Durham Fringe Festival Picks 2023

Durham Fringe 2023

by Ed Fortune

Only in its third year, The Durham Fringe Festival is a newcomer to the International Fringe scene. 

Running from July 26th to 30th, it’s a small but fierce festival. Based in the North East of England, it has rapidly become a very welcome addition to fringe theatre across the UK. It’s also a handy stop on many a show’s journey to Edinburgh. Let’s take a look at a handful of shows that might appeal to STARBURST readers.

 

 Frankenstein The City Theatre: 27th & 29th July 8.15pm

 Twitter: @NTCtheatre More: NTC Touring Theatre Company

The NTC Touring Theatre Company presents Frankenstein, an adaptation of the classic science-fiction novel by Mary Shelley. Using the 1818 novel as a guide, this version of the story tries to stick as close as it can to Shelley’s classic work, creating something very different to the Frankenstein you may be familiar with from film and TV.

Buckets Of Blood – Fairy Tales Not For Kids Cafédral: July 27th 8.10pm

Twitter: @StoriesAlive More: storiesalive.co.uk

Join storyteller Eden Ballantyne as we dive into the darker side of fairy tales. What was Red Riding Hood running from? What was in Cinderella’s slipper? What isn’t Disney telling you? This promises to be a Grimm and grimmer retelling of some classic stories. 

 

 Watson: The Final Problem The Assembly Rooms Theatre : 26th & 27th July, check for times. 

 Twitter: @timmarriott_ More: smokescreenprods.com

John Watson is alone; Mary is long gone, Sherlock is nowhere to be found. It is 1894, and London still seethes with crime, false reports and rumours. Tim Marriott’s performance as Watson has been described as ‘mesmerising’. This is a must for fans of the Sherlock mythos.

 This show will also be at the Edinburgh Fringe.

 

There’s a Monkion in Your Attic Klute : 29th & 30th July 6:00pm

Twitter: @HookyProductio1 More:  linktr.ee/hookyproductions

The portal has opened! The Monkions are here, and they are in every attic. Bizarre creatures from another dimension are coming, and they’re coming to make you laugh. Surreal and unique performance-based comedy.

This show will also be at the Edinburgh Fringe.

 

The Rotting Hart The City Theatre: 28th & 29th 5:45pm

Twitter: @CrestedFools More: linktr.ee/crestedfools

Queer horror inspired by the history of homophobia in Spain. A captivating look into hate and the monster that lurks in the heart of us all, with more than a touch of eerie horror for good measure.

 This show will also be at the Edinburgh Fringe.

 

Buxton Fringe Festival Picks 2023 

buxton fringe

by Ed Fortune

The Buxton Fringe has been bringing fantastic fringe theatre shows to Buxton, Derbyshire, in England, since 1980. This year’s Fringe runs from July 5th to the 23rd and is frequently used by artists as a dry run for the Edinburgh Fringe. We took a quick look at some shows that might appeal to STARBURST readers.

The Canterville Ghost: The Musical United Reformed Church Green Room Hall (55b): 22 & 23 Jul 

Twitter: @TheatreMagpie More: MagpieTheatreLiverpool

A musical version of Oscar Wilde’s classic ghost story, which inspired the movie Beetlejuice? With an original score and soundtrack? Sounds great. When a modern American family moves into an old English mansion, the resident spook determines to scare them off, but it’s not that simple.  

This show will also be at the Edinburgh Fringe.

 

Star Warts! – A New Hip St Anne’s Community Centre: 17 & 21st Jul 8pm to 9pm

Twitter: @RECYouthTheatre More: REC Youth Theatre

A theatrical re-telling of a classic late 20th-century science fiction fantasy drama? That may or may not be inspired by Hidden Fortress and tells the story of a radicalised Farm Boy who blows up a military installation? With its tongue rammed very, very far into its cheek? Sounds fun to us.

 

The Final Girl – Underground: 19, 20, 21 & 23 July – times vary

Twitter: @sweet_prods More:  @hrandrews90

Award-Winng Heather-Rose Andrews presents final girl, an exploration of horror and the women who endure them, rooted in a lifetime love of the genre. Darkly comic entertainment from the talented folk who brought us the stunning Jekyll and Hyde: A One-Woman Show

  

Edy Hurst’s Comedy Version Of … The War of The Worlds – Underground: Thurs 13th July, 7pm

Twitter: @edyhurst More: linktr.ee/edyhurst

The full title of this show is Edy Hurst’s Comedy Version Of Version Of H.G. Wells’ Literary Version (Via Orson Welles’ Radio Version And Steven Spielberg’s Film Version) Of The War Of The Worlds. 


