Night Visions (2001–2002) User Reviews

Three episodes not to miss

[petra_ste · 6/10 · 24 May 2007]

This was a passable horror/sci-fi series. A pity it was canceled after the first season: while not ground-breaking, it was always watchable and sometimes even memorable.

Most episodes were decent: I'd give an average rating of 6.5 out of 10. There were a couple of clunkers but also some little gems. My three favorite episodes are:

• A View Through the Window, with Bill Pullman. The Army finds in the desert a portal to another dimension; it seems like a fantasy romance, but there is a creepy twist.

• Patterns, featuring Malcolm McDowell as a patient with obsessive-compulsive disoder.

• Bitter Harvest, perhaps the darkest entry, with the late Jack Palance as a grim farmer.

The biggest problem is how, once you realize nearly every episode has a twist ending, you start to anticipate it - and often guess it halfway through.

6.5/10

Wonderful stuff

[ctomvelu1 · 8/10 · 7 February 2010]

You will find a short review by me under another moniker here. I mainly focused in that one on brief descriptions of a half-dozen of the 20 or so episodes. The series is once again running on CHILLER, and you should be sure to catch it. It is a cross between THE TWILIGHT ZONE and OUTER LIMITS, and clearly was put together in response to HBO's TALES FROM THE CRYPT. If I had to pick the single best episode, it has to be the one with Bill Pullman as an Army major who must deal with a window into another world. The window abruptly turns up in the middle of the desert, and it reveals a bucolic setting, possibly an Amish farm. Pullman becomes a man obsessed, to his ultimate regret. Keep your eye not only on the finale but the epilogue, which will send chills up and down your spine. You will swear you are watching a movie, not a low-budget TV show. The series comes highly recommended from a guy who grew up with the original TWILIGHT ZONE, which is The Beates of TV fantasy anthologies.

As with any anthology, some good and some bad episodes

[Aaron_da_miller · 6/10 · 16 August 2013]

1. The Passenger List 5/10- Has some cool ideas behind it, but nothing really new or shocking.

The Bokor 4/10- The dead body is legitimately worth watching for how ridiculously funny it looks. Bad acting and mediocre script.

2. Dead Air 7/10- Lou Philip Diomand really holds this episode together. Some creepy scenes and good acting make this one stand out.

Renovation 5/10- Very predictable from the beginning, which makes the rest of the episode a bit of a chore to sit through and not very scary.

3. A View through the window 6/10- Really cool sci-fi concept and a good story. I feel it could have been elaborated on a bit though. Great Ending.

Quiet Please 7/10- Cary Elwes was pretty good in this episode. Kind of a comedy up until the end.

4. Now He's Coming Up the Stairs- 5/10- Okay episode, nothing really scary or good about it though.

Used Car 8/10 - Great acting. A few mediocre jump scares and a decent story.

5. Rest Stop 2/10- Nothing but a load of dud false jump scares, where people sneak up on their friends or a friend is standing right behind them when they turn around. No tension and no scares.

After Life 6/10- First half was a little slow, but the second half makes up for it. Good ending too.

6. If a Tree Falls... 6/10- Gets some credit for being interesting and being an original take on a generic subject.

The Occupant 5/10- Okay episode. The main character was stupid and annoying throughout, but had some good tension towards the end and a nice climax.

7. Reunion 4/10- Had some good acting but everything was so predictable.

Neighborhood Watch- 6/10- I liked this one a bit. It had some good acting and I liked the scenario.

8 Bitter Harvest 6/10- Pretty decent episode. Good ending.

My So Called Life and Death- 7/10 - While predictable, I still really enjoyed this episode.

9 The Doghouse 7/10- Had some really good scenes in it.

Still Life 6/10- The beginning was slow, but the resolution made the entire segment worth it.

10 Hate Puppet 8/10- I really liked the concept and execution. The acting was pretty decent as well. My main problem was I felt the ending was a bit anti climatic.

Darkness 4/10- This one had such promise with the premise. Shadow people are one of my favorite (and most underused) horror elements. This one was a letdown from its premise. I feel a full length movie and a bigger budget would have been more suited.

11. The Maze 8/10- Thora Birch is always fun to watch. This episode had a great premise and an excellent execution. One of the best of the series.

