Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)

Two Geeks and a GIT Classic Movie Reviews

The second film in our look at 80s horror anthologies has a tragedy at its heart. In 1983's "Twilight Zone: The Movie," directors Joe Dante, John Landis, and George Miller serve up four different stories, written by John Landis, George Clayton Johnson, and Richard and Melissa Matheson. The wrap-around story stars Dan Aykroyd. In the prologue, he and Albert Brooks are on a road trip trying to keep themselves awake and entertained. Narrated by Burgess Meredith, the first story, "Time Out," tells the story of Bill Connor (Vic Morrow), a bigot who, after offending everyone around him in a bar, finds himself persecuted in Nazi-occupied France in WWII, a black man in 1950s Alabama, and a Vietcon in the Vietnam war. Unfortunately, this segment became infamous after an on-set accident claimed three lives. The second story, "Kick the Can," stars Scatman Crothers as Mr. Bloom, a new resident of a retirement home who brings the joy and confusion of childhood back to his fellow residents. The third story, "It's a Good Life" follows young teacher Helen Foley (Kathleen Quinlan) who gets lost on a road trip and ends up backing into a little boy named Anthony. She volunteers to take him home where she meets his family, including Uncle Walt (Kevin McCarthy) and Ethel (Nancy Cartwright), but finds it more difficult to leave afterwards. The fourth story is a remake of one of the most famous or the original Twilight Zone episodes, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet!" This time starring John Lithgow as the terrified passenger, along with Donna Dixon and Carol Serling (wife of Rod Serling), someone is back on the wing of the plane! But this segment ends with another appearance from Aykroyd's character as well. Plus, the trio reveal which two Star Trek films are included in their next pairing!