Six Twilight Zone episodes you didn’t realise you already know

The Twilight Zone is a classic American TV show you've probably heard so much about but may have never sat down and watched. But it's likely that you already know more about the show than you think. 

Rod Serling's seminal series was a huge hit in the '60s, a must-watch in households across the US. As such, its legacy has leaked into modern media across the world. From The Simpsons to Bridesmaids, modern works have taken inspiration from The Twilight Zone for decades, a testament to how groundbreaking the show was. 

With The Twilight Zone transferring to the West End's Ambassadors Theatre from the Almeida Theatre - the first time the show has been adapted for the stage - here are six classic episodes of the show that you might recognise from elsewhere. 

"To Serve Man"

A group of aliens land on Earth from a galaxy far, far away. Although they seem to have come in peace, they're hardly harmless. The aliens use a book titled 'To Serve Man' to help become accustomed to life on our planet and how to live here, but little do the humans know this is an entirely different type of instruction manual... 

This episode of The Twilight Zone is probably best-known for being parodied on The Simpsons' "Treehouse of Horror" Halloween specials, when the family are abducted by the shows regular extraterrestrial visitors, Kang and Kodos.

"The Eye of the Beholder"

A group of doctors unwrap the bandages of a woman who appears to have just undergone plastic surgery. As they peel the bandages back they find a beautiful woman - a job well done, it would seem. As she holds a mirror to her face, though, she can't help but scream in the horror at the face before her. 

We discover that in this world The Twilight Zone has created, beauty is not as we know it, and it's a masterfully executed trick playing on the importance we place on beauty standards in the modern world. 

While there aren't many direct references to this episode in modern media, it's certainly an iconic episode of television. 

"Terror at 20,000 Feet"

You may recognise some shots from this episode from the unlikely source of the 2011 film Bridesmaids. 

Starring William Shatner, the episode sees its central character Bob Wilson sat on a plane, mid-flight. He looks out of the window to see something threatening on the wing of the plane, but is the only passenger able to see it. Unable to decipher whether it is real or all happening inside his head, Wilson struggles to contain his panic as the prospect of a plunge from 20,000 feet looms. 

During the hilarious airplane scene in Bridesmaids, a drunken Annie (played by Kristen Wiig) looks out the window and announces to the cabin that she can see a woman on the plane, sending her fellow passengers into hysterics. A subtle but clear nod to The Twilight Zone. 

"Five Characters in Search of an Exit"

A soldier, a clown, a ballerina, a hobo, and bagpiper are trapped in a room without a ceiling, planning their escape. They aren't quite sure of who they are, why they're there or how to get out. It's not until one character manages to scrape an escape that the viewer realises who - or what - these characters really are. 

There are theories that this episode provided the inspiration for the Pixar film Toy Story. Although Toy Story grew out of a sequel developed for an earlier Pixar short titled Tin Toy, the parallels between Five Characters... and Toy Story are stark.

"It's a Good Life"

A six-year-old boy has seemingly God-given powers, and is able to read minds and perform actions simply with the power of thought. He takes these powers to the extreme, blocking television signals and stopping cars from moving: the town is under his complete control. 

Now, we're not by any means saying Roald Dahl was a fun of The Twilight Zone, we have no idea. But there are certainly some similarities between Anthony Fremont and Matilda Wormwood. Both are children with the ability to perform stupendous tricks with simply the power of their minds, but the differences come in how they use their powers. 

"Perchance to Dream"

A man is unable to sleep, for fear that he will die, owing to a serious heart condition. His overactive imagination causes him to have a series of eerie and terrifying dreams, such as a carnival dancer trying to scare him to death. He sees a therapist to get some answers, but doesn't expect what he finds out. 

This episode has strong parallels the 1984 film Nightmare on Elm Street, in which four teenagers are chased and killed in their dreams. While the threat throughout "Perchance to Dream" is quite ambiguous - and so all the more creepy - Nightmare On Elm Street's threat comes from the iconic villain Freddie Cruger. 

The title also comes from a line in Hamlet's "To be or not to be" speech: 

To die, to sleep,
To sleep, perchance to Dream; aye, there's the rub,
for in that sleep of death, what dreams may come,
when we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
must give us pause.

The Twilight Zone is at the Ambassadors Theatre from 4th March to 1st June. 

The Twilight Zone tickets are on sale now