How Rod Serling Examined Death Through the Twilight Zone

The very name The Twilight Zone conjures up imagery of the great beyond and what happens when we leave our familiar plane of existence.

Some of the most touching episodes of Rod Serling's television anthology series dealt with how we pass away, what may happen later and things nobody could have expected. Philosophers, religious leaders and intellectuals have pondered the question of our physical death. Through these episodes, our imagination is stimulated and our emotions touched.

Nothing In The Dark

One of the most poetic explorations on the fear of dying ever made for television.

A reclusive old woman (Wanda Dunn), hidden away in a basement apartment timidly exits upon hearing gunshots. She finds a young police officer (Robert Redford) severely wounded. Despite her fear, she drags him inside, but unless he gets medical attention, he'll die. She tells him she's hidden herself away from Death - death actually assumes human form, then preys on unsuspecting people to touch and kill them.

The two actors are top notch, with a young Robert Redford clearly showing here why he'd later attain superstar status as an American film icon and later a respected indepent film supporter by creating the Sundance Film Festival. When the end comes, it's a gentle, uplifting moment, which stays with us long after fade out.

A Nice Place To Visit

A cheap crook is killed while committing a crime. The afterlife he lands in isn't what he expects, when a portly man dressed entirely in white caters to the recently deceased's every whim. Soon, the glamour, goodies and gifts wear thin and the crook gets bored.

The notions of heaven and hell are locked up not only into organized religions, but also in our own deepest desires and fears. Some of us hope we'll be treated to a chorus of angels amidst a willowy landscape of clouds or be cast into a pit of flame to endure a tortuous eternity of pain. Whatever your viws on heaven and hell, this episode nicely explores the concept. It's also incredibly funny throughout.

Long Distance Call

The deceased grandmother of a boy calls him on a toy telephone.