Miranda Corey
RC1-WL
Research Paper
5-9-2011
Recurrence of Psychological Themes in
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone, an American Television anthology, by Rod Serling, introduced America to abstract science fiction through a variety of thriller techniques that always seems to leave its viewers suspended between reality and fiction. The original series of The Twilight Zone first aired in 1959; the show is a mixture of science fiction, suspense, fear, and fantasy. Rod Serling’s highly successful drama anthology that reaches deep into the audience psychics repeatedly uses psychological thriller genre with the unique technique of using endings with an unexpected twist (Grams 3). Evidence of the techniques will be traced in four of the episodes; “Walking Distance”, aired October 30, 1959; “The Hitch-hiker”, aired January 22, 1960; “The After Hours”, aired June 10, 1960; and “Nightmare as a Child”, aired April 29, 1960. Historical successes of The Twilight Zone will emphasis Rod Serling’s lasting impact on science fiction. An introduction to basic psychology terminology will verify the powerful impact of Rod Serling’s masterpieces.
The Twilight Zone anthology, in its short television run of five years from 1959 – 1964, aired 156 episodes. Television was still a new media when The Twilight Zone first debut.
Historically television’s first shows were numerous comedies, westerns, and cop shows (Zicree 1). Rod introduced a new style that explores people’s psyche. Rod Serling is one of the first creators of a television anthology that masters a combination of science fiction and psychological thrillers, and sets the stage for future such genres. The show focused on ordinary people who end up in unusual supernatural situations and the stories typically end with an unexpected twist. Most famous to his show is the signature opening:
There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we “The Twilight Zone” (Zicree 31).
Rod Serling famous anthology, The Twilight Zone, is still known today. The show quickly became extremely popular, with a weekly average eighteen million viewers, and is still in syndication to this day (Zicree 1). The Twilight Zone had two revival showings. The first revival was75 episodes from 1985-1989 and the second revival was 44 episodes from 1985-1989.
With suspense, horror, and fantasy, he was a master of triggering psychological fear and anxiety through The Twilight Zone anthology. Huffman defines psychology as “the scientific study of behavior and mental processes” (G10). Studies have confirmed most of humans likes, dislikes, prejudices, and fears are conditional emotional responses (207). Fear is defined as “a feeling of anxiety and agitation caused by the presence or nearness of danger, evil, pain, etc.; timidity; dread; terror; fright; apprehension” (Webster.com). In other words, certain events that
create fear in the past can bring back the fear factor when experiencing a similar event. New fears may be created as well through a horror or suspense story. Producers use the understanding that fear is a conditional emotional response, therefore use media to trigger or create fears in its viewers. Rod Serling leaves his audience in the in-between-world of fear and reality. President Franklin D. Roosevelt is famous for the statement “that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself” (Gardner 5). Serling continues to build fear and confusion throughout an episode. Yet fear can be a constructive emotion. If people worry about a risk they will pay more attention to it and avoid the risk or take action to prevent the risk. Some of Rod Serling’s episodes have the characters finally face their fears or surrender to the fears, which release them from the bonds of the fear.
Psychological thriller genre is a combination of using psychology of the mind with suspense techniques used in thriller plots. Psychology emphasizes elements of the mind that are mental, not physical in nature. Typically, thriller genres focus on the plot and the characters physical strength that conquers the psyche issues they are facing. Psychological thriller emphasizes the characters psyche just as much or more than the plot (Grams 10). Rod Sterling creates suspense through a solitary character battling their own mental conflict, or through two or more characters picking on each other’s minds. There are many themes Sterling uses to frame the psychological thrillers.
Most psychological thrillers have common themes. In The Twilight Zone, Serling uses reality, perception, mind, and identity themes. Reality is when the character tries to identify what is true and what is not. Perception is the characters interpretation of the world through their senses. The mind theme is the character debating with them self; trying to use understanding, reasoning, intelligence, and memory to make sense of their world. Identity theme centers on the character trying to define one’s self. Characters often are confused about or doubt who they are and try to discover their true identity. Rod Serling often has the characters trying to discover their true identity. Further investigation also finds Serling uses many psychological triggers that enhance the fear factor in his psychological thrillers.
One psychological trigger Rod Serling uses is sensory memory. Sensory memory is the first stage of memory “everything we see, hear, touch, taste, and smell first enters our sensory memory” (Huffman 247). Information remains in sensory memory long enough to locate relevant bits of information and transform them to the next stage of memory. The five senses are the physiological methods of perception and scientific study of sense crosses over in the philosophy of perception (Grams 44). Stimulating senses will often trigger memories associated around the events. The Twilight Zone technique of repeating music, images, and references to other senses triggers memories throughout the episodes, which heightens the anticipation of what is to come in the plot. The same music, audio, and visual introduction to each episode is equally effective in triggering the memory of its viewers and wets their appetite of anticipation for the story.
