The Crowd (2 Jul. 1985)
"The Ray Bradbury Theater" The Crowd (original title)

After leaving a party late night, Joe Spelliner drives high speed through the empty streets and has a car accident. A couple of seconds later, he is surrounded by a crowd until an ambulance... See full summary »

Director:

Ralph L. Thomas

Writers:

Ray Bradbury (screenplay), Ray Bradbury (story)

Stars:

Ray Bradbury, Victor Ertmanis, David Hughes

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Ray Bradbury	...	Himself - Introduction
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Victor Ertmanis	...	Paramedic (as Victor Eartmantis)
David Hughes	...	Doctor
Nick Mancuso	...	Spelliner
R.H. Thomson	...	Morgan

Storyline

After leaving a party late night, Joe Spelliner drives high speed through the empty streets and has a car accident. A couple of seconds later, he is surrounded by a crowd until an ambulance arrives with the paramedic at 2:00 AM. Twenty-four hours later he is discharged by the hospital and he is intrigued from where that crowd arrived. He meets his friend and colleague Morgan to celebrate and they witness another car accident. In twenty-one seconds, the victim is surrounded by a crowd and Joe recognizes many of the persons from his own accident. Joe asks Morgan to retrieve surveillance tapes of car accidents and he discloses that the same persons are present in the other accidents; further, all of them are victims of car accidents. Morgan asks Joe to forget the discovery, but the reluctant friend wishes to investigate further with tragic consequences.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Release Date:

2 July 1985 (France)

Company Credits

User Reviews

Creepy Fun

Perhaps to a jaded viewer this low-budget 20-year-old episode might seem dated; for instance not enough plot twists and/or not enough violence or gore. But I found it short and sweet (though "sweet" isn't the right word; "creepy" is the right word). I don't recall reading the short story on which it's based; if you have, you probably don't need to watch this. But watching this first and then reading the story might be the way to go, as Bradbury's poetic language makes him more suited to prose than movies and TV shows. The show is not for the very young or easily spooked. So preview it first, then watch it with your kids on Halloween. --Nov 2006