"You wanna see something really scary?" Submitted for your approval, a podcast looking back at an anthology film that's a remake of a classic TV show. Four segments. Four directors. Analyzed by four men. Attempting to figure out which is better. What caused the infamous tragedy on the film's set? Which one makes the most lasting impression? Who can possibly remember that Bill Mumy isn't Ron Howard? All these questions lay linger... in The Twilight Zone... The Movie... the topic of this edition of the podcast.
Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 104 – Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
Twilight Zone: The Movie is a film obviously marred by tragedy. The deaths of Vic Morrow, Renee Chen, and My-ca Dinh Le during an infamous helicopter accident still loom over the film. Yet, aside from that, there's still a lot to enjoy about this anthology. Four directors - two at the height of their fame (John Landis & Steven Spielberg) and two others still up and coming (Joe Dante and George Miller) - were tasked to adapt four different episodes of the iconic anthology show into a segment. The results are eclectic, to say the least. There's a supernatural adventure about bigotry, a sepia toned character piece about old age, a darkly comedic fantasy about a child with God-like powers and a paranoia sweat soaked horror about a fear of flying. Oh, and there's also a prologue with Albert Brooks and Dan Aykroyd. Mix in a diverse cast that also includes Al Leong, Scatman Crothers, Kevin McCarthy, John Lithgow, Kathleen Quinlan and Twilight Zone veteran Burgess Meredith & it's a rather interesting time.
Thomas Mariani and Christopher G. Moore are both out a Doc once again (don't worry, he'll be back next time), so they've recruited Gruesome writer Adam Thomas and filmmaker Bill Mulligan to talk about Twilight Zone The Movie. They talk the industry changing aspects of the tragic accident, contextualize the careers of all these directors from this specific time and compare the adaptations of the episodes to their television counterparts. In ranking all the segments, the results are far more varied than one might expect. Some prefer the heartwarming sugariness of Spielberg. Others prefer the canted angles of Miller. Even some prefer Landis' ability to turn a tragedy into a cohesive short story. It's a passionate discussion that'll show you something really scary.
We want to hear from you – the coolest, most gruesome fans: leave us a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at thomasmariani@decadesofhorror.com or docrotten@decadesofhorror.com. We also want to be sure to thank Neon Devils for their killer track “Bone Chillin’” which we use for the intro and outro of this show.