I haven't seen "A small talent for War" but going by what you said, the twist was that the aliens meant they were expecting humanity to be more brutal and warlike than they ended up being.
Very good piece. I think 'Shelter Skelter' is the most unique, imaginative and suspenseful episode. Realistic with a mind-blowing conclusion. It plays like a mini-movie. Starring a young Joe Mantegna.
Agreed, if I were to make a sequel to the twilight zone movie and my job was to pick 4 episodes from any incarnation of the twilight zone to remake/reimagine, I’d choose Shelter Skelter either as the first or second episode.
The episode that was burned into my brain was "A Little Peace and Quiet" with Melinda Dillion. The story is somewhat similar to the original Twilight Zone episode, A Kind of Stopwatch, except that it has a very scary ending. I vividly remember seeing this as part of the premiere episode when I was 17. I agree with your choice of Her Pilgrim Soul. That was the best episode of the entire 80s TZ series.
collegeman1988- Yeah, but Melinda could have dragged her family members out of harm's way with all the time she had. I know, I know, critics everywhere!
That's a fantastic episode, I seen it back in the day. I recently showed it to my kids and they loved it too. However, I had to explain the Cold War feeling/threat at the time. Amazing show, I loved the 80s Twilight Zone and just recently watched the older one.
Pretty good list. Although I would have added "The Shadow Man" and "Nightcrawlers" for the horror and for just all around great episode, Harlan Ellison's "Paladin of the Lost Hour."
"I, Of Newton," was a great, short, comedic, episode which is on my personal top ten list from the eighties series. As the narrator says at the end: "A public service announcement from the Twilight Zone, for what to do if the devil shows up on your doorstep."
I'm glad you showed a clip of it at the end, but I'm a little surprised you hadn't included "I of Newton." I thought Sherman Hemsley and Ron Glass did a great, funny, and well-thought-out dialogue on how to get your soul back if you've slipped up and lost it to the devil. That was one of the ace episodes, if a bit short.
One of the creepiest to me was "Gramma". "Georgie... bring me my tea..." "The Curious case of Edgar Witherspoon" seemed more like an episode of Amazing Stories.
"My reviews have destroyed whole cities!" Totally need to look up the Twilight Zone style shows, they sound like my cup of suspense without being too slasher-ficish.
I suggest tales from the crypt, the outer limits, and night gallery(which was done by the guy who originally did twilight zone). All of which have that twilight zone vibe there was also a 2002 reboot of the twilight zone, but i haven't heard anything good about it :/
Enjoyed the original. A small talent for war is reminiscent of To serve man. Also enjoyed the man shunned by society and Ron Glass as a devil with the ever changing t shirt text.
My favorite episodes were Paladin of the Lost Hour, with Danny Kaye, and Night of the Meek. Both have fun and funny moments while still have a great deal of drama. I always end up crying by the end of both stories, but they are beautifully done.
'' A Little Peace & Quiet '' should have been on the list. Although a bit scary at the end, imagine yourself having the ability to stop time and gathering all the beautiful women in the country in one big room. Boring, eh?
I liked that one too, another should have been I of Newton. At least there was a clip of that though, with the devil in his constantly changing t-shirt.
What about veggietales, Wizards vs.aliens, house of mouse, spooksville, once upon a time, goosebumps, haunting hour, icarly, spongebob, fairly odd parents, Hannah Montana, suite life, that's so Raven, teen titans.
Well I just watched the whole series of the 80s twilight zone, and I got to say I really enjoyed it for the most part. Most of the stories were good, entertaining , and sticks with many elements with the original twilight zone. So yeah, thanks Linkara for getting me into a series (or version in this case) that I never knew existed.
I would have added: Shadowman Eye of Newton Red Snow, which had a similar premise as 30 Days of Night. A Little Peace and Quiet. A woman can stop time. At the end, she stops time just as a Soviet missile is exploding overhead.
