The Twilight Zone: The 80's Review

MPAA Rating: NR
Released: 1985

In 1959 a brilliant and gutsy individual named Rod Serling pushed the boundaries of television with The Twilight Zone, a bona fide sci-fi classic. Each of the episodes were wickedly inventive, incorporating elements of science fiction, horror, comedy and much more into a captivating mix that left viewers wondering what would happen next. So great was The Twilight Zone's influence that the very title became a part of pop-culture. How many of us have remarked that an odd circumstance felt like the Twilight Zone?

In 1985 CBS decided to resurrect the late Rod Serling's classic series, but could the reinvention of a virtually untouchable classic even hope to come close to the original? The answer may surprise you.

I have fond childhood memories of watching The Twilight Zone during the later evenings of each Saturday night. Despite the fact I was a child of the 80's and loved the glitz and glamour of the decade, something about the black and white sci-fi classic really appealed to me. The stories were sometimes shocking, sometimes scary, sometimes heartwarming, and almost always entertaining. You just didn't know what to expect next with this twisted series.

Naturally when CBS decided to bring The Twilight Zone back in 1985, I was all over it. But whereas in the 20+ years I have continued to enjoy the original Twilight Zone, it was only recently I greedily snatched up the DVD release of Season One of the 1980's version. I was quite anxious to see if nostalgia was too kind on the 80's rendition, or whether it was indeed as inventive as the original.

I thoroughly enjoyed the trip down memory lane.

First, it goes without saying that the 80's Twilight Zone series doesn't match the sheer brilliance and atmosphere of the original series, but it comes close. Damn close. Close enough that in most cases/episodes I think the ghost of the late Rod Serling would be proud.

Much like the original series, the 80's Twilight Zone featured an impressive collection of big stars and directors (Wes Craven, William Friedkin) as well as up-and-comers that were on the verge of becoming big names (Bruce Willis). Although some actors are a letdown, as can be expected of a vignette series that uses new actors in each episode, for the most part the production values and acting is top notch.

But the stories were always the true strength behind the Twilight Zone; each week viewers looked forward to seeing what twisted storyline would come up next. The hook endings of Twilight Zone became rather infamous, in fact. Although there are some clunkers in the 80's version of the Twilight Zone (though to be fair, there were some failures even in the original), for the most part the series perfectly captured the feel of the original.

Some of my favorite episodes in the 80's series were:

Shatterday

Starred an up-and-coming Bruce Willis as Peter J. Novins, a man that mistakenly calls his home, only to find that he answers the call from the other end! Apparently two versions of Peter Novins exist, and the original cannot return home while his duplicate is there since two of the exact same items cannot share the same space. As Peter tries to come to terms with this development, he battles with his other half for possession of the home.

A Little Peace And Quiet

A harried housewife discovers a treasure that allows her to freeze and restart time at her whim. This golden treasure becomes her most prized possession and she finds it incredibly at calming her nerves life pushes her to the edge. But as she bathes in the power of her newfound ability, she soon learns that such convenience can become a double-edged sword. The ending to this episode was classic Twilight Zone material – a nice zinger that capped a great story perfectly.

Wordplay

Wordplay was equal parts comedic and bizarre, making for an extremely fun experience. An intelligent businessman finds himself falling into an ever-increasing theater of the absurd when everyone around him starts misusing the English language. He is nonplussed by their choice of vocabulary, but he and his reactions equally puzzle them. Wes Craven directed this episode, but it's anything but horror – it's a brilliant little gem that is basic in concept yet flawless in execution.

Nightcrawlers

A Vietnam vet enters a small town bar during the midst of a rainstorm, at which time he is hassled by a police officer that believes he is little more than a stoned drifter. But when the veteran is pushed to the edge and forced to recall his Vietnam experiences, everyone else around him is drawn into his personal nightmare.

The list of fantastic episodes goes on and on – the above are only the tip of the iceberg. If you enjoyed the original series, I don't think you can go wrong with the 80's Twilight Zone series either. CBS and the assorted writers and directors did a fantastic job of capturing the essence of the classic.

It was unfortunate that the late Rod Serling was not alive to provide his pre and post-episode narrations, for he was the face of the series. Although his narration could never be matched for such a series, Robin Ward did a good job narrating it – the word selection and vocal tone came fairly close. (Note: when Twilight Zone originally aired, Charles Aidman was the host and frequent narrator. During syndication Robin Ward took over the narration duties for every episode so that the series would have a sense of uniformity).

I don't want to be accused of whitewashing potential flaws, so again I'll emphasize that some of the vignettes left a lot to be desired. But for the most part, the 80's Twilight Zone scored homerun after homerun, and as such I give it strong recommendations for fans of the original.

Rating: 9 stars

If you enjoyed Twilight Zone: The 80's you may also find the following films to be of interest:

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