The Twilight Zone is one of the best TV shows of all time, and while it has many great and scary episodes, some are a must-watch thanks to how creepy they are. Many of the best sci-fi TV shows of all time, as well as the best horror shows, have a lot to thank Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone for.
Thanks to its anthology format, each episode of The Twilight Zone is a different story with a different cast, though the show had its frequent collaborators over the years. The Twilight Zone mixed sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and drama, with very rare comedic episodes, and it stood out for its plot twists and shocking endings with a moral.
Many Twilight Zone episodes are now classics, either due to their overall quality, their stories, performances, or twists. Many of them rank among the creepiest episodes of the show, and some of them are a must-watch at least once.
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
Season 5, Episode 3
A classic and widely known Twilight Zone episode is “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.” Written by Richard Matheson and directed by Richard Donner (director of The Omen, The Goonies, and many other classics), “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” follows Robert Wilson (William Shatner), who has recovered from a nervous breakdown on a plane six months earlier.
Now on a flight back home with his wife, Robert looks out the window only to see a gremlin-like creature on the wing. Robert alerts his wife and the stewardess, but the gremlin hides, making him look crazy. Robert grows more nervous and desperate when he sees the gremlin messing with the engines, fearing the plane will crash.
What makes “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” creepy is not really the gremlin itself (as the creature hasn’t aged well) but how no one believes Robert and uses his mental health history against him. The episode even makes the audience doubt Robert despite seeing the gremlin themselves, making the twist at the end even more disturbing.
The Hitch-Hiker
Season 1, Episode 16
The Twilight Zone wasted no time in showing how creepy it could get, and one of season 1’s best episodes is “The Hitch-Hiker.” Based on Lucille Fletcher’s radio play of the same name and directed by Alvin Ganzer, “The Hitch-Hiker” introduces viewers to Nan Adams (Inger Stevens), who is on a cross-country road trip.
When Nan gets a flat tire and loses control of the car, she finds a mechanic to help her fix the tire. However, she begins to see a mysterious hitch-hiker everywhere she goes, and he seems to get closer and closer every time she sees him. In classic Twilight Zone fashion, “The Hitch-Hiker” has a twist that makes this episode creepy and heartbreaking.
“The Hitch-Hiker” effectively builds suspense, making it easier for the audience to empathize with Nan’s fear as the title character gets closer and closer. This episode brilliantly uses a now-overused sci-fi trope with heartbreaking results but very fitting with the show’s tone and style.
The Dummy
Season 3, Episode 33
Something that The Twilight Zone did consistently well was bring to life many common fears. In season 3, the episode “The Dummy” used the fear of ventriloquist dummies to its benefit, resulting in one of the creepiest episodes of the show. Directed by Abner Biberman, “The Dummy” follows ventriloquist Jerry Ehterson (Cliff Robertson) and his dummy, Willy.
Jerry struggles with substance-use disorder, caused by his fear of Willy, who he claims is alive. What follows are Jerry’s attempts to get rid of Willy, and how this ends up impacting his career and mental health. While Willy itself is creepy, what makes “The Dummy” even creepier is its twist and shocking ending.
The Midnight Sun
Season 3, Episode 10
Written by Rod Serling and directed by Anton Leader, “The Midnight Sun” takes the audience to a version of the world where the Earth’s orbit suddenly changed, causing it to take a path that gradually brings it closer to the Sun. “The Midnight Sun” follows Norma (Lois Nettleton) and her landlady, Mrs. Bronson (Betty Garde).
Norma and Mrs. Bronson are the last residents in their New York apartment building, as the rest either left to the north to find a cooler climate or died as a result of the extreme heat. “The Midnight Sun” follows their desperate efforts to survive, as water usage has been limited and electricity is gradually being turned off.
“The Midnight Sun” is not only creepy thanks to its concept and how realistically it portrays it, but also for its shocking twist at the end that makes the episode even scarier and very heartbreaking. The idea of a gradual apocalypse is unsettling, but seeing all the horrors that would be unleashed among survivors is even worse.
Living Doll
Season 5, Episode 6
The fifth season of The Twilight Zone is generally considered its weakest, but it has some great episodes. Among them is “Living Doll”, directed by Richard C. Sarafian, which uses another very common fear: pediophobia, the fear of dolls. For that, “Living Doll” follows Annabelle (Mary La Roche), who has remarried to an infertile man named Erich (Telly Savalas).
Annabelle has a daughter, Christie (Tracy Stratford), and she buys her a wind-up doll named Talky Tina to comfort her. Erich, frustrated by his inability to have his own children, is very hostile and rude towards Christie. One day, when alone and winding up the doll, Talky Tina tells him she doesn’t like him, which he brushes off as a malfunction.
However, when the doll engages him in a more elaborate conversation, he tries and fails to get rid of the doll, and believes Annabelle and Christie are messing with him. “Living Doll” is scary because of the possibility of Talky Tina being alive to an extent, but also because of the horrors of Erich’s abuse towards Christie and Annabelle.
The Obsolete Man
Season 2, Episode 29
Written by Rod Serling and directed by Elliot Silverstein, “The Obsolete Man” takes the audience into a future ruled by a totalitarian government. In it, librarian Romney Wordsworth (Burgess Meredith) is deemed “obsolete”, as the state has eliminated books. Because of this, and due to his faith in God, as the state is now atheist, Romney is sentenced to death.
The Chancellor (Fritz Weaver) sentences Romney to death within 48 hours, and he gets to choose his method, time, and place of execution. Romney cleverly uses this, with “The Obsolete Man” having a satisfying yet horrifying twist that shows the horrors of a totalitarian world, which, although fictional here, is too realistic.
Eye of the Beholder
Season 2, Episode 6
A classic Twilight Zone episode that ranks high among its best is “Eye of the Beholder”, written by Rod Serling and directed by Douglas Heyes. “Eye of the Beholder” introduces viewers to Janet Tyler (Donna Douglas), a woman undergoing her eleventh cosmetic surgery, the maximum legally allowed by the State.
What Janet wants is to look normal, with the nurses and doctors describing her as a “pitiful twisted lump of flesh.” Janet’s bandages are eventually removed, much to the shock of the doctors, but even more shocking to the audience.
The twist in “Eye of the Beholder” is one of the most famous ones in The Twilight Zone, and the build-up to that moment is one of the show’s finest, making it a must-watch and an episode worth rewatching.
Night Call
Season 5, Episode 19
Another great episode from The Twilight Zone season 5 is “Night Call”, based on Richard Matheson’s short story “Long Distance Call”, also known as “Sorry, Right Number.” “Night Call” follows Elva Keene (Gladys Cooper), an elderly paraplegic woman, who is looked after during the day by her caretaker, Margaret (Nora Marlowe).
One night, Miss Keene receives a call, but she only hears static. The following night, she gets another call, and this time, she hears a man moaning. The next night, the mysterious man calls again and repeatedly says “hello”, and the following night, he says, “Hello? Where are you? I want to talk to you”, terrifying Miss Keene.