The 20 Best Twilight Zone Twist Endings (#1-#5)

The Twilight Zone is a series known for its twist endings and it's safe to say that many of the show’s most well-known episodes are at least partially recalled due to a twist in the tale. Within the show’s output are several truly memorable and effective twist endings. We’ve narrowed these down to 20 and ranked them in order of effectiveness. We will unveil them in groups of 5 over the next four days. Let us know your favorite twist ending on the series. Please note that we have not considered episode 142, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," in this list as it was not an original production of the series. 

-JP

Here's a look at our Top 5 twist endings from The Twilight Zone. Do you agree with our list? What are your favorite twist endings from the series? Let us know in the comments. 

5. “Time Enough at Last,” season one, episode 8

          Written by Rod Serling, story by Lyn Venable

The story: Henry Bemis, a bookworm who never has time to read, is granted an eternity to read once the rest of humanity is wiped out by atomic bombs.

          The twist: He breaks his glasses and is therefore                unable to read.

Note: A enduring fan favorite, “Time Enough at Last” is also one of the cruelest episodes of the entire series, and one of the few times an innocent person is so harshly punished for the sake of irony. It is the first episode based on the work of a writer other than Rod Serling, as Serling chose to adapt the story from Lyn Venable, which originally appeared in the January, 1953 issue of If: Worlds of Science Fiction.

Read our full review here.

4. “Five Characters in Search of an Exit,” season three, episode 79

          Written by Rod Serling, based on an unpublished                  story by Marvin Petal

The story: An Army Major, a ballet dancer, a clown, a bagpiper, and a hobo find themselves trapped within an empty cylindrical room.

The twist: They are toys, trapped in a Christmas donation can.

Note: An engaging mix of existentialism and suspense, the episode is based on an unpublished story, “The Depository,” by journalist Marvin Petal. Exceptional character design and powerful performances from William Windom as the Army Major and Murray Matheson as the clown highlight the events leading to one of the more memorable twist endings of the series.

Read our full review here.

3. “Eye of the Beholder,” season two, episode 42

          Written by Rod Serling

The story: A woman attempts to alter her appearance in order to fit into a society which demands conformity.

The twist: The woman is beautiful and exists in a society populated by grotesque people.

Note: One of the most memorable episodes of the series due in large part to its shocking climax, Rod Serling’s statement on the dangers of conformity features unforgettable makeup by William Tuttle, innovative production design, and the visual magic of director Douglas Heyes and photographer George T. Clemens, who were tasked with keeping the faces of every player obscured or hidden in shadow. It is easy to underestimate the innovative artistry of the episode, as it appeared at a time when few television series were taking such creative risks. A unqualified triumph all around for Rod Serling’s series.

Read our full review here.

2. “The Invaders,” season two, episode 51

         Written by Richard Matheson

The story: A poor woman in an isolated farmhouse is terrorized by miniature invaders.

The twist: The small invaders are from Earth and the woman is of a giant alien race.

Note: “The Invaders” features Richard Matheson’s most shocking twist ending, and Matheson was a master of twist endings. The episode once again displays the mastery of director Douglas Heyes and also boasts an astonishing performance by veteran actress Agnes Moorehead, as well as an exceptional score by Jerry Goldsmith which would be reused in several subsequent episodes. The episode is almost entirely silent and features a story motif, that of an isolated individual terrorized by a small invader, which would reappear in other works from Matheson, most memorably in the third and final segment of the 1975 horror anthology film, Trilogy of Terror. The segment, “Amelia,” features Karen Black as a woman terrorized by a killer Zuni fetish doll.

Read our full review here.

1.  “To Serve Man,” season three, episode 89

          Written by Rod Serling, story by Damon Knight

The story: Kanamits, a superior alien race, arrive on Earth promising to bring peace and prosperity to all human beings.

The twist: The Kanamits are bringing people to their home planet in order to eat them.

