The 80s Twilight Zone: Discovering the TV Series (Hardback)

The revival of The Twilight Zone that debuted in the US in the autumn of 1985 was a reboot of Rod Serling’s highly successful 1960s anthology series of paranormal/sci-fi/horror stories. While it never achieved quite the same ratings as the original, it was a critical success, ran for three seasons and, forty years on, still has its own cult following on both sides of the Atlantic.

Each episode was an original dramatization (usually multiple stories per episode) of the writing of such acclaimed writers as Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Stephen King and George R. R. Martin. Add top directors such as Wes Craven, and a stellar cast including the likes of Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren, and there was a lot to love about this gem of 80s TV. Lee Fratantuono gives a synopsis and plot outline of each of the sixty-five episodes, along with new interviews with actors and others involved in the show. He explains how ratings were hit by the second-season decision to air it at 10pm due to concerns about the mature nature of the content. Some episodes were considered groundbreaking in their treatment of social issues (nuclear war/arms race, LGBT rights, women and family, racism), rendering the show significantly ahead of its time and anticipatory of later social movements and developments. Above all, they were great tales of the strange and unsettling. The 'twilight zone' is definitely a place best entered with a good companion. This is it.