Drag queens vs vampires

 

Drag Queens vs Vampires – Underground: 18&20 July, 9pm

Twitter: @hausofdench More: campsite.to/hausofdench

Stakes are high as the award-winning Haus of Dench return! Kate Butch and Crudi Dench jet off to Transylvania as UK finalists for the Eurovision Song Contest. Will they become stars? Something much worse? 

How will they handle their Air BnB host, a certain Mr Dracula? 

This show will also be at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Greater Manchester Fringe Festival Picks 2023

Manchester Fringe

by Ed Fortune

The English city of Manchester has a famously irrepressible arts and culture scene. The city is well known for being the place where many adventures begin, and that includes all sorts of music and theatre. Two major arts festivals run throughout July this year; the more mainstream Manchester International Festival 2023 and the inevitable response to such a thing, The Greater Manchester Fringe.

The Fringe is filled with new talent and experimental acts, many of which can be seen after work for about a tenner. Don’t forget to visit STARBURST’s favourite bar, Fab Café, for pre-show drinks beforehand.

Let’s look at some of the cult entertainment-style shows on offer in 2022.

Awkward Re-Entry – A night of weird sci-fi comedy The Fitzgerald: Fri 14th Jul – Sat 15th Jul 18:30

Instagram: @realphillipcarter More: linktr.ee/Phillipcarter

Author, comedian and poet Phillip Carter’s new show, Awkward Re-Entry, is an exploration of science fiction and how we use the genre to explore ourselves. Hear the cracking tale of Phillip’s crash landing on Earth, encounters with parallel universes, ghost crab cakes and Tin Foil Tim. Sounds like a great evening to us. 

Ahoy! Ballad of the Time Kraken The Salford Arts Theatre: Fri 28th Jul – Sat 29th Jul 19:30,14:00

Instagram: @rocket_whip More: linktr.ee/rocketwhip

From the folk who brought us “Communism: The Musical” and “Skedaddle: A Space Opera”, Rocket Whip Productions return to the Greater Manchester Fringe with our brand new comedy musical Ahoy: Ballad of the Time Kraken!, featuring time travelling pirates and music!

Foxdog Studios: Robo Bingo The Kings Arms Theatre: Mon 31st Jul 19:30

Instagram: @foxdogstudios More: foxdogstudios.com/gigs

Bingo meets tech. Join comedy IT consultants Lloyd and Pete in this interactive show (so bring your phone). Expect chaos. This show will also be at the Edinburgh Fringe. 

The Magic Bookmark The Salford Arts Centre: Sun 16th Jul 14:00

Instagram: @MamaGStories. More: linktr.ee/MamaGStories

Honestly, if you don’t love Mama G, then we don’t know what to say. The nation’s beloved Pantomime Dame and storyteller, Mama G, is back with this wholesome story about the magic of reading and the wonder of understanding as they take a family-friendly audience on a journey to discover the Magic Bookmark.

A cartoon of Panto Dame Mama G bursting out of a book

Neil Harris: CODEBREAKER The Vault @ Fierce bar: Thu 20th Jul 19:00

Twitter: @neildownstandup More: neilharrisonline.com

Join comedian Neil Harris on a journey through historical events. Join him and Helpy the Lion as he looks at the Enigma machine and how Alan Turing and Bletchley Park were able to crack it. Neil can also be found at the Edinburgh Fringe later this year.

Glad To Be Dead? Gullivers Lounge: Mon 17th Jul – Wed 19th Jul 19:00

Instagram: @mimtheatre. More: linktr.ee/mimtheatre

A journey into gothic morality and philosophy, with plenty of dark humour, Glad To Be Dead? gives voice to the dead as we hear from fictional beings, historical figures, murderers and victims in this tale of regret and social commentary.

Lucifer Speaks The Fitzgerald: Mon 24th Jul – Tue 25th Jul 19:00

Twitter: @NORTHERNPOETSSOCIETY

Spoken Word poetry from THE DEVIL HIMSELF. Probably the most Manchester and the most fringe theatre act we’ve heard of this year. 

Feast- An evening of folk horror and storytelling The Peer Hat: Tue 11th Jul 19:00

Instagram: @feastmcr. More: The Peer Hat

Feast is Manchester’s latest spoken-word folk-horror-themed event. Food-themed also, which sounds like a good idea for supper to us.

