"The Twilight Zone" Nothing in the Dark (1962)

Director:

Lamont Johnson

Writers:

George Clayton Johnson (writer)
Rod Serling (creator)

TV Series:

"The Twilight Zone" (1959)

Original Air Date:

5 January 1962 (Season 3, Episode 16)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

An old woman has fought with death a thousand times and has always won. But now she finds herself afraid to let a wounded policeman in her door for fear he is Mr. Death. Is he?

Plot Keywords:

Death | Fear | Old Woman | Condemned Building | Reflection

Cast

Gladys Cooper	...	Wanda Dunn
Robert Redford	...	Harold Beldon
R.G. Armstrong	...	Contractor

Runtime:

25 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Cayuga Productions

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Twilight Zone: Rendezvous in a Dark Place (#3.26)" (1989)

Afraid of the Unknown

The old Ms. Wanda Dunn (Gladys Cooper) had survived many times against death along her long life. Now she is afraid of Mr. Death, and does not open the door of her room in an old building for anyone who knocks the door. When the police officer Harold Beldon (Robert Redford) is shot in her front door, the reluctant woman opens it and lets him in. She helps Harold and she tells him about her fear of Mr. Death and that her time was coming, therefore she could see him. When a contractor (R.G. Armstrong) comes to demolish the building, he explains the "old gives space for the new" to her and she finds that her new journey has begun.

This beautiful tale is among my favorite episodes of "The Twilight Zone". The heartbreak story about the fear of the unknown is magnificently performed like a play on the stage by the awesome Gladys Cooper; Robert Redford in the beginning of his career and R.G. Armstrong. I believe this unforgettable tale shakes with every mature person, and there are many fantastic lines, like for example, "better living in the dark than not living at all" or "old gives space for the new". My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "Nada na Escuridão" ("Nothing in the Darkness")