The greatest and most influential science fiction horror series of all time is all set to hit free streaming. While that might sound a little hyperbolic, we can assure you it’s not, as the iconic anthology TV series and all its twists and turns can still be felt on both the big and small screens. Even now, 66 years later.
We’re talking, of course, about The Twilight Zone, with the series, which began all the way back in the before times of 1959, all set to land on free streaming. Described as the “brainchild” of Emmy Award-winner Rod Serling, the series consistently delivered terror, mystery, twists, turns, and satire, the likes of which have not since been matched. Inspiring filmmakers throughout the decades since and led to such classic movies as The Truman Show, The Sixth Sense, Poltergeist, Get Out (from director Jordan Peele, who has since tried to reboot the series) and many, many more. The series also featured both major stars and rising ones, with the likes of Burt Reynolds, Roddy McDowell and Robert Redford featuring in the show.
The sheer quality of The Twilight Zone is reflected in its “scores” on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics’’ reactions resulting in a near-perfect 92%, while the response gives the series an even nearer to perfect 95%. Leaping effortlessly from horror to science fiction to fantasy and back again, no doubt every fan from across these wide-ranging genres will find something to love, as well as likely seeing the origin of some of their favorite modern stories. The Twilight Zone is now all set to land on the free streaming platform, Tubi, on October 1 (making it the perfect binge-watch for Halloween). And it’s not the only part of The Twilight Zone saga that you’ll soon be able to stream for free…
The ’59 Series Is Not the Only ‘Twilight Zone’ Outing Set to Stream Free…
Alongside the original series, 1983’s Twilight Zone: The Movie is also set to land on Tubi at the same time. Based on the Rod Serling series, Twilight Zone: The Movie tells four stories, with each one directed by a directing legend. Steven Spielberg, John Landis (more on him later), Joe Dante, and George Miller take the helm of the anthology feature, with the cast including such well-known names as Dan Aykroyd, Albert Brooks, Scatman Crothers, John Lithgow, Vic Morrow, and Kathleen Quinlan. You can check out the official synopsis for Twilight Zone: The Movie below…
“This tribute to the beloved supernatural TV show has four episodes. In the first, racist Bill Connor (Vic Morrow) is transformed into a Jew in World War II. Next, Mr. Bloom (Scatman Crothers) comes to a retirement home to teach the residents that they are only as young as they feel. In the third, teacher Helen Foley (Kathleen Quinlan) meets Antony (Jeremy Licht), a boy who is not what he seems. Finally, panicky plane passenger John Valentine (John Lithgow) sees gremlins attacking his flight.”
Twilight Zone: The Movie was met with somewhat mixed reviews (60% from critics and 55% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes) and has since become infamous for Landis’ segment, which led to the tragic deaths of actor Vic Morrow and child actors Myca Dinh Le and Renee Shin-Yi Chen. After years of legal action, no one was found criminally responsible for the accident, with Twilight Zone: The Movie being considered highly controversial ever since.
- Release Date
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1959 – 1964
- Network
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CBS
- Directors
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John Brahm, Buzz Kulik, Douglas Heyes, Lamont Johnson, Richard L. Bare, James Sheldon, Richard Donner, Don Medford, Montgomery Pittman, Abner Biberman, Alan Crosland, Jr., Alvin Ganzer, Elliot Silverstein, Jack Smight, Joseph M. Newman, Ted Post, William Claxton, Jus Addiss, Mitchell Leisen, Perry Lafferty, Robert Florey, Robert Parrish, Ron Winston, Stuart Rosenberg
- Writers
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Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, Earl Hamner, Jr., George Clayton Johnson, Jerry Sohl, Henry Slesar, Martin Goldsmith, Anthony Wilson, Bernard C. Schoenfeld, Bill Idelson, E. Jack Neuman, Jerome Bixby, Jerry McNeely, John Collier, John Furia, Jr., John Tomerlin, Lucille Fletcher, Ray Bradbury, Reginald Rose, Sam Rolfe, Adele T. Strassfield
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Vaughn Taylor
Mr. Carsville
