TOP 5 MOMENTS Twilight Zone


IN HISTORY by Marc Costanzo


This article began as a countdown of the best TWILIGHT ZONE episodes of all time. However, in approaching the list, I necessarily brought my own bias to the proceedings. I could try to be as objective as possible, but at the end of the day, with so many great works, many fantastic episodes would get lost in the mix. Everyone knows the standbys, but each person surely has a few odd apples that get tossed into the bunch.


And so, instead of creating a completely subjective list, I thought it would be more insightful to run down some of the most iconic moments in TWILIGHT ZONE history. In this way, I can talk about some of the


classic episodes as well as bring in some later material such as merchandise tie-ins and, as you’ll soon see, even theme park rides.


“THE TWILIGHT ZONE Movie”


“Wanna see something scary?” I’m gonna admit something to you guys right now. That first scene where Dan Aykroyd turns into a hideous monster used to haunt my dreams after I saw this movie as a little kid. Because here were two friends, just chatting in a car, when one of them turns out to be a horrible beast out to eat his friend’s face. As a young lad, I think what got me so riled was this idea that even your best friend sitting next to you might turn out to be a face-eating demon. Scary stuff.


That said, the film was divisive at best. Although it was a bold attempt to move the franchise forward into the latter quarter of the twentieth century, the


6 THE GRAVEYARD EXAMINER • DEC 6 - DEC 12, 2011


various sketches were hit and miss. Lithgow rocks in the “20,000 Feet” redux, and the kid who can do anything with his mind in “It’s a Good Life” is always creepy, but the other two stories don’t hold water as well. “Kick the Can,” especially, still makes me want to kick my foot through the television screen. This is TWILIGHT ZONE, alright, I don’t want to see a bunch of senior citizens go all COCOON on me, unless that cocoon happens to be of the giant insect variety.


One can’t deny the pedigree of those involved, however. John Landis, Joe Dante, George Miller, and Steven freakin’ Spielberg each contribute a chapter to the movie, and although the results vary in quality, they should all be commended for their contribution to keeping the TWILIGHT ZONE pedigree alive and well.


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