J.j. Abraham's made a mini series about it its on Hulu I forget just look it up and find the name (its numbers) also i like how in the first twilight zone "back there" was Lincoln that was jfk and in 02 it was Martin Luther
Some of those are my personal favorites, too. Though I would have included the episode where the stressed out housewife gets the magic amulet where she can stop the world by saying, "Shut up." With, well, let us say a Cold War theme attached to the story.
I liked many of the ones you referenced, but also liked others you didn't mention. But so what, that's why we'd all have a great discussion talking about the episodes. I was out in LA when the show originally ran, and Ellison was a guest on the "Hour 25" radio show soon after the new TZ premiered. It was great hearing all about the series and the behind-the-scenes stuff. "Hour 25" was a weekly radio show in LA that talked about movies, books, TV shows, and comics. Ellison was a frequent guest.
I have a very soft spot for "A Message from Charity". Granted, it is dripping in oozing sentimentalism and you can see the ending from a mile away, but good god can it be used as a tonic!
Thanks for doing this. I loved this series, and glad to see it get some recognition. I liked most of the episodes on your list. For my own list, I'd add 'Of Time And Teresa Golowitz', "Paladin Of The Lost Hour' (with Danny Kaye!), 'Nightcrawlers' and 'The shadow Man'. The last is a truly spine-tingling piece of television. And I'd also like to recommend 'The New Twilight Zone', a book by Martin H. Greenberg that contains many of the stories that these episodes/segments were based on.
This is another one I'm glad you referenced. There are so many great episodes, and its criminally overlooked. This might be a hot take, but I think my favorite episode is "Toys of Caliban." It's just so sad and hopeless that I can't help but be drawn to it.
I loved the 80's TZ so thanks for doing this list. Also super appreciative that you didn't spoil them. Now I can go back and watch them as if I was watching them for the first time.
I overlooked the year and thought these were from the original series. As much as I loved the series hosted by Rod Serling I never watched this remake. These top 15 episodes would not mean anything to me, so I will take my leave. It was nice of the person who put this collection together for fans of the 1980s Twilight Zone.
Thanks, I really enjoyed that. Shatterday with Bruce Willis was a great one. And I found the ending to "Many Monkees" to be powerful - it stuck with me and I found it to be one of the best twist endings.
Linkara, I'm kinda mad at you. You mention Ellison and Straczynski, OK, but there were other SF writers involved, at least their stories as an inspiration for the 80's series. Greg Bear wrote Dead run, but The last defender of Camelot is based on a story by the Great Roger Zelazny and he deserved to be mentioned, he was gone too soon and his work is amazing and deserving of some attention.
I've seen all of these shows like this. I started watching them when I was a kid. There was an episode and I can't remember which show it is. It's the first one I saw and the only thing I remember about it is the line "Welcome to the Darkside, Johnny." I remember woods and I think a boy. I've been trying to figure out which show and episode for a while now. Anyone have any idea? I know there isn't much to go on... Tales from the Darkside? I'd love to see it again.
Others I would have mentioned. Private Channel, Children's Zoo, Kentucky Rye, Welcome to Winfield, Aqua Vita, The Shadow Man, There Was an Old Woman, and A Little Peace and Quiet.
Dealer's Choice is great but I can't believe you left out Nightcrawlers. That's my favorite of the '80s Twilight Zone by far. It's just so intense, especially when you consider it's broadcast tv.
The Shadowman was my #1. (Hey, I was 9 when this show started.) Button Button, Shelter Skelter, To See The Invisible man and the Stopwatch episode (forgot the name) still stay with me too.
