What did everyone think of The Howling Man? Watch more Twilight-Tober Zone here - bit.ly/TwilightToberZone Follow Walter on Twitter - twitter.com/Awesome_Walter Follow us on Twitch - www.twitch.tv/channelawesome
A very fun episode. Basically the show doing a Universal monster movie, complete with old dark house atmosphere, thunder and lightning and John Carradine overacting to our delight.
One great visual aspect that I caught even in my younger years was this particular set in THE HOWLING MAN. Fans of the original TZ series will note that for budgetary reasons, certain interior sets were reused for different episode. The main room of the monestary was also the college hallway in LONG LIVE WALTER JAMESON. And the waiting area of the hospital in THE PURPLE TESTAMENT. AND the home of the silent film actress for THE SIXTEEN MILLIMETER SHRINE!
The idea of man being tempted into releasing something best contained also evokes Pandora and the box Zeus gave her. A powerful force in the guardianship of one not fit to safeguard it.
Accept everybody leaves out the part where Zeus specifically created Pandora to open the box. This was an intended outcome by Zeus as revenge for Prometheus giving fire to humans.
It more closely resembles Prince Ivan finding koschei the deathless and being tricked into releasing him from his chains when his wife the queen specifically told him not to. You should check out that story if you haven’t already
One aspect was that imprisoning the Devil ends wars and when he's free, wars start. Thus he was captured at the end of WWI and got sprung to start WWII.
Historically speaking wars never ended after ww1, with the Spanish and Russian civil wars to note happening in between the two world wars. Oh and the second Sino-Japanese war and the Chinese civil war.
I love the look and feel of this episode. It comes off like a Universal horror film of the 30s/40s. Having John Carradine in it only adds to that atmosphere.
I think the fact that he turns into the actual literal devil the way people picture him was the best part. If he hadn't I don't think the episode would have been as memorable
IM WATCHN 2023 AFTER COUNTLESS TIMES...IM 40PLUS SO I FOUND TZ ON RERUNS...TO DATE...ONE OF MY FAVORITE TELEVISION CONCEPTS...EVEN MY 30YR OLD DAUGHTER...I DIGRESS...MY FAVORITE PART...AND MOST FACTUAL PART OF LIFE..IS THE TENY...TINY STAFT IT TOOK TO KEEP 'HIM' IMPRISONED...IMO...FAITH THE SIZE OF A MUSTARD SEED IS ENOUGH TO MOVE MOUNTAINS...THAT STAFT WAS ENOUGH TO IMPRISON THE MOST EVIL ENTITY KNOWN TO MANKIND...TZ..AGED WELL...LIFE LESSON...STILL RELEVANT 😔😖🤥🙌😳😲🙏
I actually found this short story years ago in a horror demon short story collection. The original was much more ambiguous about if the prisoner was the devil or not still creepy as hell. Love both versions. Have to give it another read.
Yes, at the end of Charles Beaumont's original short story, the protagonist gets a message from hermitage saying, "Rest easy, my son. He is with us again." This implies the titular character is captured again, but whether he actually was the Devil or not is still left to your interpretation.
@@geoffreyfyfe2248 The way the message is worded seems odd to me. I wonder if it's meant to be up for interpretation what actually happened. Maybe he wasn't actually the devil, but a person he possessed and "He is with us again" means they gave the victim an exorcism.
The devil being so stereotypical here really works, though. Think about it: he STARTS in the usual 'perfectly innocuous' appearance to do all the actual trickery. By the time he goes cliche horned man... he's only doing it to rub it in that the guy who freed him screwed up. It's a mockery. "Look! Look how silly and obvious I am! This is what you fell for!"
This episode is one of my favorites as a christian at the end when Ellington in a daze remarks about the devil “ i saw him but I didn’t recognize him” perfectly sums up how the devil tricks and fools humanity
This episode reminds me of a line from the Usual Suspects - "The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he doesn't exist." If only Serling had thought of that line. Its meaning is even more true today that it was when this aired.
