Do-dooo-do-dooo Do-dooo-do-doooo --
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 in 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 call the Twilight Zone.
The immortal words of Rod Serling - and luckily for us, this reimagining is in the safe - safe
horror hands of the masterful Jordan Peele.
If you didn’t know already, the latest trailer for Peele’s adaptation of The Twilight Zone
has recently dropped - and luckily for us, it’s packed with some pretty pastiche references
- so, let’s geek out and take a look.
Hello horror fans, and welcome back to the scariest channel on YouTube - Top 5 Scary
Videos.
As per usual, I’ll be your horror host Jack Finch - as today, we curiously take a look
at the Top 5 Easter Eggs You Missed In The Twilight Zone Trailer.
Now - we’re going to jump straight into this video - but before we do, it’s important
to note that this latest trailer very clearly shows 3 reimagined classic Twilight Zone episodes
- as well as some completely unknown narratives - so, be forewarned - spoilers and speculation
lie ahead.
Kicking off at Number 5 - Nightmare at 20’000 Feet
Perhaps THE most legendary Twilight Zone episode ever released - and definitely the most referenced
in pop culture - Nightmare at 20’000 Feet was the 123rd Episode of the original series,
written by Richard Matheson and based on his short story of the same name.
It featured a man named Robert Wilson - played by the legendary William Shatner - who is
the only person on a commercial airliner that can see a terrifying monster, out on the wing.
Legit - Nightmare at 20’000 Feet was so ahead of its time - and the concept struck
on some pretty harrowing fears - mainly, what the hell do you do when there’s a Gremlin
at your window and no one believes you?
Well - guess what - it looks like we’re about to get treated to a Jordan Peele adaptation
of the same episode - seemingly starring the awesome Adam Scott in the same role as Shatner.
Although - 10 thousand feet higher, and this time, it kind of looks like things may take
a slight divergence.
In the original episode, Shatner never left the plane - and the show landed on a pretty
open-ended cliffhanger - but in this one - it seems that Adam Scott’s story takes him
to several locations.
I mean - the biggest giveaway is that the Gremlin from the original episode washes up
as a doll on a beach - seen clearly in the trailer - so I guess we’ll just have to
find out.
Boy am I excited.
Coming in at Number 4 - It’s A Good Life
And it looks like we’re set to have a pretty politically-charged social commentary episode
in Peele’s upcoming series - based around perhaps one of The Twilight Zone’s most
revered episodes, It’s A Good Life - and to be honest, I’m absolutely stoked that
this is the direction that Peele is taking - recombulating the classic themes and narratives
laid out in the original, then twisting them through his horror-mind-machine into something
completely relevant to his contemporary audience.
It’s exactly what this world needs right now - it’s a mirror held up against society
- making us do exactly what Rod Serling always intended - to question everything.
Well, the plot of It’s A Good Life featured a terrifying six-year-old boy named Anthony
Fremont who had god-like mental powers and zombified anyone who disagreed with him.
Like, an entire towns worth of people.
Who were all terrified of angering him, in case they got turned into a jack-in-the-box
and were sent to the cornfield.
No one could sing, no one could laugh - no one could dance.
Well, in Peele’s version - it seems a similar kid, now called Oliver, is running for president.
Sound familiar?
Yeah - we’re not exactly sure which direction this will take - but it’s set to be perhaps
one of the most enlightening episodes of the series.
Next up at Number 3 - In The Nick Of Time
Now - the 49th episode of the original series, titled “Nick Of Time” - was set entirely
in a diner - and there are several scenes in the trailer alluding to this same place,
although the connection is yet to be determined.
However - the Nick Of Time also features a devil-head fortune telling device known as
The Mystic Seer - and guess what, we see it rearing it’s fortune-telling head, clear
as day in the trailer.
We can speculate then that the two characters seen in the diner are related to a reimagining
of this same episode - although this time, one of them is a cop.
Jordan Peele is an incredibly important writer and director, because he is succinctly and
unequivocally a narrative voice for black people in America - and it seems that his
adaptation of this Twilight Zone episode will point toward similar societal themes.
In Nick Of Time, the episode features a newlywed couple, Don and Pat - who find a fortune telling
machine that answers yes or no questions for a penny each.
What plays out is some pretty uncanny reality-altering shenanigans - a questioning of your own moral
compass - and I’m stoked to see Peele’s own conceptual version.
Swinging in at Number 2 - The Entire Cast
Yeah - you heard me correctly.
The Entire Cast of 2019’s The Twilight Zone.
Because it’s absolutely stacked - not in the conventional way, but in the same way
that the Twilight Zone took hard working yet underappreciated actors like Shatner, highlighted
them at their best - and then, well I mean - then you get to be Captain Kirk, I guess.
I mean - just take a look at this new cast and you’ll see what I mean.
We’ve got The Walking Dead’s Steven Yeun, alongside Greg Kinnear in an episode titled
The Traveler, with Yeun taking on some kind of mystic-reality-bending tour guide.
Which looks AWESOME.
Then we’ve got Star Trek’s John Cho alongside Allison Tolman of Fargo fame - starring in
an episode titled The Wunderkind - which is anyone’s guess how that whole thing is gonna
go down, but it looks pretty insane.
And then of course, Parks and Rec’s Adam Scott in an episode titled Nightmare at 30
Thousand Feet - a spin on the classic.
Sanaa Lathan stars in the first episode, titled Rewind - and the incredible and incredibly
hilarious Kumail Nanjiani is starring in a yet to be named episode - although it has
something to do with his lost dog, that he doesn’t have.
Damn, I’m excited.
And finally - at our Number 1 spot - Jordan Peele Himself
Because, this is a point that needs to be hammered home - and the trailer seemingly
highlights this fact, as well as the exclusive teaser trailer before that.
The Twilight Zone was The Twilight Zone because of Rod Serling - a man who perhaps was a little
bit too weird for Hollywood, who didn’t quite fit in to the prescribed mould - but
he had a story to tell, an idea that resonated in the minds of young and old people across
the planet.
It was universal horror at its best - and every week, people tuned in to listen to his
dulcet tones - and watch as a horrifying story unfolded before their eyes.
Straight up - no beating around the bush - Jordan Peele is the man to fill Rod Serling’s shoes
- not because they’re particularly alike - but because he’s not trying to be.
And what this trailer highlights is exactly that.
We see Peele sat at the same diner as Sanaa Lathan in Rewind, and the glance that he gives
is the equivalent of one of Serling’s monologues.
I’m stoked to see the lengths that the show will go to utilise Peele’s role as The Narrator
- which may perhaps take it to lengths never before seen.
So far, there have been Six Incarnation’s of The Twilight Zone’s Narrator - with Serling
himself and Forest Whitaker being the only two take take the physical form - the others,
well - they were just disembodied floating voices.
If you couldn’t tell guys - I’m incredibly excited for the release of the Twilight Zone,
and it’s first two episodes - which should be hitting our screens on April 1st.
What about you guys?
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section down below - I know you will.
If you were a fan of this video, make sure to hit that thumbs up button - as well as
that subscribe bell, and we’ll be seeing you in the next one.
As per usual, I’ve been your horror host Jack Finch - you’ve been watching Top 5
Scary Videos - and until next time, you take it easy.