These underrated episodes of The Twilight Zone deserve to be ranked alongside the series' all-time classics.
In those other 130+ episodes, youll find not just some hidden gems but the heart of the show.
At its core,The Twilight Zonewas a variety series that often took some big creative risks.
Though he survives long enough to reach help, he makes a shocking discovery.
The astronauts never made it off of Earth and instead crashed in a desert somewhere on their home planet.
The Howling Man Season 2 Episode 5
David Ellington has a truly incredible story to tell.
The monks, however, tell a different story.
They say that the man they captured is the devil himself.
Those cold water interactions drive home the message that Templeton just doesnt belong there anymore.
Its a gut-wrenching twist that puts a painful spin on a familiar theme.
Hey, who wouldnt?
Is he really just dreaming?
Is he stuck in some kind of purgatory for his presumed crimes?
The ambiguity of this finale makes it one ofThe Twilight Zones most compelling twists.
It was a textbook arrival complicated only by the fact that the plane landed without anyone on board.
There are no pilots, no passengers…not even a piece of luggage.
It is now up to Inspector Grant Sheckly to uncover the mystery behind this seemingly impossible occurrence.
Miller should be celebrating, but he bemoans the fact that he didnt get to bring Sykes to justice.
There is no more nighttime, and the days are getting hotter and hotter.
That final shot is also just a chefs kiss bit of absurdity.
A closer inspection reveals that the noise originates from a sunken submarine.
It seems that someone, or something, is stuck inside the submarine and is banging on its walls.
The hourlong episodes ofThe Twilight Zones fourth season often go overlooked.
They rarely even appear in syndication these days.
It presents a compelling scenario and uses every bit of that extended runtime to explore its many possibilities.
Its also one of the absolute scariestTwilight Zoneepisodes ever.
Decades later, a spaceship crew finally arrives to take them home.
This story is certainly a warning about the corruption of power.
It is remarkably easy to sympathize with Benteens plight, though.
He is also in love with a woman named Leah Maitland who wisely denies him a second chance.
Its a twisted and clever story that forces us to confront our perception of self-improvement.
The strange thing is that the sun refuses to rise over the town that day.
Yet, few episodes in the original run ofThe Twilight Zoneaddress those topics as directly as this one.
Granted, the ending is a little heavy-handed, but the message is frighteningly relevant.
Kuchenko has three hours to find and disarm it before it goes off.
This single-room (mostly) thriller hardly even feels like a traditionalTwilight Zoneepisode.
Its an incredible piece of television that also happens to remind us how versatile theTwilight Zonecould be.
