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The
world's most talkative bore gets a magical stopwatch that
can stop everything except him. But when he misuses it, a
wonderful conversation piece becomes a real party killer...
A
kind of Stopwatch stars
Lou Diamond Philips as a man who is in control of a time-freezing
stopwatch. The build-up is a little on the slow side, but
that just makes the twist so much more terrifying. Diamond
Philips is perfect for the role - in fact his voice talents
sound not unlike The Riddler of the 1960's Batman TV
show. What is great about this episode is that while you can't
stand Diamond Philips' character, you can't help but feel
sorry for him as the tale unfolds.
A
great script and a fantastic audio production.
A
young woman lives a life of comfort and ease, thanks to her
father's robot servants. The problem is she may also be a
prisoner in her own perfect home...
The
Lateness of the Hour stars
Jane Seymour. While the story is gripping, it is a little
on the predictable side. It took me a whole 20 minutes before
I worked out what the probably ending was - a plot twist which
has been done to death. That had the undesired effect of making
the final half of this story a little drawn out.
When a Naval destroyer picks up a signal from a ship that
sank 20 years ago, a crewman is haunted by a strange memory
buried at the bottom of the sea...
The
30-Fathom Grave is
the eeriest story to be retold here. More a Tales of the
Unexpected than a Twilight Zone episode - not that
that's a complaint. The twist in the tale is easily explained
away as a natural phenomenon and not some supernatural happening
- unless you really want to believe that it is.
My
only real gripe is that I wasn't really sure which character
Blair Underwood was supposed to be playing. I couldn't tell
if he was the captain of the ship or the man who starts to
go mad. There seemed to be no clear main character.
Apart
from that small complaint this is a great episode which slowly
builds the tension to an exciting climax.
What
if a genie granted your heart's desire? Is it possible to
wish your way to happiness - or is the hidden price more than
anyone can pay?...
The
Man in the Bottle puts
a new spin on the old 'Monkey's Paw' urban myth. When a genie
appears and grants four wishes to a kind, and generous middle-aged
couple the consequences soon become apparent. For every positive
wish it seems there is a negative outcome.
This
story breathes new life into a tired format - which is remarkable
in itself - but the moralistic happy(?) ending is a little
disappointing. This could be one of those rare instances where
you feel sorry for one of the victims of The
Twilight Zone.
Every
year Corwin plays Santa Claus for the kids in a department
store. But this time there may be more presents in Santa's
bag than even he can imagine...
Night
of the Meek sees
a shift in the story telling as we are introduced to a 'sweet'
festive tale that sees an alcoholic with a kind heart do the
whole Miracle on 42nd Street routine. No nasty twist
in the tale, just a heart warming Christmas tale that has
a feel good conclusion.
A young woman goes gift-shopping in a department store and
is trapped on the ninth floor when the store closes - even
though no such floor exists...
The
After Hours
is a rather bizarre tale which sees Kim Fields star as a woman
concerned that she may be going out of her mind. The twist
is rather unexpected and the way the plot unfolds is ingenious
- Fields starts off as a rather stern shopper and slowly becomes
meeker and meeker. Riveting stuff.
A
mild-mannered vacuum cleaner salesman is given the strength
of three hundred men in a scientific experiment conducted
by two Martians...
Mr.
Dingle, the Strong is
a rather sad tale. Unlike the majority of The Twilight
Zone scripts, where the person or persons who are tormented
are deserving cases, Mr Dingle is nothing but a mild mannered
individual just trying to make an honest living. But as the
story unfolds the comedic elements come flying thick and fast.
Tim
Kazurinsky is perfect in the lead role as the unsuspecting,
and rather pathetic, Mr Dingle.
While
commuting on a train, an ad executive dreams away his job
pressures and finds himself back in time to the peaceful old
fashioned town of Willoughby...
A
Stop at Willoughby taps
into a personal fantasy of many people who have had enough
of working in a job that is too stressful and provides very
few rewards. Travelling back and fourth to work on the train
the hero of the story keeps imagining that the train stops
at a strange station called Willoughby, yet no such station
exists on that route. As he becomes more and more fed up with
his job he becomes more tempted to step off at the strange
station which seems to have been untouched by time.
This
story has a rather unoriginal ending, yet that doesn't detract
from the fact that its construction and delivery is well produced.
Entertaining.
A
convicted murderer incarcerated on a distant asteroid is dying
of loneliness until a supply ship captain leaves him a female
robot for companionship...
The
Lonely
stars Mike Star as Corey, the only inhabitant of an asteroid
- which acts as his prison. Convicted of a crime that was
in reality a tragic accident, his only interaction with the
human race is with the captain of the supply ship which regularly
brings him food and news of Earth, as well as the hope that
his sentence may be quashed. The captain takes pity on Corey
and, thinking that he may be alone for the rest of his life,
gives him the gift of a female robot to keep him company -
a robot that is so lifelike you could mistake her for the
genuine article.
While
this tale is neither creepy nor surprising, it does allow
the listener to reflect on how they would react if put in
a similar position. And, by the end of this tale, you'll be
itching to hear more from this series.
Feathersmith
is a wealthy businessman who gets the chance to go back in
time to start over, armed with the knowledge he's acquired
- an arsenal that's not as powerful as he may think...
Of
Late I Think of Cliffordville stars
H.M. Wynant as the cold and heartless business tycoon, Feathersmith.
Thankfully the old 'selling your soul for fame and fortune'
cliché is carefully side stepped - mainly because it
is painfully obvious that Feathersmith already has no soul
to give - and instead cold, hard cash is used by the mysterious
company that gives Feathersmith his second chance at his life.
My
only slight moan is that the voice of Feathersmith's old boss
(who is older than Feathersmith) sounds a little too young.
Not only that, but when Feathersmith returns to his roots
(50 years in the past) his voice remains that of a 70 year-old.
But, then I guess that for storytelling purposes it wouldn't
work if his voice kept switching between that of an old and
younger man.
The
twist in this tale is also rather satisfying and this story
stands out as an exceptionally well produced episode.
All the episodes contained here are from original scripts
by Rod Serling and these new recordings go to show how timeless
these stories really are. As
well as a fantastic supporting cast these tales are brought
up to date with some impressive sound effects and beautiful
scores, that help to set the mood.
The
majority of these episodes have previously been released on
four story collection. But they are almost worth buying again
- even if you already own the other collections - mainly due
to the fact that all of the annoying house ads that peppered
the previous releases have been removed. The only ad now is
for the Twilight Zone website, but that is placed after
the story has been told, and will come in useful for those
who want to be kept up to date on all future audio releases.
This
is a fantastic collection - I really can't recommend it enough.
Pete
Boomer
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