Harmony 5/10- Some interesting questions were brought up as to what was going on, but the ultimate answers provided were not well implemented. The finale was really bad as well.

12. Cargo 3/10- This episode was kind of stupid. Jaime Kennedy was not the problem, and was pretty decent in this. It was just the fact that nothing happened until the end and the twist was stupid.

Switch 9/10- This is the best episode of the series. It was trippy and surreal, with some music video editing. I liked the story and the acting, while a little meh, was good enough.

13. Patterns 7/10- Really great acting from both the leads. I liked the

ideas behind the story. Towards the end, it gets a bit comical, but it was still really good.

Voices 5/10- Started out with some potential, but kind of turned for the worse towards the end.

Very Entertaining, Excellent Casting.

[kasperick · 28 October 2004]

I caught a Sci-Fi Channel marathon of this series, and was very pleasantly surprised. If you are a fan of The Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, Night Gallery, Amazing Stories, Tales from the Crypt, and the like... this is a must see. With many of these types of compact suspense series, it's often hit or miss with each story - sometimes highly satisfying, sometimes disappointing. But, I found each episode in this series extremely entertaining, and well acted. It's no wonder with the consistent caliber of cast, including: Bill Pullman, Brian Dennehy, Bridget Fonda, Aidan Quinn, Natasha Lyonne, Lou Diamond Phillips, Chad Lowe, Jerry O'Connell, Sherilyn Fenn, Randy Quaid, Jay Mohr, Jamie Kennedy, Cary Elwes, Luke Perry, Pam Grier, Jack Palance, Stephen Baldwin, and MORE. The only unappealing portion of the show is Henry Rollins' hosting. Even as a fan of Henry, I found him to be ineffectively uptight and out of place in this role. There are 26 thirty minute episodes, each edition featuring two episodes. It's a shame this didn't last - I think it could have had a pretty good life!

So scary I forgot to breathe. . .

[allisjames · 10/10 · 14 February 2007]

Night Visions was a much underrated show shown on the Sci-Fi network. This was one scary show, much better then the remakes of Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. This show was more in line with the old Twilight Zone/Night Gallery episodes. Not all of the episodes were great, but each had its own charisma. I was hooked on the first episode featuring Bridget Fonda. At a time when I had almost given up on the new horror shows, this one broke new ground and gave me new hope. It's a shame that it did not last. I haven't been this captivated since the Ole Dark Shadows series. I love a good scare, and this show delivered. Great actors, great writing, and great directing. Night Visions is a must see.

Great Series!

[timz77 · 8/10 · 16 August 2006]

I liked the show so much, I bought the entire series (all 26 episodes) so I could see all the ones I had missed. SAY WHAT?! Oh, yes - they're out there all right, you just have to find an individual that took the time to record them on TIVO and them put them on DVD. The DVDs I have are really great quality - I'm glad I found them! If anyone wants to contact me for more info let me know. [e-mail]

Only 26 Episodes were finished (including 6 Never Originally Aired Episodes with Host Henry Rollins.)

Night Visions Episode List: 1. The Passenger List 2. The Boker 3. Dead Air 4. Renovation 5. A View Through A Window 6. Quiet, Please 7. Now He's Coming Up The Stairs 8. Used Car 9. Rest Stop 10. After Life 11. If A Tree Falls... 12. The Occupant 13. Reunion 14. Neighborhood Watch 15. Bitter Harvest 16. My So Called Life & Death 17. The Doghouse 18. Still Life 19. Hate Puppet 20. Darkness 21. The Maze 22. Harmony 23. Cargo 24. Switch 25. Patterns 26. Voices

Decent thriller show

[ctomvelu-1 · 7/10 · 8 March 2009]