The phrase actually comes from short story "The generous gambler" (1864) by Charles Baudelaire, who may have been quoting an actual preacher. Either way, it's worse than useless as a moral sentiment, barely a step up from "The Devil made me do it".
I don't believe that the Devil does exist, except perhaps as an archetype of the human consciousness. Everyone, short of the truly insane, has a choice in their actions. Some people choose greed and a lust for power. I don't call it evil, I call it misfortune and fear. What if that's just part of the human condition? I consider "the Devil" to be a scapegoat, an excuse. "The Devil made me do it" is the greatest lie, I say.
Aww man, I remember watching this episode and being all like, "Whaaaa...?" by the end. Twilight Zone lived for the twists, and this one I think ranks among the most effective.
That being said, how could we not have known that it was the real devil in that prison cell? This show is all about science fantasy ideas. Of course the devil is real.
This is a creepy episode but one part that makes me laugh is right before the Howling Man transforms, he runs his hand along his beard. I can't resist saying "Just let me check that my fake beard is on, okay got it. And Transformation go!" It's a great episode and is one of the scariest.
This episode scared me when I first watched it as a kid. Though I have to question, if I had the devil locked in my closet, I would not allow anyone in my house under any circumstances, especially not a housekeeper (keeping my house clean is not a priority at this point!)
I love that moment, such a neat little detail. If it really was all nonsense, no devil, no magic, the Howling Man could've reached through the bars and so easily moved the staff of truth, allowing the door to open. And yet he stands there, his arms all the way through the bars in order to wrap around Ellington's shoulders, pleading with him that he remove the staff, which we've just learned is capable of keeping the devil's power at bay.
“Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it saying 'End-of-the-World Switch. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH', the paint wouldn't even have time to dry.” ― Terry Pratchett, Thief of Time
David: "Do not remove the staff under any circumstances" Housekeeper: *Removes the staff anyway, causing the Vietnam War, the Chernobyl Disaster, the 11-S, the Irak War, the COVID pandemic and the worst creation the Devil has ever made...TMZ* David: "You had one job, honey. ONE F*CKING JOB"
My favorite episode of the series. Whenever I can get my wife to say, "with what?" I always respond, "with the STAFF OF TRUTH!" It's corny, but it's ours. Absolutely fantastic episode.
I’ve always found the Howling Man to be among the most underrated of the Twilight Zone episodes. One of Zone’s few forays into classic gothic horror, with the great John Carradine as the head monk. It’s been a favorite of mine ever since it scared the hell out of me as a little kid. Great video.
Charles Beaumont and Douglas Heyes are just two of several creators that deserve credit for such amazing work that they did for this show and the Howling Man is no different. While it's not one of my personal favorites, I did enjoy the filmmaking with the duch angles. Really puts everything into vertigo. Also, John Carradine nails it as Brother Jerome. Preach!!!
Thank you for RU-vid, I saw this as a child of 7 in 1972 and it scares the heck out of me. I never knew the title or was able to find it. I'll show it to my kids tonight!
Part of me had an inkling of the twist, but the way everyone plays their roles, even if you suspect the twist, you can still believe that the monks are the ones who are wrong. Props to the writing for that. John Carradine is brilliant too.
As someone who grew up on the Twilight zone, this episode terrified me and is one of my personal favorites. Something I never understood is how he referred it to as the "outer edges of the Twilight zone"? It's about coming face to face with the devil, Serling. That should be smack dead in the middle! XD
My interpretation on it as the “outer edges” means a more darker or sinister are of the twilight zone. Like some episodes have pay offs for the main character or it’s a bitter sweet/light hearted episode like one home for the angels
One of my all time favorites. I feel so lucky that as a kid I was introduced to the twilight zone. The visuals, the music. For me, it really was the passport to another world. Today, I enjoy them as much as I did back then, a testament to their enduring legacy!
