Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)

Directors:

Joe Dante
John Landis

Writers:

Rod Serling (television series The Twilight Zone)
John Landis (prologue)

Release Date:

24 June 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

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!

Plot:

Four horror/sci-fi segments directed by four famous directors which are their own versions of classic stories from Rod Serling's landmark television series.

Plot Keywords:

Remake | Nazi | Retirement Home | Kick The Can | Anthology

Awards:

1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Dan Aykroyd	...	Passenger / Ambulance Driver (Prologue / Segment #4)
Albert Brooks	...	Car Driver (Prologue)
Vic Morrow	...	Bill Connor (Segment #1)
Doug McGrath	...	Larry (Segment #1)
Charles Hallahan	...	Ray (Segment #1)
Rainer Peets	...	German Officer (Segment #1) (as Remus Peets)
Kai Wulff	...	German Officer (Segment #1)
Sue Dugan	...	Waitress No. 1 (Segment #1)
Debby Porter	...	Waitress No. 2 (Segment #1)
Steven Williams	...	Bar Patron (Segment #1)
Annette Claudier	...	French Monther (Segment #1)
Joseph Hieu	...	Vietnamese (Segment #1)
Al Leong	...	Vietnamese (Segment #1)
Stephen Bishop	...	Charming G.I. (Segment #1)
Thomas Byrd	...	G.I. (Segment #1)

Runtime:

101 min | UK:97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | German | Vietnamese

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Iceland:14 | France:Unrated | Singapore:PG | New Zealand:PG | Netherlands:12 | South Africa:10V | UK:12 (re-rating) (2009) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG (certificate #27045) | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Canyon Country, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

On July 23, 1982, around 2:30 am, actor Vic Morrow, and two child actors, Renee Chen of 6 years, and My-ca Dinh Le of 7 years, were killed in an accident on the set. While filming a Vietnam battle sequence (a hovering helicopter chasing and shooting at Morrow, who was carrying two Vietnamese children out of a deserted village and across a small lake), an SFX explosion sent the helicopter crashing down on top of them, killing all three instantly. It is illegal for children to work at that hour; Renee Chen and My-ca Dinh Le were not officially part of the cast, and their parents were paid in cash. Director John Landis, associate producer George Folsey Jr., production manager Dan Allingham, special effects coordinator Paul Stewart and pilot Dorcey Wingo were charged of involuntary manslaughter. The trial began on September 03, 1986 and the verdict was given on May 29, 1987. Landis and the four crew members were found not guilty.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In "Segment 4", the red light on the camera is reflected in a shot through the airplane window.

Quotes:

Anthony: Th-th-th-that's all, Ethel!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "3rd Rock from the Sun: Frozen Dick (#1.12)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL

The first movie to give me nightmares

When I first watched this film at the age of seven, I must have been freaked out for weeks. Never had a movie had that kind of effect on my psyche, especially "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet." While some will label this as a bad film due to the fact it didn't faithfully reproduce the original stories very well. I say 'Who Cares!' Sometimes, fear and entertainment is all that one needs in regard to a cool movie such as this one. While it is certainly not a film that will rank highly in the greatest films of all time category, at least it proved this concept in story telling is pertinent today, even in today's cynical culture.