Repeated questioning through a variety of methods of narration is another clever technique Rod Serling uses to trigger fear and anticipation from the viewer. Some episodes even repeat the same question over and over again. At times the main character is the narrator in first person and repeatedly is asking themselves questions of their surroundings. At times, other characters are a first-person narrator who are directly involved in the story line and frequently question the main character. Viewers often can relate and become involved with the first-person narration, especially when Rod Serling’s characters depict ordinary people in everyday life (Grams 35). The final narrator technique is the use of the same male narrator in each episode that guides the audience to the final twist in the end of the story and leaves everyone pondering the potential reality of the story.
Using endings with an unexpected twist is the most dominate consistent technique Rod Serling used. An unexpected twist usually occurs near the end of a story that causes its audience to revaluate the narrative and characters in the story. “An unexpected twist, or analepsis, is a sudden, vivid reversion to a past event. It is used to surprise the reader with previously unknown information that provides the answer to a mystery, places a character in a different light, or reveals the reason for a previously inexplicable action” (Grams 23). Every story in The Twilight Zone ends with unexpected twist. Part of the thrill of watching the episodes are to see if the viewer can guess the final twist.
In the episode “Walking Distance”, while on a country drive, frustrated, over worked, thirty six years old Martin Sloan stops to fill up his car and realizes he is near his hometown, Homewood. Martin leaves his car at the gas station and walks to his home town that he hasn’t visited in nearly twenty years. As soon as Martin enters his home town he feels happy and the stresses in his life are just a vague memory. Oddly enough, Martin finds that things are exactly the same as they were in the past. Soon he realizes that he has somehow gone back in time. Martin tries to talk to his parents but they are convinced that he is just some lunatic. After being unsuccessful with convincing his parents who he is, Martin tries to catch up with himself as a child; he wants to tell his young self to savor his youth. The young Martin falls off a merry-go-round and hurts his leg. Martin father approaches him and tells Martin that he now realizes that Martin is in fact his son, who has somehow come back in time. He tells Martin that he needs to leave here, “There’s no room, there’s no place” (Zicree 43). He goes on to tell Martin that there is only one summer to every customer and he had his and the little Martin that belongs there deserves his summer, “Don’t make him share it” (Zicree 44). When Martin returns to the present he finds himself back at the gas station, but now with a limp he inherited from his revisiting his childhood.
The main psychological theme played out in this episode, is the use of senses to trigger memories, “A longing for the past fills this episode, and that longing is communicated more through words than action” ( Zicree 43). Sensory memories that trigger Martin’s childhood are familiar sights and sounds of the neighborhood, the taste of the three scope ice cream soda from the soda shop, sounds of the bike bell, children playing in the park and the merry-go-round. Martin starts to sense that something is off with the time period. When he sees himself in the park and confronts his parents at their home he realizes that he has crossed back in time. The main narrator reveals to the viewer Martin’s psyche confusion as he journeys back in time. Even Martin expresses the many childhood sound, sights and smells brings him back to the happiness of his youth. The twist at the end of the episode is that he now has a limp as an adult that was a result of his fall off the merry go round due his recent visit to his past. Martin realizes that you only get one chance at life and you really cannot go back.
In the episode “The Hitch-Hiker” twenty seven year old Nan Adams is driving cross country to Los Angles from Manhattan. Nan is in a car accident on a highway in Pennsylvania, while she is on her way. After her accident, Nan repeatedly sees the same ominous hitch-hiker. Frighten by the thought that this hitch hiker is following her Nan tries to run him over. The sailor, to whom Nan is giving a ride to, tells her that there is no hitch hiker on the road. Looking for comfort Nan calls home and learns that her mother has suffered a nervous breakdown following the death of her daughter who was in an automobile accident in Pennsylvania, this happens to be Nan. Stunned, Nan returns to her car where the hitch-hiker awaits, Nan now understands his identity and purpose.
This is the second appearance of “death” in The Twilight Zone. This episode was based off of the radio play “The Hitch Hiker” by Lucille Fletcher. “The extreme nervousness of Nan, when coupled with the deadpan calm of the hitch hiker makes a great deal of tension” (Zicree 64). The tension is built up with many shots, of which the face of the hitch hiker unexpectedly comes into view. The Psychological thriller techniques in this episode are the perception of the mind of the main character, Nan, the building of fear, and constant questioning of her reality. Nan believes she still is living in the real world after her accident but continues to see the hitch hiker that no one can see. The narration in the story is Nan and the main male narrator that ties it all together. Nan often dialogues to herself about her confusion. Fear builds in this episode as she realizes the hitch hiker is always there despite her flight efforts. Her facial shock and expressions increase as the plot unfolds. She continues to question other character of the possibility of hitch hiker being in that area or how someone could constantly be ahead of her and on the same road as she is. The eerie music intensifies as Nan nears the realization that she may not be of this world. The twist at the end Nan realizes that she had dies in the car accident and that destination is unknown. She lets go of her fears and submits into the unknown.
