push-push-push” business. Eventually Gart has enough and says a thing or two of his own, storming out of the boardroom and leaving the others shocked. I love the way this scene is setup. There is a long, typical boardroom table with overflowing ashtrays and a large window showing the skyscrapers that surround the office building. It is beautifully shot.
James Daly does a fantastic job playing a man on the verge of losing it. You don’t doubt for one second that the slightest thing could tip the scales in the worst possible way. You may remember him from Planet of the Apes (He played Honorious) or his appearance in Star Trek (one of my favorite episodes Requiem for Methuselah he played the character Flint). His TZ performance as Gart will always be the way that I remember him though.
In the next scene Gart is on a commuter train headed home. Since his home life is not much better than his work life he rarely sleeps. The commute seems to be the best time for him to rest. As he drifts off he is suddenly awoken by a call for Willoughby. When he looks around he notices the train itself has changed. It no longer looks modern. Confused, he asks the conductor where he was. To which he replies: “”a peaceful, restful place, where a man can slow down to a walk and live his life full measure.” Mr. Williams looks out to see a wondrous site… children playing, people out for a leisurely stroll… a paradise. Yet, he does not get off the train. He is once again jolted awake and is home. The train has reverted to the same modern train he boarded. When he asks the conductor about Willoughby he says he never heard of such a place.
When Gart returns home he tells his wife of his dream. She laughs at him and says he was born too late. She ridicules him by saying she married a man “whose big dream in life is to be Huckleberry Finn”.
The next time Gart is on the train he falls asleep again and once more he hears the call for Willoughby. Just as he is about to get off the train, briefcase in hand, it begins to roll away and he is brought back to present time. He swears to himself that he will get off the next time he stops at the village.
He finally reaches his breaking point at work. He calls his wife for comfort and to tell her he is leaving his job. She simply hangs up on him. Her abandonment is the last straw for poor Gart. When he is commuting home again he falls asleep. The train stops one more time in Willoughby and the conductor smiles warmly, waving him to the door. Gart discards his briefcase, steps off the train and is greeted by the townsfolk who all know him by name. They are happy he has arrived.
In the final scene we are back in the present. The conductor is standing above the body of Gart Williams and says that “shouted something about Willoughby”, just before jumping off of the train, and was killed instantly. His body is loaded into a hearse, and as the back door closes, we see the words Willoughby & Son Funeral Home.
Is Willoughby heaven, a place in the mind of a sick man, another dimension… ??? Oh the possibilities are endless. But I do know, in this modern world where everything is push-push-push and rush-rush-rush it would nice to have a place where one could “slow down to a walk and live his life full measure”. I think as hectic and stressful as life can be, we all can understand Gart just a little bit. It is one of many reasons this is a favorite of mine.
If haven’t seen this episode (and you read through anyway because you don’t care about spoilers), give it a watch. It is available on CBS for free (with commercials) or on Netflix watch instantly. I highly recommend it. And yes, this one will someday be in my permanent collection as well!
Fun Facts:
* The lead actor in this episode, James Daly, is the father of Actress Tyne Daly.
* Rod Serling said this was his favorite episode of Season One.
* The town square used to represent Willoughby still looks much as it did over a hundred years ago, right down to the statue honoring local Civil War soldiers.
We hope that 2010 is spooktacular for everyone. Happy New Year from the Staff at She Never Slept!
Hello Ghouls and Boils,
Thank you for joining us this week for our 50-years of The Twilight Zone celebration. Once a week – for the rest of the year – I will share my thoughts on one of my favorite TZ episodes. This week I will discuss “A Stop at Willoughby” – come back Friday to read all about it. In the meantime I am happy to present a bonus Twilight Zone article written by our guest Minion (I mean writer) Jason V Brock! He will be discussing two classic episodes. Enjoy my fiends!
