I was a fan of the original The Twilight Zone which I watched in real time with my mother as a boy.
I recently watched this episode along with a few others " To Serve Man" and " The Invaders" with my oldest grandson who is my age when I first saw them.
Amazing how much they did so well without all of high tech stuff and CGI noise and visuals. Relying on science fiction iconic authors.
Jordan Peele' s artistic genius is a welcome revelation.
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Watch the original series long enough and you'll get to see some of Hollywood's greatest stars getting early roles - Robert Redford, Charles Bronson, William Shatner, to name just a few. I bought the DVD copies of the original and loved them. Looking forward to this new rollout.
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Do something new and do not attempt to redo genius works...no need to attempt a redo of The Wizard of Oz or The Twilight Zone....masterworks....use your imagination and create something new and wonderful.
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Making a point is a moment to savor. Literature (before technology) has always been a resource for understanding the duality of the human condition ... more portable than the visual image (albeit immediate and needing no words). Now the visual image is repeated repeatedly ... needing no words, and giving no choice to decline ... except to step away and avert the view. Respectfully submitted.
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Somehow - and I don't know how this happened considering I believe myself to be a culturally connected individual - I missed Key and Peele when it was in its heyday. My nephew clued me in and I began watching the clips on YouTube, and I was flabbergasted at how funny most of the clips are, and of how talented Key and Peele are.
I saw and was enthralled with Get Out before I realized how talented Peele is. And I saw Us a few days ago. I liked it a lot, but it didn't quite come up to par with Get Out (everyone's a critic. . .)
Still, I will be looking for Peele's handprint on the revival of Twilight Zone, one of my favorite TV series. I agree with him on the episode, To Serve Man. It still holds up. Chilling.
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When I saw - and was thrilled and chilled by - 'Us' this week, I was struck at the start by the Twilight Zone feel.
Now I want to find that Mirror Image episode, and hope to see the new series some day. I think they'll be interesting.
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If the series is anything like this essay, I have no doubt I’ll find something much better to view.
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I consider Rod Serling my surrogate parent. He taught me that kindness is not always rewarded, but do it anyway. He taught me that things are almost never what they seem and that we are our own worst (and only real) enemy. He taught me about humanism. I see Jordan Peele and Joss Whedon as his natural successors. In fact, Whedon (like Serling) also followed up his original series success with a short lived existential Western. I miss Rod Serling and Harlan Ellison and Phillip Dick and Robert Bloch and all the other writers whose stories somehow managed to combine infinite bleakness and the possibility of moral clarity in a way that seems tailor made for today.
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@JMJackson. ....and the incredible Richard Mathison Sr!!!
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I'm glad Peele is taking the narration seriously. In the last Twilight Zone reboot (2002-03), producer Forest Whitaker must have had a slim budget, because he narrated himself--miserably. He mumbled the introduction in staccato fashion, like an amateur, ruining the gravitas of a great institution. Dude--it's the Twilight Zone, not Duck Dynasty; have some respect. He should have done better, or sprung for a truly great narrator like Peter Thomas or Richard Kiley.
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Peele seems to understand what made TZ tick, which is encouraging. His biggest challenge as I see it (as the son of Buck Houghton, who produced the first three years of half-hour shows when I was a tween; TZ is in my blood) is that the best episodes were half-hours. As Rod himself would say, "Get in and get out before the magic dissipates." The hour-long format didn't last the whole fourth season because it became apparent that he was right. Let's hope Peele can overcome this challenge; I'd love to see a really good reboot.
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The Twilight Zone used very few jump-scares (which should probably be called "jump startles" as they rely on something moving suddenly forward towards the camera); instead the Twilight Zone frightened mainly through the viewer realizing that the situations were extensions of the current society.
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It is William Shatner, not Adam Scott, who starred in the original “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.”
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Jordan Peele brings a fresh perspective to horror and hopefully the TZ 'franchise.'
These genres don't operate in a vacuum. Our personal fears and potential triggers are probably somewhat biological (e.g. snakes, spiders, sudden startles), but, to the extent they develop in a story, they are mostly based on our lived cultural experience.
Obviously there's overlap, but few think African Americans and whites have nearly identical life experiences. Being biracial, Jordan Peele has lived publicly as black (that's America) but has close caucasian relatives. His movies are personal expressions informed by that perspective.
Jordan's movies resonate somewhat differently, as movies always do, depending on the racial composition of the audience. But part of that difference is likely intentional with his input. And the observable differences on the screen can be thought provoking for all racial groups.
There are no guarantees of success in entertainment, but I continue to look forward to his projects, particularly those that provide more than just entertainment value.
