THe Impact of
The Twilight Zone
(original series 1959-1964)
By RD Mehal
The Twilight Zone (1959) by Rod Serling, is a TV show that’s the most sci-fi, horror, and fantasy television show ever made. Every episode is a story of its own and one can experience worlds independently without having any pre-requisite knowledge of the larger one. But the best thing about the show is the interesting plots and the visual effects that challenge you to think and imagine.
Watching every episode immerses you in a spooky and suspenseful world.
Its host Rod Serling is a voice and storyteller with a great voice. His characters will always confront moral quandaries, and the stories tend to come at a dead end so you don’t know what you think of yourself.
Most episodes of "The Twilight Zone" tell us important things. For instance, Season 1, the 22nd Episode, "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" is a tale about how fear can transform people’s views and cause havoc.
Another episode, "Eyes of the Beholder"(s02 ep.06) plays at the notion of what is beautiful and reality vs perception.
"What You Need"(s01 ep.12) shows you how dangerous it can be to be influenced by greed.
And "The Big Tall Wish"(s01 ep.27) was noteworthy for having an all-Black cast and a representation of 1960s political and racial tensions in the US.
But we also remember the show’s special effects, which employed methods such as stop-motion animation and puppetry.
"The Twilight Zone" lives on, and many TV programmes and films are inspired by it. For example "The Twilight Zone" Season 3, the 24th Episode, "To Serve Man" was the inspiration for the 1983 miniseries "V". In addition, "Twilight Zone" shows have inspired several television shows such as "Futurama" and "The Simpsons".
It’s enduring in cinema. "Final Destination’s" franchise also harks back to a scary episode called "Twenty Two".
The Jim Carrey’s film “Liar Liar” refers to another episode called "The Whole Truth".
Other movies, such as "Maximum Overdrive" and "Annabelle" were inspired by, respectively, the "A Thing About Machines"(s02 ep.04) and "Living Doll" (s05 ep.06) episodes.
Finally, "The Twilight Zone" reshaped the television script by introducing new narratives and topics.
Its story-telling and visual effects did more than just create a new standard in entertainment, it inspired many future authors and producers. It’s still remembered and a piece of popular culture remains that will resonate well beyond its era.
©Copyright. All rights reserved.
We need your consent to load the translations
We use a third-party service to translate the website content that may collect data about your activity. Please review the details in the privacy policy and accept the service to view the translations.