 

STARBURST Summer Gift Guide 2023

fathers day gifts

by Ed Fortune

Summer is here, and that tends to mean lots of Birthdays and special occasions. Events such as Father’s Day are a good excuse to give that special someone in your life a lovely geeky gift, though you don’t need a reason, and you don’t need to be related to someone to send them a lovely surprise. Let’s look at some of the lovely things you can spend your hard-earned cash on.

Original Stormtrooper Beer

Though not for everyone, a lot of us like a good drink. Stormtrooper Space Craft Beer is inspired by the iconic armour produced and designed by Andrew Ainsworth, and this beer from a Galaxy Far Far Away is officially licensed by his company, Shepperton Design Studios. They do a nice collection of drinks, from Galactic Pale Ale to Shadow Stout, as well as a variety of Stormtrooper helmet-themed goods. Only available in the UK.

Dungeons and Dragons Coffee

Coffee and D&D go hand in hand; if you’re pulling an all-nighter to finally defeat the Frost Maiden, you’ll probably want a lovely cup of coffee to keep you going. With names like Beholder Brew, Dragon Fire Roast Blend and Displacer Decaf, these are all fun flavours to add to the experience. Available with all the branded accessories you need so you can keep going before you take a long rest to recover your spell slots. 

 

Bruce Lee at Golden Harvest – Arrow Exclusive

Ten discs of 4K Ultra Bruce Lee action? Presented by Arrow Video, who always do superb work? In its own luxury box set with documentaries, as well as a hardback book and many photos, etc. How can you say no? This is a must-have and a very nice present for the Bruce Lee fan in your life. (Which is all of us, yes?)

 Wallace & Gromit Techno Trousers

Though aimed at kids, Build Your Own’s range of paper-based craft projects are likely to delight all ages. These ‘just complicated enough’ cardboard and paper kits required patience and a large table, and ended up with something rather fun at the end. In this case, the Techno Trousers from the Wallace and Gromit classic, the Wrong Trousers. Deeply silly, and yes, of course, it comes with its own Feathers McCraw.

Doctor Who: Serpent Crest (Tom Baker Signed Edition)

If you’re a serious collector of all things audio, you already have a collection of very special vinyl, and every big Doctor Who fan loves Tom Baker. Doctor Who: Serpent Crest brings these two things together in a rather lush collection. This full-cast audio adventure by Paul Magrs co-stars Susan Jameson as Mrs Wibbsey and Richard Franklin as Mike Yates. Featuring Tom Baker, David Troughton, Michael Jayston, Simon Shepherd, Terrence Hardiman, Joanna David, Sophie Ward, Andrew Sachs and Nerys Hughes, and original sound design accompanies the familiar Doctor Who theme from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. And some very lovely looking vinyl, sleeve covers and notes.

Star Wars: Shatterpoint

Probably the most significant table-top miniatures release this year, Star Wars Shatterpoint is a miniature skirmish game that is both fun to paint and play. It’s a larger scale than your typical minis game, and the models are from the Clone Wars era of the franchise, which means we get Ahsoka, Anakin, Darth Maul, Asajj Ventress, some clone troopers, some Mandalorians and a whole bunch of droids and scenery. It’s fast to play and easily available.

Beadle and Grim – Magic: The Gathering Platinum Edition Set

If you really, really like Magic The Gathering, take a look at Beadle and Grim’s luxury Magic the Gathering set, which contains pretty much everything you want to be inspired by Magic’s cyberpunk and sorcery Kamigwa setting. Including a backpack, card sleeves, deck boxes and setting material such as maps, art, plushies and a demon mask necklace.

Scaletrix batmobile

Scalextric 1966 TV Batmobile

Scalextric is great fun, and their TV and Movie tie-in cars are nicely detailed. Everything from Mr Bean to Knight Rider can be found in their new range. The Batmobile is especially joy-filled, featuring the classic 60’s rocket car and very goofy-looking Adam West Batman. 

Cosmo The Dog

Marvel Legends Series Guardians of The Galaxy Volume Three

You’re never too old for action figures, and Hasbro’s Legend series are particularly nice toys. The most recent Guardians of the Galaxy movie has inspired some particularly nice models, which include Adam Warlock and an exceptionally shifty-looking Kraglin. One of these toys makes a lovely gift, and the entire series also gives you enough parts to assemble Cosmo, the best space dog in the world.

Robosen Elite Optimus Prime

The new Robosen Elite Optimus Prime is a highly advanced and innovative robot that can be programmed and will actually transform. Standing 16 inches tall, this toy is modelled after the original generation one toy. With 125 different sound effects, including performances from the voice of Optimus Prime himself, Peter Cullen. Though it’s not the Robo Butler we were promised by the cartoons, it’s still an awesome thing.

