Short Stories That Would've Made Great Twilight Zone Episodes

[BAYLOR]

I actually prefer Out of the Unknown's version of the story.

Ive seen two episodes of Out of the Unknown on YouTube , but not that particular one. From what ive read, about half the episodes of that series have gone missing over the years. The series in not available here in the US and what DVDs I can find have the region code issue.

 

[Guttersnipe]

Ive seen two episodes of Out of the Unknown on YouTube , but not that particular one. From what ive read, about half the episodes of that series have gone missing over the years. The series in not available here in the US and what DVDs I can find have the region code issue.

I feel you. I once purchased the British film Frequences, only to discover too late that it wasn't "Americanized." I'd love to see that movie again.


"Le Passe-muraille" ("The Man Who Walked Through Walls") by Marcel Aymé
"Student Body" by F.L. Wallace
"Legal Rites" by Isaac Asimov and Frederik Pohl
"None Before Me" by Sidney Carroll
"Pictures Don't Lie" by Katherine MacLean
"Crickets" by Richard Matheson

 

[Guttersnipe]

"The Seventh Victim" by Robert Sheckley

 

[Toby Frost]

Quite a lot of Clive Barker's stories from The Books of Blood would work well, although they'd have to be toned down a lot. Almost any of Daphne du Maurier's short stories would work, too. A few of the creepier Philip K Dick stories could have been good Twilight Zone episodes: "The Father-Thing", "The Mold of Yancy" and "Beyond Lies The Wub", perhaps.

Many of Roald Dahl's stories from the British programme Tales of the Unexpected would have worked on the Twilight Zone, but the two shows were doing pretty similar things so I don't think that would count.

 

[Rodders]

Alistair Reynolds's Diamond Dogs. I loved the Blood Spire and the slow loss of humanity in their obsession in trying to unlock it's secrets.

 

[Guttersnipe]

Quite a lot of Clive Barker's stories from The Books of Blood would work well, although they'd have to be toned down a lot. Almost any of Daphne du Maurier's short stories would work, too. A few of the creepier Philip K Dick stories could have been good Twilight Zone episodes: "The Father-Thing", "The Mold of Yancy" and "Beyond Lies The Wub", perhaps.

Many of Roald Dahl's stories from the British programme Tales of the Unexpected would have worked on the Twilight Zone, but the two shows were doing pretty similar things so I don't think that would count.

I think "The Blue Lenses" by Daphne du Maurier would work well. I can see a Dahl story or two, despite them mostly being realistic (granted, a small handful of TOS episodes were). I do not know much about Barker, other than his writing tending towards the macabre, which would probably best be suited for Tales from the Crypt or something of that ilk.

 

[BAYLOR]

The Jaunt by Stephen King
The Space Eaters by Frank Belknap Long
Smokie Joe By David Drake
The Hunting Ground by David Drake

 

[Guttersnipe]

Remember, the stories are supposed to be pre-1970.

 

[Guttersnipe]

I'm slightly surprised no one mentioned Henry Slesar; the man was the master of twist endings.

 

[BAYLOR]

I'm slightly surprised no one mentioned Henry Slesar; the man was the master of twist endings.

The 1986 Twilight Zone did do one of Slesar's stories Examination Day.

 

[BAYLOR]

The Plutonian Drug by Clark Ashton Smith

 

[Guttersnipe]

John Collier would've been a great contributor. I know they adapted "The Chaser," but I could imagine "Bottle Party," "Youth from Vienna," and "Green Thoughts" would fit.

 

[Randy M.]

"Smoke Ghost" by Fritz Leiber. There are others, like "The Girl with the Hungry Eyes." His post-1970 story, "Belson Express," would have fit the show, as would some of his s.f.

Randy M.

 

[BigBadBob141]

If I remember right "Belson Express" had a very grim ending!

 

[Randy M.]

It did, Bob.

 

[BAYLOR]

Shambleau by C. L. Moore

 

[BAYLOR]

"Smoke Ghost" by Fritz Leiber. There are others, like "The Girl with the Hungry Eyes." His post-1970 story, "Belson Express," would have fit the show, as would some of his s.f.

Randy M.

The Girl with the Hungry Eyes was adapted for Rod Serling tv show Night Gallery.

 

[Guttersnipe]

The Girl with the Hungry Eyes was adapted for Rod Serling tv show Night Gallery.

Does the episode differ much from the original story?

 

[BAYLOR]

Does the episode differ much from the original story?

Yes it does. And what got is not a a great adaptation.

 

[Guttersnipe]

Yes it does. And what got is not a a great adaptation.

Looks like they made it into a vampire episode...not sure if that was in the original; all I remember is that the woman was in complete control at the end.