pdmanske

I have a good idea why The Outer Limits was so memorable and it had to do with the original series' mimicking the test of The Emergency Broadcast System and taking things one step beyond.

The scariest thing on TV in those days was "This is a test, this is only a test". That always got your attention. It was rude and serious and broke into regularly scheduled broadcasting. It was the weekly abrupt reminder that you were a minute away from a range of life ending terrors and unimaginable destruction. And what did TOL's Control Voice sound like? Thats right, it sounded exactly like "This is a test". We rarely got past "This is a test" but for the next sixty seconds you indulged into thoughts of h*ll on earth and then h*ll beyond earth.

TOL is what happened when events were real and you got to "This is an actual emergency". TOL showed you while on the comfort of your sofa real events that warrant EBS activation.

That was clever of the writers and producers to tap into thoughts that way. I understand writers must recognize contemporary world to make relevant material but these folks knew more, they knew secrets.

After that, the Indian Head test pattern meant you were abandoned and left unprotected by your TV company and left alone with the night time things in your basement and attic.

This film was a wonderful experience for me. A real work in every sense with low budget everything. A B&W camera, respondent actors and a tight script. A great fiber treatment for film lovers. The fat was cut at every turn. The actors are slobs that you've never seen before and have never seen again yet they capture you. Exotic people in an exotic place yet you can relate. 1953 is a year before all of the actors transmuted into 22 year old yuppies with great hair. Suspense hooks dropped with and without you knowing and then recalled with great deftness. If you insist of foisting foreign art films on your friends, be confident that that this film will win them over.