Short-lived anthology series offered both spooky and more conventional suspense tales. Too bad it only lasted a few episodes. Familiar faces from bothy TV and movies dotted each episode, and Henry Rollins of all people served as a Rod Serling-type narrator. Watching the series again on CHILLER, I was struck by an episode involving four young people at a rustic rest stop who are captured one-by-one by shadowy figures. The ending is a real shocker, and reminded me to some small degree of the movie WRONG TURN. Another episode that stood out was a variation on Shirley Jackson's THE LOTTERY, with a decidedly supernatural twist. A very TWILIGHT ZONE-ish episode had a college coed finding herself in a different time plane and dimension after successfully negotiating a maze on her campus. Another episode had a scientist trying to figure a way to enter a bubble-like dimension showing a bucolic landscape that suddenly appears one day in the desert. In a really chilly episode, a man returns from the dead only to find himself forever changed. Yet another episode involved a small band of eastern European stowaways locked in a large storage container who are being picked off and eaten by an unseen monster. Once again, the ending came as quite a surprise. It really is a shame the show didn't last longer. It appears to have been Fox's answer to HBO's TALES FROM THE CRYPT.

Memorably creepy

[Sanou_san · 9/10 · 22 April 2007]

Night Visions, I remember watching this movie on Studio 23, a local channel that caters the taste of teenage viewers and of course the attention of many adults as well. This movie indeed is a chilling flick on different twisted natures of human mind or some—are sorts of supernatural existence here in the world. The movie was toughly scary, to consider that it is duly aired here in our place every near mid of the night, I always scamper to my bed immediately wondering the things I witnessed in this movie. I wouldn't really tell everyone who manage to watch this film they would be frightened to their seats, but its genre in telling weird horrible stories of different strange nature, which concludes in an unsolved resolution, would irrefutably give the chills to everyone who watch it. Every time Henry Rollins start to invocate a short overture to the story the film is showing I instantly get the sense of Goosebumps, and most especially his final chant as well.

I would really love to peer one more time with this movie when it comes back to Studio 23. TO other horror fans out there, this one isn't a waste of trying.

I really liked this show and now I hate the Sci-Fi Channel

[Rekrul · 27 July 2002]

I knew when Fox started airing this show that they'd already decided not to make any more episodes of it, but I figured they'd at least air the ones they had and I could tape them. I missed one and then Sept. 11th happened before they could air the last three. When the schedule finally returned to normal, Night Visions was nowhere to be found. I kept hoping that they'd finally air them eventually and then I heard the Sci-Fi Channel had picked it up.

I happily started checking the schedule each week to see if it was an episode I needed and finally the one I missed was going to be on. It wasn't, they played repeats of The Dead Zone instead. I figured that they'd play them eventually, even if it was in a lousy timeslot. Now they've done something so low, I have trouble expressing how angry I am.

Tonight SFC aired a supposedly original 'movie' called Shadow Realm. I then discovered that this was nothing more than 2 episodes of Night Visions with the original titles and intros removed and SFC's name plastered on it.

This is a bald-faced *LIE*. SFC had absolutely nothing to do with this 'movie' other than hacking up the episodes and slapping their name on it! I consider this outright theft. They'd probably argue that since they bought the rights to it, they can claim it to be an original, but how many people would accept it if I were to buy the Mona Lisa and proclaim it to be my original work? No, I'm not comparing Night Visions to a priceless work of art, but the principle is the same and it deserves to be seen the way the creators intended.

Because of this, you can be sure that you will never see those two episodes (Patterns/Maze, Harmony/Voices) in their unedited form, because that would show the SFC to be the liars they are. That's not just an opinion, it's a fact. They lied about creating this 'movie'.

I hope that the IMDB approves this comment because I think it's important for fans of this show to be aware of just how low the SFC really is.

Heavyhanded and uneven, but fun

[balkaster · 5 July 2004]

I didn't discover this until it began airing on Sci-Fi (and I quite agree with Rekrul about Sci-Fi misleading viewers by claiming productions as their own -- they made similar claims with "Strange World" [a series that ran on ABC for half a season three years prior to Sci-Fi claiming it as their own], "Cube 2" [an international production in wide release that couldn't secure a distribution deal in the US], "Riverworld" [adaptation of a Phillip Jose Farmer novel that was doomed when Alex Proyas left the project and was bound for direct-to-video release until Sci-Fi grabbed it] and all of their cheesy Saturday afternoon monster movies that would have gone direct-to-video if Sci-Fi hadn't snapped up the rights). "Night Visions" was a bit heavyhanded with the morality lessons, something that "The Twilight Zone" did with a light touch and as an afterthought. But if you could overlook that, some of the stories were quite effective (and many were not, either lacking a strong ending or simply not being believable). The guest cast was literally stellar, including some of the leading lights of the indie film movement as well as more mainstream actors, which gave it some sort of post-modern credibility. The acting was always solid. Somehow Henry Rollins didn't really work as the host -- he's a competant actor, why did it seem like he was phoning it in? He may have fit the indie sensibility of the show, but he was positioned in the mode of the classic moralist anthology host ala Serling, and he just didn't seem to rise to the task...in fact he seemed uncomfortable in the role. I can't picture the guy in a suit, but I think the t-shirt and tats combo also worked against him (but how else would you dress Henry Rollins?).