Abstrusely,
Sarah L. Gerhardt
A Howling at Owl Creek Bridge – written by Jason V Brock
The Twilight Zone Original Series Episode 41
The Howling Man
Original Air Date: 4 November 1960
Written by: Charles Beaumont
Director: Douglas Heyes
Producer: Buck Houghton
Director of Photography: George T. Clemens
Music: Stock
Cast:
David Ellington: H.M. Wynant
Brother Jerome: John Carradine
The Howling Man: Robin Hughes
Brother Christophorus: Frederic Ledebur
Housekeeper: Ezelle Poule
Watch the episode >here<
Brief Synopsis:
“The prostrate form of Mr. David Ellington, scholar, seeker of truth and, regrettably, finder of truth. A man who will shortly arise from his exhaustion to confront a problem that has tormented mankind since the beginning of time. A man who knocked on a door seeking sanctuary and found instead the outer edges of the Twilight Zone.”
The Howling Man is the story of a peculiar religious sect that has imprisoned a very strange man in the remote mountains of post-WW I Europe. A stranger (David Ellington) happens by and feels pity for the captive, ultimately releasing him. In the end, the prisoner turns out to be Satan, and Ellington lives to regret the harm that he has caused to rest of humanity. It is a powerful story, with its roots firmly in the tale of Pandora and her box… but sans Hope.
“Ancient folk saying: ‘You can catch the Devil, but you can’t hold him long.’ Ask Brother Jerome. Ask David Ellington. They know, and they’ll go on knowing to the end of their days and beyond…in the Twilight Zone.”
Full episode recap and thoughts:
Written by Charles Beaumont, this is a brilliantly conceived and structured cautionary tale. Beaumont was the second most prolific writer on The Twilight Zone after Rod Serling. Some of his episodes are among the best known of the series: Perchance to Dream, Miniature, Printer’s Devil. And, of course, The Howling Man.
In comparing the short story to the teleplay, there are numerous differences, but Beaumont’s mastery at adapting himself allows him to depart from the original narrative and to establish the visual elements for television in an indelible way. The show is well shot, with powerful performances all around (particularly from Wynant and Carradine), and the impact of the camera angles lends a disorienting and alarming aspect to this parable. Especially effective are the asides where the fourth wall is broken, and the audience is addressed directly. This technique really pulls the watcher into the action, and makes one feel almost complicit in the terrible deeds as they unfold.
As author John Shirley (Bleak History) has pointed out “The Howling Man is a very [powerful] metaphor… it is the struggle to contain our own animal nature…” (yes, I am paraphrasing). Shirley is right: the id/ego conflict is at the very core of the story. Beaumont, as was his custom, pulled it off with chilling aplomb, crafting one of the most haunting and thought-provoking episodes of a series that had no shortage of them…
***
The Twilight Zone Original Series Episode 142
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
Original Air Date: 28 February 1964
Written by: Robert Enrico
Based on a short story by: Ambrose Bierce
Director: Robert Enrico
Producer: Marcel Ichac and Paul de Roubaix
Director of Photography: Jean Boffety
Music: Henri Lanoe
Cast:
Peyton Farquhar (Confederate Spy): Roger Jacquet
Mrs. Farquhar: Anne Cornaly
Union Officer: Anker Larsen
Watch the episode >here<
Brief Synopsis:
“Tonight, a presentation so special and unique that, for the first time in the five years we’ve been presenting the Twilight Zone, we’re offering a film shot in France by others. Winner of the Cannes Film Festival of 1962, as well as other international awards, here is a haunting study of the incredible, from the past master of the incredible, Ambrose Bierce. Here is the French production of ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge’.”
The American Civil War: a man stands on a bridge about to be hanged. He his tied up, the noose is put around his neck, and he is dropped… only to have the rope break. He lands in the water, and is able to affect a daring escape in broad daylight. He wants nothing more than to be reunited with his family, and runs through the night to get back home… As he is about to embrace his wife and child, the rope breaks his neck: he had imagined the whole scene in the instant between falling and his neck snapping.
“An occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge—in two forms, as it was dreamed, and as it was lived and died. This is the stuff of fantasy, the thread of imagination… the ingredients of the Twilight Zone.”
Full episode recap and thoughts:
This fine French short subject is an adaptation of an excellent story by that master of the weird, Ambrose Bierce. Bierce was a well-known eccentric and his own demise has been the source of near-constant speculation since he walked into a dusty street in Mexico one day in 1913 and vanished without a trace.
