{"id":26584,"date":"2017-10-11T17:55:08","date_gmt":"2017-10-11T21:55:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=26584"},"modified":"2017-10-11T17:55:08","modified_gmt":"2017-10-11T21:55:08","slug":"5-reasons-why-twilight-zone-the-movie-is-underrated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2017\/10\/11\/5-reasons-why-twilight-zone-the-movie-is-underrated\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Reasons Why \u201cTwilight Zone: The Movie\u201d is Underrated"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>\u201cTwilight Zone: The Movie\u201d is one of my childhood favorite movies, it\u2019s a pretty all star tribute to one of my all time favorite television series. While it\u2019s by no means a masterpiece, it\u2019s also never been as bad as many people have proclaimed it. It has genuine heart, some wonderful production quality and a great sense of humor to it. Re-watching it years later, it\u2019s still very heavily flawed, but damnit, it\u2019s also a strong anthology horror film that\u2019s inconsistent in tone, but also embraces the weird and wonderful of the original show. Despite the horrendous legacy involving the on set deaths, the movie is worth checking out, and sets the stage for the solid eighties reboot.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>5. The Excellent Sense of Humor
\n<\/strong>One of the reasons why \u201cThe Twilight Zone\u201d has remained so relevant after many decades is its self awareness. Yes it was dramatic and sometimes scary, but it also could be funny, and had a sly sense of humor about itself. The movie has that same sense of humor, with a great introduction, and a hilarious final scene where John Lithgow breaks the fourth wall. There\u2019s even the final segment where Lithgow is bears a glimpse at the gremlin for the first time prompting his eyes to pop from his head in absolute terror. It\u2019s so subtle, and yes it\u2019s not for everyone, but it is so fun.<\/p>\n

4. Cameos by Stars from the Original Series
\n<\/strong>The movie paid homage to the original series by also including a lot of the original stars from the anthology series as well. And they\u2019re here slyly inserted in some memorable form. Burgess Meredith, who starred in four very memorable episodes of the original series, replaced the late Serling as the movie narrator. There was also William Schallert from \u201cMr. Bevis,\u201d Kevin McCarthy from \u201cLong Live Walter Jameson,\u201d Bill Mumy from the original \u201cIt\u2019s a Good Life,\u201d Murray Matheson from \u201cFive Characters In Search of an Exit,\u201d Peter Brocco from two episodes of the original series, and Patricia Barry from \u201cThe Chaser.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. The Great Mini-Story in the Prologue
\n<\/strong>The prologue is very underrated as a lot of people never quite understand it. I never understood it until years later when someone explained that it is a mini-story. Some episodes of \u201cThe Twilight Zone\u201d were about caution, and in the prologue we get a look at our own mini-story where two men are driving on the road, and Albert Brooks displays a sense of recklessness while driving in the dark. He\u2019s quick to shut off the head lights and risk running in to something, despite the warnings of his passenger. Finally, he asks his friend to pull over so he can see something \u201creally scary\u201d and pays the price. Not only does he punish the driver for displaying irresponsibility on the road, but we\u2019re introduced to how quickly things go from normal to horrific in \u201cThe Twilight Zone.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. <\/strong>Strong Remakes of Classic Stories
\n<\/strong>The eighties were a time where nostalgia was big and the adult generation was looking back on the turbulent Vietnam war, thus the movie reflects a lot of the same sentiment while lovingly re-imagining the classic episodes from the original series. While \u201cKick the Can\u201d isn\u2019t my favorite, it does touch on our deep desire to restart our lives and approach new adventures we were too scared to dive in to the first time. Every segment has a distinct flavor and menace, and maintains the same irony, and it\u2019s quite outstanding.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>1. <\/strong>The Creature Designs
\n<\/strong>The creatures from the original series are classic, but the re-inventions from Rob Bottin are amazing. Bottin who did the effects for another once underrated horror film known as \u201cThe Thing,\u201d re-invents some classic \u201cTwilight Zone\u201d monsters and introduces some new ones. The twisted rabbit that emerges from the television to attack Kevin McCarthy is still one of my all time favorite monsters. Who can forget the twisted wolf blowing steam and the disfigured spinning monster?<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also the excellent remake of the airplane gremlin which isn\u2019t just creepy, but absolutely horrifying when approached face to face. Not only do we never find out where it came from, but I doubt anyone is brave enough to go looking for it, either. Finally, the prologue involving Albert Brooks and Dan Akroyd who shows his traveling companion something \u201creally scary\u201d still packs a \u201choly shit\u201d scare–especially if you\u2019ve seen the movie for the first time. Watching the movie as a kid for the first time ever, that prologue just shook me to my core for the rest of the movie. You just never see it coming, and there isn\u2019t a ting of the score to prepare you, either. It\u2019s genius.<\/p>\n