Twilight Zone: The Movie

Twilight Zone: The Movie
Theatrical release poster by John Alvin
Directed by
Screenplay by
Story by
  • John Landis
  • George Clayton Johnson
  • Jerome Bixby
  • Richard Matheson
Based onThe Twilight Zone
by Rod Serling
Produced by
  • Steven Spielberg
  • John Landis
Starring
Narrated by
Cinematography
Edited by
Music byJerry Goldsmith
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • June 24, 1983 (1983-06-24)
Running time
101 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
Languages
  • English
  • French
  • German
  • Vietnamese
Budget$10 million
Box office$42 million[2]

Twilight Zone: The Movie is a 1983 American sci-fi horror anthology film produced by Steven Spielberg and John Landis. Based on Rod Serling's 1959–1964 television series of the same name, the film features four stories directed by Landis, Spielberg, Joe Dante, and George Miller.[3] Landis' segment is an original story created for the film, while the segments by Spielberg, Dante, and Miller are remakes of episodes from the original series. The film's cast includes Dan Aykroyd, Albert Brooks, Scatman Crothers, John Lithgow, Vic Morrow, and Kathleen Quinlan. Original series cast members Burgess Meredith, Patricia Barry, Peter Brocco, Murray Matheson, Kevin McCarthy, Bill Mumy, and William Schallert also appear in the film, with Meredith assuming Serling's role as narrator.

The film's production achieved notoriety when Morrow and two illegally hired child actors were killed in a helicopter crash during the filming of Landis's segment.[4] The deaths led to several years of legal action; although no individuals were found to be criminally liable, new procedures and safety standards were imposed in the filmmaking industry.[5] Upon release, the film received mixed reviews, with praise directed at Dante and Miller's segments, but criticism towards the segments by Landis and Spielberg. Despite the controversy and mixed reception, it was a commercial success, grossing $42 million on a $10 million budget.

  1. ^ "The Twilight Zone (15)". British Board of Film Classification. July 6, 1983. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  2. ^ Klady, Leonard (June 28, 1996). "Box Office Behemoth". Daily Variety. p. S28.
  3. ^ Television Was Never the Same After 'The Twilight Zone' – Film School Rejects
  4. ^ The Twilight Zone Tragedy: How Vic Morrow's death changed the way movies are made – Slate
  5. ^ Weber, Bruce. "James F. Neal, Litigated Historic Cases, Dies at 81", The New York Times, October 22, 2010. Accessed October 23, 2010.