Something in the Walls - saw it on Chiller when I was younger and was terrified! A Little Peace and Quiet - soooo good. easily one of my all time fav Twilight Zone eps and that includes the original series. I could totes see this one as a part of the original. Nightcrawlers - Another one that was so creepy and scary the first time I saw it. Paladin of the Lost Hour - Heartbreaking and beautiful story about broken people seeking and finding redemption. Really loved this one. The Burning Man, A Small Talent for War, and Monsters! - Three that you picked that I loved too. The others picks, not so much. Lol The Shadow Man - Even as a kid, I loved the ironic twist at the end. The Star - I know this one is religious but I was more drawn to the sadness of it. All those people had to die, and for what? The Elevator - Rubber monsters and terrible fx. Really goofy fun. lol Gramma - Another of my favs, if not my top fav in the 1980s TZ The Toys of Caliban - sad and surreal and super creepy
I didn't watch the show very often, but two episodes I remember and enjoyed were stories involving parallel worlds. One starred George Wendt, who was an unsuccessful inventor in this world but greatly successful in another. The other was Pam Dawber, who played a secretary who stumbled into another world where secretaries are idolized.
Cool list, I am definitely going to check them out. Personally I liked Time and Tess Galowitz. Also, have you seen the 90s The Outer Limits? Can you do episode on that?
why can't anyone make "this button kills someone and you get money" work? "Button Button", "The Box', yet Monkey Paw is one of my favorite scary stories
The great thing about shows like this is its social commentary. It also helps remind us that humans haven't changed over time, we were always kinda crazy, that's what makes us special.
Y'know, just once I'd like to see someone try to make a vampire story without ditching goddamn half of everything they're associated with. Not that that would necessarily make it a good story, but I would enjoy seeing someone try to write an interesting vampire story without changing the nature of vampires while doing it.
you guys don't seem to know that the dracula style vampire mythos are about as sexualised and deviant to the original folklore as twilight was to what is considered by pop culture today an "authentic" vampire. Not putting down dracula of course, vampires are one of the most versatile monsters, with different myths from around the world.
Mir Mir I never claimed Dracula was the original. I meant the original film lore as set out by Dracula and other early horror films, which modern vampire movies have moved away from.
Nicely done, Linkara. Though personally, I would love to see your top 15 best Tales of the Darkside episodes list sometime this year on Halloween or something.
Question: what do you think of the show night visions hosted by Henry Rollins? You might've talked about it before but I don't think I've seen that, and I always find it unusually enjoyable
Thanks for this... any 80s TZ talk is great. But I can't take a list seriously a list without Nightcrawlers and Button, Button not on a list of 15. But just you making this is great.
Does anyone remember an episode,where a photo restorer,travels back in time though an old photograph ,meets a lady ,falls in love and stays in the past based on short story “Christopher Frame “
My mother is a big fan of "Her Pilgrim Soul." She'd watch that one every time it re-aired. Funnily enough, I actually thought it was an installment of "Tales from the Dark Side," so wow, major memory fail on my part.
Quarantine, Shadowman, Wordplay, Message From Charity, The Convict's Piano, One Life Furnished in Early Poverty, But can She Type.. and millions more it's my fave!
I remember the original of the twilight zone, but not the 80s version of the twilight zone. I might check out that series of the twilight zone. Btw, have you done a top 15 original twilight episodes?
Two contrasting episodes of the 1980's "The Twilight Zone" were "Children's Zoo" and "A Matter of Minutes." "Zoo" allowed kids to do something about "malfunctioning parents." "Minutes" was a look "behind the scenes" of Time as we (supposedly) know it.;) One of the scariest was "Examination Day," where being too different had fatal consequences. A favorite from the Canadian syndication season was "Extra Innings," where a present day washed-up baseball player is given an unusual card that lets him play ball in 1909!;)
The only episode I really remember and because of it, I guess is my favorite one is “A matter of Time”. About “construction crews building every minute, one at a time”! It was really fun.
Yes I remember that one too. I have thought about that off and on for years. Couple wakes up in bed too early because the crew is still working on several minutes ahead. I would love to see that again☺
Mousie Spanks you’re in a bit of luck, here’s the to an almost complete copy of the episode, the end of it is missing, but it doesn’t really matter that much because they just escape back to their reality (at least that’s how I remember it)... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-olPN5L2P-6Y.html
Shatterday is a reworking of Nervous Man In A Four Dollar Room, as is A Little Peace And Quiet is a reworking of A Kind Of Stopwatch. One of my favorites of 80s Twilight Zone is One Life Furnished In Early Poverty, written by the late Harlan Ellison. But on closer inspection, this story is very similar to Walking Distance.