In the episode “The After Hours” the main character Marsha White buys a gold thimble as a gift for her mother. She discovers the thimble she bought is scratched and goes to customer service to complain. Repeatedly the clerk tries to inform Marsha that the floor she bought the thimble on does not exist. Marsha then tries to point out the sales woman who helped her and is horrified to find out that woman is a mannequin. After falling asleep, Marsha eventually awakens to find that she is alone in the store. As she wonders through the dark store, Marsha hears voices speaking to her; she backs into the elevator and ends up on the floor that she bought the thimble on. One by one the mannequins come to life; they slowly help Marsha remember that she too is a mannequin.
“The After Hours” episode uses fear, repeated questioning, and identity confusion to build the psychology thriller. Marsha’s fear builds through increased facial expressions throughout the episode, often accompanied with scary music. Eventually Marsha finds herself back on the ninth floor and surrounded with “alive” mannequins. The mannequins use the constant questioning to help Marsha realize her true identity is a mannequin. The use of questioning the mind and discovering one’s identity is revealed through using several characters. Clever scenes that add to the effects of confusion in this episode that questions Marsha’s reality are the use of an elevator that only Marsha seems to find and the elevator man taking her to an empty ninth floor to shop, a floor that does not exist. Again, identity confusion and facing the truth at the end leaves a powerful thriller effect.
The episode “Nightmare as a Child” coming home from work Helen Foley meets a strange little girl with the nickname Markie, who is sitting on the stairs outside of Helens’ apartment. Helen invites the little girl in for a cup of hot chocolate and finds that the little girl seems to know everything about her:
“Month of November, hot chocolate, and a small cameo of a child’s face, imperfect only in it solemnity. And these are improbable ingredients to a human emotion, an emotion, say, like-fear. But in a moment this woman, Helen Foley, will realize fear. She will understand what are the properties of terror. A little girl will lead her by the hand and walk with her into a nightmare” (Serling).
Markie is insistent on jogging Helens memory about a vaguely familiar looking man that she saw earlier that day. Helen doesn’t seem to care until he arrives at Helen’s apartment. Markie warns Helen about the man before running out the back door. The man’s’ name is Peter Selden; he had worked with Helen’s mother when Helen was a small child. The man brings up her mother’s murder, an event that Helen witnessed but had blocked out of her conscious mind. As the man was about to leave when Helen mentions the little girl Markie, Peter then informs Helen that Markie was her nickname when she was a child. Peter shows Helen a photo of her as a child, it is then revealed that the little girl and Helen are one and the same! After Peter leaves, Markie returns and she is there for a reason, to force Helen to remember her mother’s murder. Peter returns and reveals to Helen that he has been keeping an eye on her. He confesses to killing Helen’s mother and knew that someday Helen would remember. Peter is there to kill the one and only witness to his crime. Helen survives the attack thanks to the intervention of Markie who was the part of Helen that did remember the murder.
The “Nightmare as a Child” uses several sensory memory techniques and repeated questions to trigger the lost memories of Helen. First, through sight, Helen is seeing herself as a child again through the girl on the stairs. She does not recognize her but something innate causes to wonder about the girl. Through sound Helen hears the girl singing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” several times. This also triggers suppressed childhood memories. The little girl, Markie, repeatedly asks Helen questions such as, “Don’t you know?” and “Don’t you remember?” This plays into the deep psyche of the long term memory in Helen. Markie has detailed knowledge about Helen’s habits that builds fear and tension in Helen. Several mind games are played out, such as the cup of hot chocolate is full even though Helen saw Markie finish the drink. Seeing herself in a child she does not recognize, the child’s detailed knowledge of Helens habits, and the constant questioning from the child of Helens identity slowly opens Helens memory and allows her to prevent her death at the hands of her mother’s killer. This is a great dramatic psychological thriller. The unexpected twist at the end of the episode is well expressed in the quote:
“Miss Helen Foley, who has lived in night and who will wake to morning. Miss Helen Foley, who took a dark spot from the tapestry of her life and rubbed it clean-then stepped back a few paces and got a good look at The Twilight Zone” (Serling).
Rod Serling developed a unique style of science fiction for television that drove deep into the subconscious of the American audience and left them questioning the boundaries of reality. His masterpieces have proven the test of time and are still popular today. Sterling’s unique stamp of success is using psychological thriller genre and endings with an unexpected twist. The use of ordinary people going about their daily routine while facing identity crisis allows the audience to relate to the story. The use of sensory memory techniques, repeated questioning of what is happening, and debating with their psyche, all help build fear while the main character tries to grasp what is their identity. Every ending ends with a twist that leaves the audience with hanging questions and anxious to see another episode.