This is a classic tale of mob mentality meets mass hysteria meets alien intervention. Yup. Classic. But certainly not my all-time favorite. Actually, I would have to say that out of Rod Serling's television genius moments, The Twilight Zone isn't my favorite at all. Night Gallery is.
Far creepier, more sinister, and much gorier, Night Gallery scared the living shit out of us when we were kids. There are several episodes I remember fondly, but the one that sticks out in my mind is Cool Air. It's the story of a man who lives in a refrigerated apartment in New York, and it ends very badly for him. As a matter of fact, I remember the ending so well that even though this episode is on youtube, I'm still to this day scared to death to watch it again.
Perhaps that's why it is my favorite of all Rod Serling's creations (stolen shamelessly from and H.P. Lovecraft story). I saw this particular show when I was ten or eleven years old, and at my age now, after raising three kids, after facing many a horrid scar in life, I'm still terrified of an itty-bitty partial episode of an old television series.
I might just break down and watch it again in the spirit of Halloween approaching. Maybe. Possibly. And I'm sure it's not remotely as good nor as horrifying as I remember. However, like the old movie Taste of Evil (coincidentally released by its studio and seen by me the exact same year as that Night Gallery episode) when the supposedly dead guy grabs the girl's ankle and scares the shit out of her and viewers, I'm sure the old Night Gallery show is still worth a go-round.
Not tonight, though. Tonight it's going to be dark, and I'm going to be home alone, and I might hear strange noises as the old house settles. No, tonight the only cool air coming into this house will be from open windows. In the meantime, I'll settle for The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street, where the only thing we have to fear is an alien spaceship disguised as a meteor. And each other. And cars. And maybe some general mayhem. Other than that, we should be all set.
