Confession time: I didn't grow up a fan of the original The Twilight Zone.
Oh, oh, oh ... now hold on. This isn't to say that I liked or disliked it. The honest truth was that -- back in my day with TV broadcast airings being what they were -- the Rod Serling classic just wasn't aired at any time that I could sit down and catch it uninterrupted at any given time. It was one of those shows that, frankly, only poked into rotation sparingly every now and then; so I just didn't have nearly the level of exposure as other media pundits my age had. I caught enough of it during the early 1980's to know that it was something I'd wished I'd seen more of, something that I'm still rectifying when time permits even to this day.
But following the industry news as closely as I did, I was highly interested in the big screen event that Twilight Zone: The Movie looked like it was going to be.
For those who don't know it, however, the film's publicity suffered a major blow when actor Vic Morrow and two children actors were killed in an on-the-set accident involving a helicopter spiralling out of control. The full details of the tragedy have been the stuff of Hollywood legend as well as a few non-fiction books (one of which I'm intending to pick up and read); but -- as Tinseltown loves to conceal the truth of its nefariousness -- the details still remain a bit shrouded in mystery. One thing is certain: Steven Spielberg has apparently done everything possible to distance himself from this debacle for decades. Though the particulars have always been tied to director John Landis -- who as I understand as never quite accepted his responsibility with it -- I've read that the two directors have never much interacted with one another since that time.
According to IMDB.com, Twilight Zone: The Movie premiered on this day (in Canada and the U.S.) back in 1983; and the film only went on to be a respectable hit with audiences ... and why not? Serling was one of the truly original voices in visual storytelling, so using a good many of his ideas in a theatrical adaptation seemed like about a good idea at the time as could anything. A Google.com search shows that it grossed a solid $42 million dollars on a small $10 million investment.
I do recall seeing this one once or twice on the silver screen back in the day; and I'm quite sure I watched it on home video probably in the late 80's or early 90's. Still, I haven't seen it since them. Maybe I'll add it to my Rainy Day List for a revisitation and review on the site. I've also read that sequels were planned; but the stigma of an avoidable accident had Hollywood suits avoiding this property -- in theaters, at least -- like the plague.
Happy Anniversay, Twilight Zone ... and, yes, we all do want to see something really scary!
-- EZ
Oh, oh, oh ... now hold on. This isn't to say that I liked or disliked it. The honest truth was that -- back in my day with TV broadcast airings being what they were -- the Rod Serling classic just wasn't aired at any time that I could sit down and catch it uninterrupted at any given time. It was one of those shows that, frankly, only poked into rotation sparingly every now and then; so I just didn't have nearly the level of exposure as other media pundits my age had. I caught enough of it during the early 1980's to know that it was something I'd wished I'd seen more of, something that I'm still rectifying when time permits even to this day.
But following the industry news as closely as I did, I was highly interested in the big screen event that Twilight Zone: The Movie looked like it was going to be.
For those who don't know it, however, the film's publicity suffered a major blow when actor Vic Morrow and two children actors were killed in an on-the-set accident involving a helicopter spiralling out of control. The full details of the tragedy have been the stuff of Hollywood legend as well as a few non-fiction books (one of which I'm intending to pick up and read); but -- as Tinseltown loves to conceal the truth of its nefariousness -- the details still remain a bit shrouded in mystery. One thing is certain: Steven Spielberg has apparently done everything possible to distance himself from this debacle for decades. Though the particulars have always been tied to director John Landis -- who as I understand as never quite accepted his responsibility with it -- I've read that the two directors have never much interacted with one another since that time.
According to IMDB.com, Twilight Zone: The Movie premiered on this day (in Canada and the U.S.) back in 1983; and the film only went on to be a respectable hit with audiences ... and why not? Serling was one of the truly original voices in visual storytelling, so using a good many of his ideas in a theatrical adaptation seemed like about a good idea at the time as could anything. A Google.com search shows that it grossed a solid $42 million dollars on a small $10 million investment.
I do recall seeing this one once or twice on the silver screen back in the day; and I'm quite sure I watched it on home video probably in the late 80's or early 90's. Still, I haven't seen it since them. Maybe I'll add it to my Rainy Day List for a revisitation and review on the site. I've also read that sequels were planned; but the stigma of an avoidable accident had Hollywood suits avoiding this property -- in theaters, at least -- like the plague.
Happy Anniversay, Twilight Zone ... and, yes, we all do want to see something really scary!
-- EZ
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