"The Twilight Zone" The Howling Man (1960)

Director:

Douglas Heyes

Writers:

Charles Beaumont (writer)
Rod Serling (creator)

TV Series:

"The Twilight Zone" (1959)

Original Air Date:

4 November 1960 (Season 2, Episode 5)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

A traveler seeking refuge from a storm comes upon a bizarre hermitage of monks, who have imprisoned a man who begs for his help...

Plot Keywords:

Monk | Devil | Hermitage | Based On Short Story | Belief

US TV Schedule:

Thur. Dec. 31

8:08 PM

SYFY

The Howling Man

#2.5

Cast

John Carradine	...	Brother Jerome
H.M. Wynant	...	David Ellington
Robin Hughes	...	Howling Man
Friedrich von Ledebur	...	Brother Christophorus (as Frederic Ledebur)
Ezelle Poule	...	Housekeeper

Runtime:

25 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Cayuga Productions

Trivia:

Charles Beaumont had originally envisioned that the monks would keep the Devil imprisoned by putting a cross in front of his cell door. Fearful of a backlash in the religious community, the producers substituted the "staff of truth," over Beaumont's objections.

Goofs:

Plot holes: The main events being told in the story take place in what is implied to be the early 1920s, with the "present day" events from which the story is being told either the late 50s or early 60s. This would mean the main character should have aged 35-40 years or so - but he doesn't appear to have aged at all.

Quotes:

David Ellington: Honest men make unconvincing liars!

Put Away That Key

Atmospheric entry, helped along by spooky sets, excellent cast (except for woman in final scene who is much too obvious), and especially by director Heyes' effective use of off-angle camera shots. These convey sense of unnatural happenings in a world temporarily off-balance which heightens the show's theme. Then too, there's the 'coming out' march through the castle's hallway that is very well done by special effects, and unusual for TV fare of that day. I especially like the tall, fearsome-looking Frederic Ledebur, who lends the right physical presence to this unconventional monastery. And, for once, John Carradine's natural propensity to 'ham it up' is also used to good effect. However, the script's theology seems a little shaky. Humans would appear to be responsible for our many wars, not Satan, and therefore wars should not be lumped into the same logical category as natural disasters. But then, this is a mere quibble with an episode that's in many ways, among the series' most memorable.