 

 

STARBURST’s Hollywood Fringe Picks, 2023

hollywood fringe 2023

by Ed Fortune

With the Edinburgh Fringe 2023 almost here, we thought we’d look at some other Fringe theatre events before August to whet your appetite for fun. Of course, Fringe Theatre is an international movement, so let’s start with something a little bit outside of STARBURST’s usual geographical comfort zone; the Hollywood Fringe, which is currently running in Los Angeles, California, until June 25th, 2023.

Here’s our suggestion for shows you should check out if you just happen to be in the area.

   

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring-Extended Edition, Part One

According to his mother, Riley Smith is the funniest person in the world, and with four years on USC’s Premier Improv team Commedus Interruptus under his belt, that may well be sort of true. Riley has chosen to re-imagine Peter Jackson’s classic adaptation of Professor Tolkien’s genre-defining fantasy classic, and we understand it might even be funny. A goofy, funny example of shared geeky joy, all on stage. Tickets can be found here

Truly Outrageous: A Jem & The Holograms Parody Musical

80’s extended toy advert and inevitable queer icon Jem, and her band, The Holograms, have had something of a revival in recent years. Thanks in part to some rather fabulous comic books, lots of nostalgia and a 2015 movie. Though this Hollywood Fringe show appears to be very much a parody of the Hasbro franchise with its tongue rammed firmly into its cheek, it does look good. Also available via live stream. Find out more here and pick up tickets here.

Raise Your Hand… From the DEAD!

Over at STARBURST Towers, we love a bit of murder mystery horror, especially the highly camp theatrical kind that you only really get to see at fringe shows. This light-hearted, absurdist show takes itself just seriously enough to ask questions like ‘Who is the mysterious Doctor Manos?’ and “Is a disembodied hand really responsible for a string of murders” and “How hard can you laugh without turning red in the face?” Details about the theatre company Sacred Fools can be found here, and tickets are available via this link. Note that there is a live stream performance on Saturday, June 17 2023.

 

MONSTERS

A one-man show that takes some of our oldest myths and remixes them through a modern, queer perspective? Portrayed using simple costumes, clever lighting, well-designed soundscapes and some rather intense acting? Yes, please, count us in. Tickets can be found here.

The Year That Carrie Fisher Died

Carrie Fisher died in 2016, which was also a year of social and political upheaval for many. This show is about two geeky friends, Lukas, a trans-male geek and his bipolar polyamorous pansexual bestie Quinn. Join them on a journey of discovery during difficult times, guided by all things fantasy, science fiction and fun. Tickets here.

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Five Films to Check Out on Legend This Week – 090123

legend to the devil

Legend, as always, brings us some cracking films and TV series to keep the cold days fun. Here are our picks you shouldn’t miss this week…

 

 

Tuesday January 10th, 10.45pm – Rabid (2019)

The Soska Sisters remake David Cronenberg’s classic body horror with gory results. A fashion designer has experimental plastic surgery after an accident that has horrific consequences.

 

 

Wednesday January 11th, 10.55pm – The Black Torment (1964)  

Classic British Gothic horror directed by Robert Hartford-Davis (who helmed Beware my Brethren, which was recently screened as part of The Vintage Vault). It’s a fine production from Compton Films, put together by the legendary Tony Tenser, who later founded Tigon.

 

 

Thursday January 12th, 1pm – First Man into Space (1959)

An astronaut crash-lands on Earth but has become a hideous bloodthirsty creature in this fun sci-fi horror classic.

 

 

Saturday January 14th, 9pm The Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace (1996)

More virtual reality shenanigans in this sci-fi sequel as the consciousness of an evil genius attempts to hack the world’s computers from within.

 

 

Sunday January 15th, 9pm – 12.40am The Vintage Vault

Legend continues to celebrate the Golden Age of genre cinema with a season of double bills. This week, there’s a big-screen version of a popular early ‘70s BBC TV series, Doomwatch (1972). Ian Bannen, George Sanders, and Judy Geeson star in this ecological horror that was way ahead of its time. It’s directed by Hammer regular Peter Sasdy. This is followed by the last of the original Hammer classics, To the Devil a Daughter (1976). Christopher Lee, Richard Widmark, Honor Blackman, and Nastassja Kinski star in this adaptation of Dennis Wheatley’s story.