The fascinating idea of time compression/dilation is well explored and brought to amazing life in the original story (I highly recommend reading it; it’s a great one), and is effectively captured by this short film. The acting is well done and wholly believable, and the premise is pure Twilight Zone. The observer is really pulled into the plight of this man by getting to the heart of what really matters to him (as it does to most of us): his family. He is not concerned with medals or bravery: he just yearns for the soft touch of his wife, and the happy sound of his child’s voice. This is powerful stuff, and has all the gravitas that one expects from a top-flight show such as the Twilight Zone. This was the final episode of the series to be put together (it was slightly re-edited, and Serling was filmed for inclusion for its introduction), but not the last to air. It also won an Academy Award in 1963 for Best Live Action Short Film. Difficult to see, as the original contract stipulated that it could only be aired twice, it is worth seeking out, and is included on the Image Entertainment DVD box set as an extra.
***
I hope you have enjoyed reliving these episodes as much as I have: Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone has been a big part of my life. My wife Sunni and I have gotten to know Richard Matheson, George Clayton Johnson, William F. Nolan, John Tomerlin, Ray Bradbury, Earl Hamner, Marc Scott Zicree, Roger Anker, John Shirley and many others as part of doing our film, Charles Beaumont: The Short Life of Twilight Zone’s Magic Man. I know it will continue to be a big part of our lives in the future, and I heartily recommend seeing, studying and – most of all – enjoying these masterworks of modern storytelling.
Jason V Brock – Guest Minion (Writer)
Tags: Ambrose Bierce, Anker Larsen, Anne Cornaly, Charles Beaumont, H.M. Wynant, Horror, Jason V Brock, John Carradine, Robert Enrico, Robin Hughes, Roger Jacquet, Science Fiction, Strange Tales, Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone Original Series Episode 22
The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street
Original airdate: 4 March 1960
Written by: Rod Serling
Director: Ron Winston
Producer: Buck Houghton
Director of Photography: George T. Clemens
Music: René Garriguenc
Cast:
Steve Brand: Claude Akins
Charlie Farnsworth: Jack Weston
Les Goodman: Barry Atwater
Hello Ghouls and Boils,
Thank you for joining us once again for our 50-years of The Twilight Zone celebration. Once a week (typically Mondays) – for the rest of the year – I will share my thoughts on one of my favorite TZ episodes. Pardon my tardiness this week, but life has kept me terrifyingly busy. I plan on making it up to you. We will have a bonus Twilight Zone article written by our guest Minion (I mean writer) Jason V Brock, coming soon! Today I am going to talk about another all-time favorite episode, “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street”. Enjoy my fiends!
Abstrusely,
Sarah L. Gerhardt
Brief Synopsis:
“Maple Street, U.S.A. Late summer. A tree-lined little world of front porch gliders, barbecues, the laughter of children, and the bell of an ice-cream vendor. At the sound of the roar and the flash of light, it will be precisely 6:43pm on Maple Street. [Narration interrupted by the effects described above] This is Maple Street on a late Saturday afternoon. Maple Street, in the last calm and reflective moment before the monsters came.”
It’s a typical summer evening in a typical suburban town. The children are outside playing, the neighbors are talking casually… and then it all changes the moment there is a flash of light and bang. The neighbors gather to discuss the incident. Was it a meteor? When the evening falls it becomes apparent that all of the houses on the street are without power. The speculation grows wilder as Tommy (a neighborhood boy) suggests it may be an alien invasion.
“The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, prejudices – to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill and suspicion can destroy, and a thoughtless, frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all its own – for the children, and the children yet unborn. And the pity of it is that these things cannot be confined to the Twilight Zone.”
Full episode recap and thoughts:
WARNING SPOILERS (I will talk about the ending of the episode. If you have not seen it and you would like to be surprised – come back after viewing. See the full episode on veoh >here< !)
It is a late summer evening on Maple Street – children playing, adults talking at the curbside, a teenager on a bike. A shadow passes overhead. It is accompanied by a bright flash and a resounding boom.
