I have often said that some of my biggest creative influences as a writer were from my youth.
Late night T.V. was a huge part of that, namely old school Twilight Zone re-runs.
I can remember staying up late with my babysitter and watching these (because my parents would never allow me to stay up that late!)
Of course it would not be until much later that I could appreciate the storylines, but the whole experience had a profound impact on me.
I think why the old school Twilight Zone episodes are still so popular today is that even when they were written (late fifties, early sixties) they were ahead of their time. The combination of cold war paranoia coupled with the space race, space exploration and the possibility of aliens made for some very entertaining short stories!
Just for fun I will be counting down my Top 10 Favorite old school Twilight Zone episodes.
(The links provided below are from Pluto, a free streaming service.)
10. “Time Enough at Last”
9. “Eye of the Beholder”
8. “The Shelter”
7. “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street”
6. “The Hunt”
5. “Kick the Can”
4. Nightmare at 20,000 feet
3. “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?”
2. “To Serve Man”
1. “The Midnight Sun”
Honorable Mention:
“The Passerby”
“The Thirty Fathom Grave”