Note: The episode features the most ghoulish, horrifying, and humorous twist ending of the series, and is a shocker which has likely been parodied more than another other episode of the series. The devastating climactic line, “It’s a cookbook!” is known even to those who have never seen the episode. The story is the most well-known work of science fiction author, critic, and editor Damon Knight, due in no small part to its memorable adaptation on The Twilight Zone. The story was originally published in the November, 1950 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction and won a Retro Hugo Award in 2001 for the best science fiction story published in 1950. For the November 4-10, 2013 issue of TV Guide Magazine, Matt Roush, in the article "Eyes on Surprise! The 60 Most Startling Twists of All Time," selected "To Serve Man" as the greatest television twist ending of all time. 

Look for our full review of “To Serve Man” later today. 

The 20 Best Twilight Zone Twist Endings (#6-#10)

The Twilight Zone is a series known for its twist endings and it's safe to say that many of the show’s most well-known episodes are at least partially recalled due to a twist in the tale. Within the show’s output are several truly memorable and effective twist endings. We’ve narrowed these down to 20 and ranked them in order of effectiveness. We will unveil them in groups of 5 over the next four days. Let us know your favorite twist ending on the series. Please note that we have not considered episode 142, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," in this list as it was not an original production of the series. 

-JP

Here’s a look at #s 10-6.

10. “The Dummy,” season three, episode 98

          Written by Rod Serling, based on an unpublished                  story by Lee Polk

The story: Jerry, a ventriloquist, is convinced his dummy, Willy, is alive and trying to kill him.

The twist: The dummy is alive and facilitates a switch, wherein Willy is alive in the flesh and Jerry is a wooden dummy.

Note: Hardly an original take on a theme, “The Dummy” excels due to the weird nature of the treatment and in an exceptional performance from Cliff Robertson. The most obvious influence is the fifth and final segment from the 1945 horror anthology film Dead of Night, which features Michael Redgrave as a ventriloquist who is taken over by his dummy. Or is he? In this prior treatment of the theme, the nature of the switch is left ambiguous, whereas Serling and company decide on a memorable final reveal of a physically grotesque nature.

Read our review of Dead of Night (1945) here. 

9. “Third from the Sun,” season one, episode 14

          Written by Rod Serling, story by Richard Matheson

The story: On the eve of war, two families make an escape off-planet in an experimental spacecraft.

The twist: The family is escaping to Earth.

Note: The episode is based on the second professionally published short story from Richard Matheson, which originally appeared in the October, 1950 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction. The short story functions merely for the snap at the end and though it is effective, Serling’s adaptation is masterful. The cast is exceptional, particularly Fritz Weaver and Edward Andrews, both making the first of two appearances on the series. It remains one of the most suspenseful and tension filled episodes of the entire series.

Read our full review here. 

8. “I Shot an Arrow into the Air,” season one, episode 15

Written by Rod Serling, based on an unpublished  story by Madelon Champion

The story: When a mission to space strands a group of astronauts on what they believe to be an asteroid, a ruthless member of their company murders his companions in an attempt to horde the meager resources for himself.

The twist: The spacecraft never left the planet and crash landed back on Earth.

Note: Though the episode does not offer much in the way of logic, it does possess a twist ending so effective that Rod Serling used it again when crafting the first draft screenplay for the 1968 film, Planet of the Apes.

Read our full review here. 

7. “The Midnight Sun,” season three, episode 75

          Written by Rod Serling

The story: Two women try to survive as panic spreads across the globe. The Earth has suddenly beguns to move closer to the sun, causing unsustainable levels of heat.

The twist: The entire experience was a product of the young woman’s fever dream. The Earth is actually moving away from the sun, creating unsustainable levels of cold.

Note: Though viewers will recognize the machinations of Rod Serling’s twist ending for “The Midnight Sun” from previous episodes such as “Where is Everybody?” and “King Nine Will Not Return,” it remains a highly engaging episode with a neat shocker of an ending. The added power of the twist is that the young man, wonderfully portrayed by Lois Nettleton, is so thankful to be free of the heat-induced nightmare, not yet realizing that the darkness and cold she currently enjoys will soon engulf her and everyone else into the icy folds of death.

Read our full review here. 

6. “The Silence,” season two, episode 61

          Written by Rod Serling

The story: Archie Taylor, a longtime member of a gentleman’s club, challenges a younger man of the club, who talks too much, to remain silent for one year for $500,000.

