The Episode That Scared Me: A Look Back At The 80s "TWILIGHT ZONE" Episode "The Elevator"

While sitting in the company breakroom one day while on lunch, the subject of 80s and 90s TV came up in discussion. Shows like Tales From The Crypt, Married With Children, and X-Files, were mentioned in this discussion but when I was asked what TV show I really enjoyed in the 90s, I had one specific series in mind, The Twilight Zone.

Now don’t get me wrong, Rod Serlings original series back in the 60s was jaw dropping when it came to performances and writing but we always felt that the 80s version of the show really took the scares to a new level.

After the original Twilight Zone series ended in 1964, Rod Serling sold the rights to the series to CBS, which allowed for a revival of the show by the network. As an in-house production, they stood to earn more money producing The Twilight Zone than they could by purchasing a new series produced by an outside company. Even so, the network was slow to consider a revival, shooting down offers from the original production team of Rod Serling and Buck Houghton and later from American filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola. The Twilight Zone had never been the breakaway hit CBS wanted, so they should not expect it to do better in a second run. "We were looking at the success of the original series in syndication and the enormous popularity of the Steven Spielberg films," said CBS program chief Harvey Shepard. "Many of them (such as E.T. or Poltergeist) deal with elements of the show. Perhaps the public is ready for it again."

One specific episode though, scared the daylights out of me and will always be a favorite of mine because of it. Season 1 Episode 16, The Elevator, written by Ray Bradbury. This episode isn’t gory or even all that shocking but the premise behind it is terrifying. Plus, at the age of only 6 when watching it, my imagination went haywire. The shadows, the creatures, the sounds, and the final reveal, all had me second guessing stepping in an elevator for years to come.

The episode features a performance from Stephen Geoffreys who played “Evil Ed” in Fright Night! He was great in this one as younger brother Will.

Here’s the basic plot.

Late at night, brothers Will and Roger arrive at a closed factory in search of their missing father, who is undertaking secret experiments to solve world hunger…

Instead of me trying to describe the episode for you, here, just watch it yourself and tell me what you think in the comments.

That was awesome right!?