The opening scene is a bit like looking into a time capsule. If someone asked me what 1950s suburbia looked like, I would certainly point them to this episode. Pristine houses with pristine lawns, everyone is neatly dressed in fine clothes and their hair is perfectly styled, the children are prim and proper… everyone seems unbearably happy and friendly. (But that changes swiftly.) They did a terrific job of establishing time and place. It is certainly embedded in my memory files as Suburban Neighborhood: 1950s.
There are three main characters in this episode.
Steve Brand – played by Claude Akins. Claude was a prolific television and film actor. You may remember him as Lobo from B.J. and the Bear or his numerous roles in Westerns series: Frontier, Crusader, My Friend Flicka (3 times), Boots and Saddles, Northwest Passage, Sheriff of Cochise, State Trooper, Wagon Train (4 times), Overland Trail, Laramie (4 times), The Big Valley, The Legend of Jesse James, Death Valley Days, Zane Grey Theater (4 times), The Rifleman (3 times), Gunsmoke (10 times), Bonanza (4 times), and The Oregon Trail. Steve Brand is a strong man and attempts to be the voice of reason during this crisis.
Les Goodman - played by Barry Atwater. Barry was also in a lot of television, mainly from the 50s through the 70s. He played the role of Surak on Star Trek, a vampire names Janos on The Night Stalker and even did a three year stint on General Hospital – to name but a few of his noted works. Les is the first to fall victim to the mob.
Charlie Farnsworth – played by Jack Weston. Jack was a stage, film and television actor with countless character roles. He is best known for his comic acting like in Please Don’t Eat the Dasies, but he also sometimes took on darker roles like in Wait Until Dark. Charlie is an instigator and quick to assimilate to the mob mentality.
(*side note: When I rewatched this I kept saying to Henry – He is so familiar… I know him from somewhere. I even speculated – I wonder if that is the hotel owner from Dirty Dancing. I found out after my research for this article I was right. He really didn’t change much in nearly 30 years.)
After the initial crowd reaction to the boom and light we are shifted from a late summer evening to an early summer night. Nothing in the neighborhood is working. There seems to be no power to the lights, the phones, the cars – at anybody’s house. This makes the neighbors anxious. One of the neighbors decides to go check the next street over and see if they are having the same problem.
When Steve Brand attempts to go into town to check Tommy (a young man from the neighborhood) stops him. He says “they don’t want them to leave”. He makes the suggestion that there could be aliens amongst them. Though at first the crowd brushes it off saying he reads too many comic books… But soon it becomes the kindling that starts the raging fire of paranoia. The crowd quickly spirals into a mob the moment that Les Goodman’s car begins running on its own. They venomously spew their suspicions at him. Why is his car starting and no one else’s?
As the night goes on things turn on and off in different peoples homes and accusations continue to fly. Charlie is at the lead of almost every attack. But soon the crowd turns on him when his lights flash on and off. The mob gets stirred into such a frenzy that when they see a shadowy figure approaching and fear it is the monster who is doing this to them, Charlie shoots blindly. When they approach him they see it as Pete Van Horn, the neighbor who left to check on the next street over. The mob grows chaotic – driven by fear, paranoia and anger.
The final scene is that of a spaceship and two higher-life forms. It was an experiment of sorts, to show a simpler way to take over this planet. They knew our deepest secret. We are our own worst enemies. They need only sit back and let us destroy ourselves.
This episode is a powerful one. It shows us how fear, ignorance and prejudgment can lead to blind anger and hatred. It is even shown in classrooms as an example of the dangers of prejudice and hysteria. It is well shot as usual by George T. Clemens. His camera angles and framing lent to the palpable feeling of tension in this piece. You coud feel the fear and anger rising from each character. Ron Winston did a fantastic job of pulling the best emotions from his actors and setting the scene.
If you haven’t seen this, it is one that should go on your list. I highly recommend giving it a viewing. If you haven’t seen it a while, pop on over to veho and give it a watch! This episode is yet another I will have in my personal collection someday.
Fun Fact:
Several elements from “Forbidden Planet” were used in this episode including the alien suits and the spaceship departing shot. The spaceship shot was projected upside-down and in reverse from the original.
