Review of Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) by Deke P — 27 Sep 2015

Let's be honest, has there ever been a "great" film featuring a series of vignettes? How about one where each short is directed by a different person? Creepshow and Twilight Zone were released only about 7 months apart, and they may represent the two best short story compilation movies ever made.

Years later, Tales From the Darkside was released, is worth seeing and a decent film in it's own right. Creepshow is the better film between it and Zone, but they are both very well made overall. We know about the tragedy, Vic Morrow and two children lost their lives in a horrific helicopter accident during the filming of what would be the first segment.

Twilight Zone features four short stories, each from the legendary 1950's TV series of the same name. Mostly, the four directors capture the feel of that show, a very difficult task in and of itself.

They also succeed at creating very widely diverse stories and moods. The first, a dark, somewhat mean tale about racism and hatred is even darker because of the real life fate of Vic Morrow. Still, this is a decent first story, and felt, to me at least, the most like an original Zone.

Humorless, this first tale is wisely shown first so that by the end we sort of forget about it. The second story may have been viewed by the group (and, ironically I suppose, by director/producer, Steven Spielberg) as the weakest of the group.

I don't agree. I felt this was the second best of the bunch, and I liked that it isn't out to scare us or creep us out in any way. It's a story about the value of life, making the most of the time we have, and that once around, for most, is enough (or it should be).

I love Scatman Crothers, so I'm partial to this story, but I was moved by it, and I always am when I watch it. Without this story, this movie would have lacked alot of depth and weight I think. Spielberg is not afraid to step outside the box and do his own thing here.

Even by 1983, he had juice. Joe Dante directs the weirdest of the bunch, the third entry which is about a cute, harmless-looking boy, about 11 years old, who has powers to make anything happen merely by making a wish.

Creepy and uncomfortable, this is typical Dante being funny, creepy and scary in equal measure. The special effects are pretty good, and they save this entry from being a lot worse. The set is creepy and, while the story doesn't stand up to even the slightest scrutiny, is fun if you just accept it for what it is.

The fourth segment is the best, most feel by a large margin. I agree that it is tightly directly, well acted, and quite scary. The monster is well done, and the final showdown between John Jithgow and the air-gremlin is really scary.

I think this movie was so-so until the final act, when it all gets salvaged by a fine finale. It's not that the rest of the movie isn't good, it's just that it was really on the fence teetering precariously until the "terror at 20,000 feet" remake pushed it decidedly onto the right side of the fence solidifying it's place in movie history as a modest success scarred by tragedy.

Ironically, the monster in the original "terror at 20,000 feet" is a laughably bad costume which looks like a furry monkey with a puffy, swollen face the result of a seafood allergy.