The twist: The younger man remains silent for a year but Taylor cannot pay. The young man then reveals that he has severed his vocal chords in order to remain silent.

Note: Although nominally based on Anton Chekhov’s short story, “The Bet,” the vicious twist ending was an invention of Rod Serling. This episode is often noted as one of the few in the series to be devoid of any supernatural or science fictional elements.

Read our full review here.

The 20 Best Twilight Zone Twist Endings (#11-#15)

The Twilight Zone is a series known for its twist endings and it's safe to say that many of the show’s most well-known episodes are at least partially recalled due to a twist in the tale. Within the show’s output are several truly memorable and effective twist endings. We’ve narrowed these down to 20 and ranked them in order of effectiveness. We will unveil them in groups of 5 over the next four days. Let us know your favorite twist ending on the series. Please note that we have not considered episode 142, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," in this list as it was not an original production of the series.  

-JP

Here’s a look at #s 15-11.

15. “Escape Clause,” season one, episode 6

          Written by Rod Serling

The story: Hypochondriac Walter Bedeker makes a deal with the Devil that he will live forever and be impervious to harm in exchange for his soul.

The twist: After the accidental death of his wife, Bedeker pleads guilty to murder in the hope of experiencing the thrill of the electric chair. His attorney gets him “off” with life in prison.

Note: “Escape Clause” is truly an episode which functions solely for its snap ending, which is a good one. The episode has little to recommend it beyond the twist ending, as it is highly derivative and staged in the most pedestrian manner.

          Read our full review here. 

14.  “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street,” season one, episode 22

          Written by Rod Serling

The story: Neighbors on a quiet street turn upon one another in an ugly display of paranoid persecution when the electricity fails and their machines inexplicably break down.

The twist: Alien invaders have found that a unique way to conquer mankind is to take away their machines and cast them into darkness.

Note: Although the twist ending is a memorable one, it is not technically a twist ending at all, when one considers that the boy was correct in telling the adults that aliens had landed and were interfering with their homes. One wonders whether the episode had been even more effective if no cause for the interference were revealed. As it is, the science fictional ending placed on Serling’s devastating comment on the hidden ugliness of mankind seems forced and unnecessary.

Read our full review here.

13. “The Hitch-Hiker,” season one, episode 16

         Written by Rod Serling, based on the radio play by              Lucille Fletcher

The story: A young woman is pursued by a hitchhiker after getting into an accident on the highway.

The twist: The young woman did not survive the accident and the hitchhiker is there to shepherd her into the afterlife.

Note: Serling changed little in adapting Lucille Fletcher’s famous radio play to the series besides the gender of the main character. Fletcher’s radio play was originally written for Orson Welles. Though Fletcher’s story was not the first to utilize the trope that the main character is in actuality dead, it is a twist which has been utilized endlessly since. Notable examples include the 1962 film Carnival of Souls, William F. Nolan’s 1967 story “The Party,” and the 1999 film The Sixth Sense.

Read our full review here.

12. “Where is Everybody?” season one, episode 1

          Written by Rod Serling

The story: A young man with amnesia finds himself in a seemingly deserted town but cannot escape the feeling of being watched.

The twist: The man’s experience of the town is an hallucination brought about by isolation within a solitary chamber designed to emulate a trip through space.

Note: The story that sold the series remains an engaging and exceptionally staged psychological horror story. Earl Holliman turns in a great performance as the young man and the twist ending, however unbelievable, grounds the happenings in a realistic setting, something thought necessary to sell the series to the network executives and the corporate sponsors.

Read our full review here. 

11. “People Are Alike All Over,” season one, episode 25

Written by Rod Serling, story by Paul W. Fairman

The story: An astronaut named Conrad, the survivor of a crash landing on Mars, is treated kindly by the seemingly civilized inhabitants of the red planet.

The twist: Conrad is housed in a disguised prison, to be displayed as an animal in a zoo.

Note: Another episode which functions solely for its twist ending, “People Are Alike All Over” has some other interesting aspects, most notably the unabashedly science fictional production design. Roddy McDowall is also enjoyable in his only appearance on the series. The episode is based on Paul W. Fairman’s short story, “Brothers Beyond the Void,” originally published in the March, 1952 issue of Fantastic Adventures.