Great Killed Show

[MovieMilhouse21 · 8 August 2003]

This was like The Twilight Zone meets The X-Files, times 10. It was such a great show and I was so p***ed when it was killed.

There were so many big name celebrity guests like Lou Diamond Phillips, Carey Elwes, Marla Sokoloff, and others. I loved every episode but my favorite would have be an episode where these three kids get into an accident but somehow get a second chance.

I also like the episode where Marla Sokoloff thinks that she sees ghost who really isn't a ghost at all. I wish they hadn't killed it.

"Tales From The Crypt" for the new millennium.

[Aussie Stud · 12 July 2001]

The premise for this show is simple. You take a pinch of "The X-Files", blend it with some "Amazing Stories" and throw in a dash of "Tales From The Crypt" and voila, you have a fresh new series based on the supernatural and unexplained with guest actors, guest directors and a creepy host (well, that is if you consider Henry Rollins to be creepy).

But alas, this is probably about the 5000th TV show to hit the air since television was invented and just about everything about this show seems either unoriginal or enters the 'been there, done that' territory because so many shows before it has dabbled in the same subject matter.

Unlike "Tales From The Crypt" where the host was the fun and always hilarious Crypt Keeper, here we have a sombre and straight-to-the-point Henry Rollins (of the Rollins Band) presenting each story with a quick foreword. Each story blends mystery, suspense and most of the time, death, together to make for a half hour episode of fun. Unfortunately, most of the stories are extremely predictable and the endings don't always come as a surprise. But still, it makes for good Summer filler, and seeing guest actors meeting a sorry demise at the end of each episode is always fun.

FOX - Keep this one on the air!

Fright Vision

[sawyertom · 22 July 2003]

This was a very interesting series. It reminded me of the Twilight Zone with a touch of the X-Files. The story I remember most is Bill Pullman playing an army scientist or specialist who with the army surrounds some kind of alien life forms that look like something out of the pioneer days. He somehow finds a way into the bubble like vehicle or area in his own quest to find a simpler more happy life. Instead he gets eaten. Whoa what a series! It was eerie like Tales of the crypt and Twilight Zone, but had a little more gore, blood and guts to it. This series is in a long line of short lived but not forgotten horror anthologies that entertain and fright.

Overall a good show

[MovieMilhouse21 · 26 April 2003]

Night visions was an extremely good show. It has a Twilight Zone quality to it. The stories are very well written and often blow you away when you see the ending. I would recomend anyone to check out this show if the can find it.

One of the best new series to hit the screen yet.

[heymoe1 · 27 September 2001]

One of the best new shows on FOX yet. I'd like to see a lot more of it. Please bring this show back on the air. The celebrity guests are always something to look forward to. FOX, please renew this show next season. Thanks.

Twilight Zone Reloaded

[darkgodmobutu · 20 July 2001]

I, for one, enjoy this show. It's not the greatest show ever, nor is it the most original, but it makes for good late-night entertainment. I'm constantly blown away by the somewhat big names they can get. Thus far (4 episodes in) the best one is the one with Brian Dennehy and Cary Elwes about the weekend killer. Sure, the stories are trite and the surprises are predictable five minutes in, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The only problem I have with this show is Henry Rollins' grim and somber Rod Serling-esque intros and outros. Henry Rollins is too talented and/or cool to be that dull and boring. He should really liven up, it would add a whole new dimension to this show. This show is definitely worth watching. But you should probably watch it soon before Fox inevitably yanks it from its lineup and replaces it with more Malcolm In The Middle reruns.

