Four horror and science fiction segments, directed by four famous directors, each of them being a new version of a classic story from Rod Serling's landmark television series.
Prologue: a driver has a big surprise with his passenger. Segment 1 ("Time Out"): a bigot hates Jews, Black and Asians. One day he will live in World War II, be hunted down by the KKK and get attacked in the Vietnam War and feel the effects of his hatred. Segment 2 ("Kick the Can"): In a nursing home, the elder inhabitants learn that their minds can keep them young. Segment 3 ("It's a Good Life"): a traveler hits a boy in a bicycle with her car and takes the boy home. Soon she learns that the powerful boy brought her home indeed. Segment 4 ("Nightmare at 20,000 feet"): a writer is scared to fly and soon he sees a monstrous creature destroying the airplane engines during a stormy night.Written by
Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
You're travelling through another dimension. A dimension, not only of sight and sound, but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. Next stop, the Twilight Zone! See more »
The Boston Globe said: "The original TV series was sometimes frightening, sometimes enlightening, and sometimes a bit too allegorical, but it was almost always entertaining. Serling gave us more in 25 minutes than Spielberg & Co. give us in nearly two hours". See more »
Goofs
In Segment #4, the red light on the camera is reflected in a shot through the airplane window. See more »
Quotes
German Officer:
[in German to Bill Connor]
Are you English? What are you doing here?
German Officer:
You are an American? Why are you here?
German Officer:
What are you doing here? What are you doing here!
See more »
Alternate Versions
CBS edited 8 minutes from this film for its 1986 network television premiere. See more »
I'm a huge fan of the series, and I remember being obsessed with TZ The Movie when it was released. I was 12, after all!!
Recently watched the film again for the first time in at least 15 years. I was blown away by the final segment, it's truly a classic which really scared the stuffing outta me. That evil little girl who takes Polaroids of everything freaked me out to no end. For me, it's the only segment in which the quality of the writing matches the direction and visuals from beginning to end.
I saw the original episode upon which Joe Dante's (3rd) segment is based when I was spending the night at my friend's house in 4th grade. It, too, really frightened me. I remember thinking to myself how hopeless the situation was-- if you even TRIED to not think bad thoughts about Anthony, you would end up thinking them, and he could still get you!! And didn't he "wish someone away to the cornfield"?? Man, that's some serious freakiness.
I thought the design of that segment in the movie was incredible, I'll never forget the mom holding the fishbowl, or the ferocious rabbit creature, or what happens to Ethel ("Run, Ethel....!") But the ending is truly atrocious and almost ruins what has come before.
What can I say about the other two segments? Better scripts were needed in order to make them work. And in the case of "Kick the Can", sticking more closely to the original episode would have given it more impact. (Not to mention firing Steven Spielberg.)And it's sad seeing Vic Morrow in his final role-- I'll always think of him as the sadistic coach in THE BAD NEWS BEARS, which is one of my all-time favorites.
All in all, a very uneven movie which improves steadily as it goes along. 6/10.
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I'm a huge fan of the series, and I remember being obsessed with TZ The Movie when it was released. I was 12, after all!!
Recently watched the film again for the first time in at least 15 years. I was blown away by the final segment, it's truly a classic which really scared the stuffing outta me. That evil little girl who takes Polaroids of everything freaked me out to no end. For me, it's the only segment in which the quality of the writing matches the direction and visuals from beginning to end.
I saw the original episode upon which Joe Dante's (3rd) segment is based when I was spending the night at my friend's house in 4th grade. It, too, really frightened me. I remember thinking to myself how hopeless the situation was-- if you even TRIED to not think bad thoughts about Anthony, you would end up thinking them, and he could still get you!! And didn't he "wish someone away to the cornfield"?? Man, that's some serious freakiness.
I thought the design of that segment in the movie was incredible, I'll never forget the mom holding the fishbowl, or the ferocious rabbit creature, or what happens to Ethel ("Run, Ethel....!") But the ending is truly atrocious and almost ruins what has come before.
What can I say about the other two segments? Better scripts were needed in order to make them work. And in the case of "Kick the Can", sticking more closely to the original episode would have given it more impact. (Not to mention firing Steven Spielberg.)And it's sad seeing Vic Morrow in his final role-- I'll always think of him as the sadistic coach in THE BAD NEWS BEARS, which is one of my all-time favorites.
All in all, a very uneven movie which improves steadily as it goes along. 6/10.