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"Black Mirror" was supposed to be the new Twilight Zone, but all I saw were 25-minute premises stretched to fit an hour slot. Anyone who'd seen the Twilight Zone, or more than two seasons of television in general, could see the endings 15 minutes in.
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Really? Did you really think the Prime Minister in episode one was going to do it?
Original Twilight Zone episodes still air on a cable channel I watch. Though I am a huge fan of Jordan Peele, I don't think his reboot of the series will surpass the original.
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@susan That's fine, because I don't think that's what he's trying to do.
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@Mayra
True enough. Mr. Peele has a freedom now that Rod Serling could only dream of - can you imagine a film like "Get Out" or "Us" being produced in the late 1950's to the mid 1960's, let alone both earning the #1 spot on their opening weeks with budgets that wouldn't cover catering or the paychecks of one or two big stars in "blockbusters". AND an Oscar for best original screen play ("Get Out") . . . on his first try.
In the words attributed to that great 20th Century philosopher, Damon Runyon: "The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong . . . but that's the way to bet."
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@N W Smith Sometimes artists do their best work when limitations imposed from without force them to find clever ways to make their point. If Rod Serling had been free to express himself fully, he probably never would have created the Twilight Zone.
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Jordan Peele is so ridiculously talented. His "GET OUT" could be the smartest horror film made in modern times. Can't think of anyone better suited to carry the torch for Twilight Zone new series. So happy that his brilliance has resulted in his ongoing success.
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To me, a black and white film is far more scary than color.
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The original TZ episodes remain relevant and are not dated. I've heard people say they cannot watch B&W movies and television shows so the latest and previous remakes will work for them. I'll stick with the originals. Peele stans, no need to attack, it's all good.
TZ makes you think and only a few episodes are scary such as The Hitch-hiker and that one where a dead relative kept calling on the phone - can't recall the title.
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I saw Us this past weekend, and as my co-watcher said, the movie is basically one long Twilight Zone episode--especially given the big reveal at its end. And so I very much see how with both Get Out and Us, Jordan Peele would be a great mind to take on the TZ project. I also feel he'd be a great stand in for Serling. His film work has shown us he is capable of tackling serious and layered societal issues with deftness and gravity. I'm sure that his reverence for that approach will come through in his turn as host of TZ. Looking forward to seeing what he does!
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I think Jordan Peele has a lot of talent but the "Twilight Zone" is one of the best television shows of all time should be treated with the reverence it deserves; there should be no more remakes. I remember they tried to remake it in the late '80s or early '90s and that was a total disgrace.
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@Will I love the original Twilight Zone and have never watched any remakes. But in all honesty? It's not that serious. If he wants to do a remake, he should be able to do one, and if you dont wanna watch it then dont watch it. I guarantee you, when I didnt watch the past remakes, it did not kill me. I promise you that.
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Part of what made the original TZ--as well as "Alfred Hitchcock Presents"--special was the then-novelty of the television medium, along with the cleverness of the stories, the ingenious directors, and the skill of unfamiliar or often-neglected character actors (Burgess Meredith, Agnes Moorehead, Vera Miles, for example). We didn't _mind_the clunky sets, poor special effects, and sometimes pedantic nature of the stories (especially on TZ). Both series were revived in the 80s and didn't do too well. The naive originality of the originals was lost. I'll stick to watching the old ones on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
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@RS: oh and let's not forget "Outer Limits", the poor cousin of TZ.
Yes, TV was newer and most people only had smallish B&W TV sets with rabbit ears. On a grainy small screen, you don't see the plywood sets or mind the simple special effects -- not if the writing is sharp and clever and the actors top drawer.
Also: I strongly believe there is something special about B&W that gives sci fi and horror films a dream-like quality that color film simply loses. All the reboots were in glorious color; none of them really worked quite right. (Though in the end: it is always the writing. Always.)
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I don't know. Jordan Peele has the right flavor for the job but I don't think Twilight Zone should be rebooted at all. Let the work stand on its own man. The fact that we're even discussing Twilight Zone as culturally relevant in the 21st century is testament to the show's staying power. Not the show's theme. The entire process and place which created the episodes.
I once had the great privilege of accessing Rod Serling's archive. Not just the broadcast shows but studio footage and especially student lectures. I think Peele is better served leaving well enough alone. This isn't a place modern television can tread with any legitimacy. We aren't talking about the Nth Star Trek reboot. Peele risks his own reputation and the dignity of the show.
I personally don't want to watch.