I love Dead Run. It’s both a tragic and horrific episode and yet ends on a hopeful note as Johnny (the main character) finds new purpose and meaning. Another one I really like is The Devil’s Alphabet. Based on a story by a contemporary of MR James (considered by many to be the father of the modern day ghost story), the segment follows the members of a college fraternity who decide to meet every year even after they die. When one of their members commits suicide, they learn to their horror that their oaths are binding. Granted, it could’ve benefited from having the concept spread out so the members die one by one instead of four of the seven all at once. But for what we got, it’s still a spooky ghost story mixed with cautionary tale that will haunt you at the end.
My favorite episode is the 2nd segment of episode 6: "A Message from Charity" which centers on two young adults (one from 1985 and the other from 1700) for-ming a telepathic friendship after they both got sick from a fever, but this gets the girl in trouble as her time period had the fear of witchcraft. Another favorite is the 1st segment of episode 20: "Profile in Silver" where my favorite president, John Fitzgerald Ken-nedy is saved from his assassination by a future descendant of his, though this started a chain reaction that'll cause an all-out war between the United States & the Soviet Union.
+Linkara (@Linkara19) - Offbeat but fun to post list of picks from the 1980s version of 'The Twilight Zone.' We (@LookieShow) cover retro television series, and are likely to post a spotlight episode on 'The Twilight Zone' (1959-1964) at some point. Noting here that voice actor June Foray has passed away (July 2017). Foray voiced the role of Talky Tina - the doll in the 'Living Doll' episode of 'The Twilight Zone' (1959-1964).
I have absolutely zero memory of anything that said after the small talent for War episode. I can only assume I only ever watch the video up to that point, and then kept going back to watch the episode, and never got back to watching the rest of the video until now 🙃
I was very surprised that Paladin of the List Hour didn't even make the list. I expected it to be number one. Shadow Man, Wordplay, Nightcrawlers, I Of Newton, and Need To Know were also great. Need To Know creeped the hell out of me. I love that it left what exactly was being said to people to drive them insane up to the viewer's imagination. I mean, it kind of had to. Still, that one stuck in my mind for years afterwards.
Paladin is good, but I feel like it just didn't have enough punch to it to make it one of my favorites. The same goes for the others - all good, but just not ones that really stuck with me. Need to Know was good and I agree it's better to leave what they said to the imagination, but it just felt narratively unsatisfying when we get no explanation and no real source of why the phrase does what it does. Not bad at all, just left me wanting more.
@@AT4W Linkara! Hey, thanks for that rapid reply. I love your channel, and I'm more than a little surprised that I missed this video. It was a great list, nonetheless. I was around six when this series came out, so a lot of them left a lasting impression on my young brain. I've watched them again as recently as a couple of years ago, and surprisingly, a lot of them still hold up. I can't say the same about Tales From The Darkside, although I still have love for that series. Dealer's Choice was always one of my favorites, as well as A Small Talent For War. I laughed out loud when you said the aliens should have been more specific in how they worded it, because that's what I thought, too. *edit: I know for a fact that I was subscribed to your channel, yet it's showing I'm not. No wonder I haven't been seeing your videos for some time. I'll be glad when another site comes along and makes RU-vid go the way of Blockbuster and VHS tapes.
S'all good! And no worries about the subscriber stuff - RU-vid regularly unsubscribes people for any number of reasons, usually a glitch as they're clearing out bots. =) Glad you liked the video regardless!
It's almost like this is a list based on personal opinion and not some objective measure of quality. I like it, I think it's great, but I like others much more. =)
There were a lot to choose from like Dead Women's Shoes with a younger Helen Mirren, Little Peace & Quiet, Uncle Devil and Paladin Lost Hour. Some of Wes Craven episodes were good.
By far my favorite episode which I remember vividly and always makes me ponder is about time. Whit the blue people who build the future. That is my favorite episode. Is a great premise and idea.