Read our full review here. 

The 20 Best Twilight Zone Twist Endings (#16-#20)

The Twilight Zone is a series known for its twist endings and it's safe to say that many of the show’s most well-known episodes are at least partially recalled due to a twist in the tale. Within the show’s output are several truly memorable and effective twist endings. We’ve narrowed these down to 20 and ranked them in order of effectiveness. We will unveil them in groups of 5 over the next four days. Let us know your favorite twist ending on the series. Please note that we have not considered episode 142, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," in this list as it was not an original production of the series. 

-JP 

Here’s a look at #s 20-16.

20. “Four O’Clock,” season three, episode 94

          Written by Rod Serling, story by Price Day

The story: Oliver Crangle wants to shrink all the “unfit” people of society down to two feet tall.

          The twist: Crangle shrinks to only two feet tall.

Note: Price Day’s short story of a man who seeks revenge on those in society he deems unfit has one of the more memorable, albeit predictable, twist endings of any in the series, punctuated by a great final line. What makes the story interesting is the subtle and ambiguous use of fantasy. Does Crangle’s extraordinary power merely come from concentration? Day’s short story was originally published in the April, 1958 issue of Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and has been reprinted several times since. Austrian actor Theodore Bikel is the main draw of the story’s otherwise lackluster adaptation on The Twilight Zone.

19. “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” season two, episode 64

          Written by Rod Serling

The story: A reported U.F.O. has two state troopers sifting through the patrons of a diner looking for an alien invader hiding among them.

The twist: There are two alien invaders, as the counterman at the diner reveals himself to be an alien as well.

Note: Director Montgomery Pittman’s debut on the series is a wild crowd pleaser which has a double twist, one expected, the other pleasingly over-the-top. Rod Serling’s script has perhaps the best collection of characters of any in the series. These characters are brought to life by a talented cast and the isolated, snowy atmosphere is a plus.

Read our full review here.   

 18. “Person or Persons Unknown,” season three, episode 92

Written by Charles Beaumont

          The story: David Gurney wakes up to find that no one remembers him.

The twist: Gurney awakens again to find that he doesn’t recognize his wife.

Note: The twist in this episode has perhaps proved too subtle to stand out in the minds of many viewers but it remains a cleverly crafted nightmare of an episode, and one which perfectly encapsulates writer Charles Beaumont’s exploration of dreams and dreaming on the series. The episode forms an effective coda to a subject previously explored by Beaumont in “Perchance to Dream” and “Shadow Play.” 

17. “Nick of Time,” season two, episode 43

Written by Richard Matheson

The story: Don and Pat Carter escape the superstitious hold of a fortune telling machine in a small town diner.

The twist: As the Carters make their escape, another couple is revealed to be in the depths of superstitious imprisonment.

Note: One of the more masterful episodes of the series contains a fine twist ending as well. The episode displays the strong qualities of writer Richard Matheson’s craft: engaging characters in a recognizable setting, a highly innovative treatment of fantasy, and a devastating final sequence. Additionally, Matheson’s story is so subtle (in terms of fantasy) that it could be grouped with a select handful of other Zone episodes which contain no actual fantasy at all. The twist ending was a hallmark of Matheson’s short fiction output and subsequently of his output for The Twilight Zone. This will not be his only work to appear on this countdown.

Read our full review here.  

16. “Perchance to Dream,” season one, episode 9

Written by Charles Beaumont

The story: Edward Hall fears a recurring dream could kill him and unloads his problem on a sympathetic psychiatrist.

The twist: Hall dies in his sleep, the entire meeting with the psychiatrist having been a dream.

Note: An underrated episode which is perhaps the finest representation of the unique feeling of a nightmare ever displayed on the series, “Perchance to Dream” represents the apex of Charles Beaumont’s exploration of dreams and nightmares. His original short story appeared in the October, 1958 issue of Playboy and was collected in Night Ride and Other Journeys (1960). Particular attention should be paid to the impressive set design and director Robert Florey’s expressionistic visual design, realized by George T. Clemens’s excellent camera work.

Read our full review here.