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As a huge fan of TZ, I cannot wait to check this out. The movie was not so good. I thought the 80s episodes were sometimes pretty good (especially Examination Day and Stephen King's Grandma, both of which gave me nightmares as a kid); I saw a single episode of the Forest Whittaker-hosted version and skipped out.
But as someone has already mentioned in this thread, what made the original show so special was that it was truly a showcase for great writers, including, of course, Serling himself, who wrote great television scripts like Requiem for a Heavyweight. Serling would even highlight the writer in his "next on the TZ"-type announcements ... It was a different era.
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As a longtime fan of both The Twilight Zone and Jordan Peele, going back to Key and Peele and also the under-appreciated movie Keanu, I am excited for this. Sad, though, that it will only appear on CBS streaming service. I already pay for Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. How many more streaming services does the world need? Guess I'll wait to see it, hopefully someday.
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@k Cancel Netflix for a couple months and subscribe to CBS All Access. Hulu and Prime have huge libraries and Netflix originals are awful (except for MANIAC obviously). Watch all the new TZs, check out season 2 of Star Trek Discovery, which is delightful and pure Trek, and then cancel and go back to Netflix. I canceled a year ago and haven’t missed it. Plus, Netflix is $12 vs CBS’s $6. CBS also has all the original TZs. And Treks. So worth it.
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@Andrew: I can literally watch every episode of Original Star Trek, STNG, DS9, Voyager and Enterprise in constant rotation on local channels, PLUS nightly original Twilight Zones (2 each night) PLUS the 80s Twilight reboot (terrible, but better than most new programming) AND the old Outer Limits (not as great as TZ, but again...better than most new programming).
All this 100% free on my antenna TV.
Star Trek Discovery is literally the worst sci fi I have ever seen, and I've watched Plan 9 From Outer Space.
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@k: yeah, that really sucks. Like a lot of us "poor folks", I will be waiting for the DVD release of the whole season of the new Twilight Zone -- when it comes to my public library.
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I can’t wait to see this! I would hope that Peele uses the twilight theme that the Grateful Dead created for the mid-1980’s revival. That was the best part of that run.
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@Soccer mom
No Grateful Dead please! Let's allow a higher caliber of musicianship to prevail.
The original theme performed by the musicians of that recording clearly understood the haunting quality of the composition.
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I know I'm in the minority but Peele's movies are not very good. I'd like to see reviews from critics without a SJW bent. I guess those days went out with the late great Gene Siskel.
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@MJG It's weird that you would come onto an article about The Twilight Zone to complain about Peele's movies and "SJW" critics. There are other articles, and potentially websites, that would better serve you.
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@MJG
Did it ever occur to you that Rod Serling was a Social Justice Warrior in his own day?
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@MJG
O irony.
Rod Serling was a social justice warrior before you were born. And he saw guys like you coming.
"He's Alive", starring Dennis Hopper:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x54920i
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I can't wait to see this new "Twilight Zone." I think Jordan Peele will absolutely do it justice, and will bring some modern sensibilities to it without sacrificing the themes and messages of the original.
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@Susan: I hope so and I look forward to it. I am a big fan of "Get Out" and have seen it three times.
BUT...as an original fan of Twilight Zone (I watched in endless reruns as a kid and now as an adult, including all day marathons!)....I know the other "reboots", movies and the awful follow-up series "Night Gallery" were just terrible. The 80s Twilight Zone just was an utter failure.
I've scratched my head over that, and concluded at least some of it is that the original was in black and white. There is something unique about that now -- so many years on, when almost everything is in color. Black and white give the original Twilight Zone episodes an eerie quality -- ageless -- dream-like.
Color somehow cheapens it all.
However: there isn't a better young director out there to take this challenge on.
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Yay! Perfect timing for this series!
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Furthermore, what Serling possessed was an unbelievable sense of irony, so deft and sharp it cut effortlessly in both directions.
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@e pluribus unum, I had read that Serling experienced some pretty messed up things during his time in the military, which I assume drove his creativity on the series.
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@C
Do a search for "Battle of Manila (1945)".
He wrote several episodes set in the wartime Philippines. One was about a gung-ho 2Lt played by Dean Stockwell, dropped into command of a battle weary platoon. He's all for attacking the Japanese position, instead of waiting them out.
He wakes up the morning of the attack as a Japanese soldier, awaiting the Americans.
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S-KEP-tical! The original show featured outstanding writing from not only Serling but Buck Houghton and others, I loved it toyed with the limits of the improbable so deftly, so many outstanding actors, Charles Bronson, Klugman, the black and white itself, at such an early and caustic time. Like they say oft imitated but never duplicated!
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@e pluribus unum There’s a lot of exceptional writers working on this new series. Peele especially.
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