A season 4 episode of the Twilight zone, Of Late, I think of Cliffordville features a fairly straightforward and traditional portrayal of the devil as a travel agent, complete with two very prominent horns. However, there is a twist in it in the fact that the devil in question is played by Julie Newmar.
This is of those episodes that my husband and I MUST watch if we find out it's on. We even met H.M. Wynant at a con many years ago and had him sign our well-loved copy of The Twilight Zone Companion.
Yes!! A classic episode that few know of! One of my favorite aspects of this episode was the explanation of why the Devil being locked up mattered. Without him, man suffers what he was meant to suffer, but when released, He conspires to create suffering and tragedy unbeknownst to man! Love this episode! Looking forward to what’s coming up next!
Note to self: Hire maids/attendants who will at least temporarily humor me before placing them in charge of confining the Prince Of Darkness. Seriously, there are an astonishing amount of TZ's classic and modern - that proceed on an attendant insistingly unleashing the evil right at the end.
Rob Morris: Or BYOM/A. Saves on explanations and the work of trying to find Little Lucy yet again. Still, I'd probably be one of the people letting him go. What's kidnapping, false imprisonment, and all those adjacent charges worth -- 20 to life? No way. I'm not doing time for nobody. haha
This could be looked at as a piece of Cokd War theater. We opened that door and let out that which could utterly destroy us when we dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. Whatever way you wish to interpret it, this may be the best episode. It's always been a favorite.
i've watched this 15 times since it came out and it still literally gives me goose bumps when i see the transformation. One of my top 5 twilight zones.....
one of my favorite episodes, i saw this very late at night like 43 years ago it was so scary i loved the howling. it looked like an old school horror movie. the best part was that i met this crazy guy like 20 years later, and we played music together for several years, and one night after a show sitting by the east river he just stood up and howled. sat back down and smiled at me. everyone else with us grew uncomfortable and silent, he was a tough spooky guy. and i said to him as weird guess, dude i have that episode of the twilight zone on video at home, he hugged me and we just both started talking about seeing this episode as kids.we went and got some beer and watched it. it was a crazy thing to bond over i loved how he could and i guess i could too, scare the crap out of people. and it was a big joke to us.
I just watched this episode with my wife a few days ago. It never fails to give me that good ol' creepy feeling while I know I'm sitting safe and secure at home. But yeah, the traditional devil appearance here is almost comical when I think about those "other" versions the Twilight Zone used. Julie Newmar in season 4, episode 14 for example (Of Late I Think of Cliffordville)? Pretty cool.
I saw this "twist" coming a mile away. Of course he lets the man out, and of course it turns out to be the Devil. Otherwise there'd be no point in the story.
It could have been that the prisoner was a demented, sociopathic human whom the hermits thought was the Devil through their religious lens. There are still people now, in the first world, who think mental illness and murder are caused by demons...which, frankly, is stupid.
At first I thought it was a story about an unstable man that the monks were mistakenly believing was the devil just because he was so strange and eccentric. It would make sense, especially for the time, where a lot of people were of the belief that mental illness was some type of deviltry, possession or whatever. Criticizing religious fanatism seemed like a topic Rod Sterling would tackle. I don’t mind this story though, just wish they gave us more subtle clues that the howling man was indeed the devil and build up from there.
Robin Hughes was actually in one of my favourite movies, Auntie Mame. He played a mooching, petulant, romantic Irish bloke. Robin had good range. Some more Twilight Zone alumni were in the film, too.
Charles Beaumont is such a great writer, and I cannot recommend his shirt story collection, The Howling Man, enough. He writes such dark atmospheres, and leaves you with questions.
7:19 In the transformation scene, it really looks like they reversed the film when the Devil twirls his cape to make it flow unnaturally. That gives it an even more uncanny feeling.
John Carradine, The Voice 4:42 The reason this episode was made, for this one shot 6:07 The reason this episode was made, for this other shot These two shots stayed with me for decades.