Another horror anthology series that didn't last

[Judexdot1 · 2 March 2004]

I really didn't hope for much from this show, because these kind of shows usually don't work that well, since about the time that Rod Serling died. I started with the episode that Bill Pullman acted in/directed, and found it a pleasant surprise. When they had Joe Dante directing, I really got interested, but I think it was only airing for about a month and a half. Henry Rollins holds a special place in my heart, (I saw a LOT of Black Flag shows!), but he was a rather poor Rod Serling substitute. I guess we file this one next to a whole lot of similarly themed shows that really didn't fly, from "Darkroom" on down the line. I hope that the powers that be will keep trying for this sort of show, although I have to say that most of the "Twilight Zone" revival attempts have been pretty bad.

--Judexdot1--

Took a while to get used to Rollins

[borg1005 · 27 November 2005]

This series is better than Outer Limits, which I found to be too preachy, and the later Twilight Zone which was just LAME.

Whoever cast Rollins as the Serling-like MC should get his knuckles rapped. Being from a later generation I didn't know who Rollins was and thought the guy had to be a relative of the producer - wooden as a post.

I ended up overlooking his part and concentrated on the shows, which by and large, seemed geared towards the younger (college) set.

The one episode I thought unsettling was "Bitter Harvest", but then Jack Palance could read the telephone book and scare the bejabbers out of you. Evil oozes out of his pores in this one. Check out his first performance as Walter Jack Palance in the 1950 "Panic in the Streets" and you can spot his brilliance in making villainy come so naturally.

I particularly like "The Maze", not only for the weird story, but for the wild looking buildings that I guess are on the Eugene, OR campus. The architecture is striking, and the way they were filmed, almost alien. Then, it also had my favorite whacko, Amanda Plummer.

That being said, my all time favorite is "Patterns" with Malcolm McDowell giving a bravura performance as the patient with a problem and Miguel Ferrer giving a solid believable job as the psychiatrist. I have since driven my family equally nuts by saying, in Malcolm's tone, the innocuous "Five is nice." at the darndest times.

SciFi channel, as of late 2005 runs a marathon of these every so often so I am able to gradually build up the collection, even of the so-so episodes. I suggest you do the same as these types of shows are not getting any better.

All in all, not a bad attempt at a genre that has been milked dry. It is particularly enjoyable in that to my mind, the acting by unfamiliar faces has all been credible, and as above, sometimes outstanding. I'll take it over Outer Limits or the later Twilight Zone any day.

Great New TV series...

[screechmoe · 30 August 2001]

This is a great tv series, Night Visions, is like two great shows from the past...The Twilight Zone, and Most Famous Tales From the Crypt...their strange stories and with strange plots. I love watching this show, and have taped every episode except for the first two I missed. :( My favorites so far are - "Dead Air", "A View Through the Window", "Now He's Coming Up the Stairs", "If A Tree Falls", "Neighborhood Watch", "Bitter Harvest", "My So Called Life & Death", and "The Doghouse". I can't wait for next Thursday's show. This is deffinetly worth a hour out of your time. With cast stars and great turn of events. I really hope they don't take this one off the air in 2 months. I like it, and I sure hope they come up with a second season, because I will be sure to tune in, and keep taping them. Night Visions, you have a true fan now! :)

It's not the episodes that scare me...

[chalz · 12 July 2001]

If I had to describe what I've seen of this series so far (4 episodes) in one word: pedestrian.

I found the stories to be trite and predictable. There was little originality - mostly old stories as the basis. It's like 'The Outer Limits', but in the 'Young Adults' section. Henry Rollins, while I dig him well enough, does a rather unconvincing job with the 'punchlines' at the end.

If you want a cute 30 minute piece with an actor or two you'll easily identify, go ahead. Otherwise, I say stick to 'The Outer Limits'.

This is a great new seies!!!

[mryansbar · 6 September 2001]

I hope FOX keeps this one on!! Great writing, suspencefull, entertaining stuff. This rivals Twilight Zone, Outer limits and Tales from the Crypt. I've been waiting for a great new show that keeps you thinking, and here it is. Thanks to FOX for this new hit!!!!