La cinquième dimension

I remember when I saw the first commercial informing me that they were going to bring the series back. I was so happy.

I watched the new series faithfully and loved almost every episode. My favorite is still Nightcrawlers which is based on the short story of the same name by Robert R. McCammon from his short story collection Blue World. Other stories in it are just as good and should be read by all fans of this episode.

They also used many other great writers from which to get their material. Examples include Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, Harlan Ellison, Steven Bochco, Arthur C. Clarke and Sidney Sheldon.

I would love to be able to get all the episodes of 1985 series on DVD to go with the originals.

I'm a big fan of the original Twilight Zone, and just as big a fan of this reworking of the 1960's anthology series. My family was thrilled in 1985 that the series had been resurrected. We watched it faithfully every week, no matter what strange day or time slot CBS moved it to and they moved it around to a new time slot each and every week it seemed. It was not a retread of the original show but an updated, modern incarnation that stood on its own. It featured amazing shows which were adaptations of short stories by acclaimed writers.

In the wasteland of 80's TV it stood out for its ingenuity and originality. Alan Brennert's "Her Pilgrim Soul" was, for me, the single best episode produced for weekly series TV since the original went off the air. For my husband it was "Profiles in Silver", a "what if?" for JFK fans. "Nightcrawlers" was a true imaginative nightmare that no one forgot once they watched it. "A Message from Charity" is the second favorite episode for most of the people I talk to. But with the network moving the show around to different days it became hard to find in the listings, and people gradually stopped looking for it because it was too difficult to keep track of. In short, CBS never gave this series the chance it deserved, and it sank into oblivion where the final insult was badly butchered episodes thrown into a syndication package. But despite this the series refused to fade away in fans' memories.

Finally, the first two seasons and the syndie third season (which for the most part is completely forgettable) are out on DVD. They are virtually uncut; some music has been replaced, and there are a few other anomalies. These wonderful stories haven't been seen in their entirety since the series aired over 20 years ago, until now. There are commentaries by Alan Brennert, Harlan Ellison, Phil DeGuere, actors, directors, writers, etc.

This is a must-have for all fans of the Twilight Zone no matter what incarnation, and Night Gallery as well. In many respects this show is a blend of the spirit of the original Twilight Zone and Night Gallery; it uses quality stories by many of the classic sci-fi and horror writers of the past forty years. TV in this new millennium is a wasteland of garbage and nauseous reality TV, and we could use stories and writers like this today. The 1980's Twilight Zone deserves to be seen as the classic it is, and this DVD release does it justice.

This show is another relic from my childhood and it's my fourth favorite anthology horrors and TV shows of all time. At the time I never even knew about the original Twilight Zone, so in a way this show was my way to it. Some would say that this show is not as good as the original but lets face it, the original is a tough act to follow. What makes this version stand out for me is that it's not trying to, it's trying to do it's own thing but at the same time stay true to the spirit of it's predecessor.

The effects are solid, well OK not all but effects for me aren't what make this show but really the storytelling and there are lots of great stories in this show that are great editions to the Twilight Zone mythos. I really love the theme opening which is another one of my favorite themes, it's also one of the creepiest one's I've ever seen up there with the openings of "Tales from the Darkside" and "Are you Afraid of the Dark" as we see some globe come through a window and there are some random bizarre images along with really creepy tunes from a carousel horse, a creepy looking doll, a nuke explosion. But that opening perfectly set the tone for the anthology where anything can go and anything is possible.

This show also had a lot of well known directors and writers whom have contributed to this show. Directors like the late great Wes Craven, Joe Dante, etc. Down to some writers like one of my favorite sci-fi writers "Greg Bear" if you can believe that, J.Michael Strynski, Steven King, etc. These facts make watching the show all the more interesting just to see their imput/contributions to the Twilight Zone mythos.

There are plenty of memorable stories a few of my favorites are "Matter of Minutes" which is a bizarre story that really tackles a very interesting concept about time. "Profile in Silver" this story predates Steven King's "11/22/63" as both uncannily have the same plot line about a man traveling back in time to prevent the assassination but comes back with mixed results. "His Pilgrim Soul" which was written and directed by Wes Craven is a really bittersweet tale that can really tug at your heartstrings. And of course my favorite "Dead Run" which is thrilling and really takes some turns you'd never see coming.

The 80's Twilight Zone is a dimension worth visiting.

Rating: 4 stars

I remember the "new" series of The Twilight Zone with much fondness. I grew up with them. I don't remember many films/TV programs from childhood, but one episode from this series stood out for me more than any other. It was called "The Burning Man" and it was the most eerie piece of film making I had ever witnessed as a kid. In fact it first inspired me to start film directing.

I know now that this short episode came from a book by Ray Bradbury, but it was the way the short film was shot that awe-inspired me. I seem to remember it featured a young Danny Cooksey as the kid. Had Piper Laurie in it too.

Please CBS, bring them out on DVD. (And do it proper with extra features!)

While many whill claim this as the superior series or vice versa, the reality of the matter is that this series tends to stand on its own two feet. With darker and more modern stories, the regular Joe who might have felt alienated by the original series. One could relate to the power and delicious eeriness of this new collection of nail biting stories and haunting epithets of fear. Very few shows these days put the same amount of passion into a series like this one did for the longest time. Hopefully, the newest incantation will be just as good as the first two. I will state this though, the 1980s version of the theme song and the opening was much better than the original.