 

 

Find out more information at https://www.legend-tv.co.uk/

Tune into Legend on Sky 317, Virgin 149, Freeview 41, Freesat 138.

Five Films to Check Out on Legend This Week – 020123

legend horror hospital

Happy New Year to everyone! Legend as always brings us some cracking films and TV series to keep the cold days fun. Here are our picks you shouldn’t miss this week…

 

 

Tuesday January 3rd, 9pm – The Disappearance (1977)

A hitman (Donald Sutherland) is given a job that’s connected to his missing wife. Tense action, also starring David Hemmings, Christopher Plummer, John Hurt, and David Warner.

 

 

Wednesday January 4th, 1.05am – Book of Monsters (2018)  

This British indie film is worth staying up for! Full of fun gore and creatures aplenty, it stars the crème of up-and-coming talent and is directed by Stewart Sparke. A sequel, How to Kill Monsters is in production.

 

 

Thursday January 5th, 1pm – Fiend Without a Face (1958)

Superb sci-fi action from the post-atomic era. Wait until you see this invisible threat manifest in the fantastic climax!

 

 

Saturday January 7th, 9pm The Lawnmower Man (1992)

Pierce Brosnan and Jeff Farley star in this visually stunning sci-fi caper that involves virtual reality. Based on an idea by Stephen King, it deviates so much from his story, he sued to have his name removed from the title.

 

 

Sunday January 8th, 9pm – 12.40am The Vintage Vault

Legend continues to celebrate the Golden Age of genre cinema with a season of double bills. This week, a host of legendary stars (Donald Pleasence, Kim Novak, Jack Hawkins, and Joan Collins to name but a few) appear in the portmanteau film Tales That Witness Madness (1973). Despite appearances, this isn’t an Amicus production, however. It’s no less fun, though. This is followed by the channel premiere of Horror Hospital (1973). One of this writer’s favourite films of all time, Antony Balch directs Michael Gough and Robin Askwith in a twisted tale of a doctor using a health farm as a cover for his sordid experiments. Eminently quotable and luridly camp, it’s not to be missed! A little bit of linking trivia: producer Richard Gordon was also behind Fiend Without a Face (see above).

Find out more information at https://www.legend-tv.co.uk/

Tune into Legend on Sky 317, Virgin 149, Freeview 41, Freesat 138.

BETWEEN LIGHT AND SHADOW: THE TWILIGHT ZONE TOP 20

Imagine if you will, television in its infancy. A wasteland of monochrome situation comedies, westerns, and cop shows. Now imagine Rod Serling, an accomplished and innovative writer of films, plays, and television announcing that he would devote his time to creating, developing, writing, executive producing, and introducing a weekly series of horror and science fiction stories with a clever twist or moral at the end of each episode. The end result was THE TWILIGHT ZONE, inarguably the most innovative and imaginative television show of its time, which garnered more than 18 million viewers during its first run. Since then, thanks to syndication and home video, the show has become woven into the fabric of pop culture all over the world, its original 156 episodes (92 of which were written by Serling over the series’ initial five years), constantly being shown somewhere in the world to this day, sixty-plus years after the debut transmission on October 2nd, 1959, and returns to UK screens via LEGEND to usher in the New Year. We at STARBURST submit, for your approval, this homage to one of our favourite TV shows, and there’s no better way to start than with Mr Serling’s famous introduction…

“You are travelling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land of imagination. Next stop, the Twilight Zone!”

20. WORDPLAY (1985)

The opening credits of the 1980s Twilight Zone reboot immediately throw you back to the time TV started going through the night in the UK, and Wordplay – the first part of the new incarnation’s second episode – would have been one of the earliest things seen in that late-night slot. As statements of intent go, the first few episodes of the 1980s reboot are bold; Wordplay is directed by Wes Craven, and he would helm quite a few from that first season, along with other horror standouts like Tommy Lee Wallace and William Friedkin. Robert Klein is Bill Lowery, Wordplay’s protagonist, who wakes up one morning to discover that his friends, family, and workmates are beginning to drop unfamiliar words into their conversations; his neighbour refers to his dog as an ‘encyclopedia’, and a colleague asks him where he should take his date for ‘dinosaur’. The problem gets gradually worse until everything Lowery hears is gibberish. Fleeing home, he discovers his son is ill, and rushes him to the hospital, still bewildered. By the story’s end, Lowery is re-learning the language, with the help of his son’s ABC books. As well as being a sympathetic figure, Lowery is also a textbook example of someone suffering from receptive aphasia, and as such Wordplay is not only a chilling, worthy Zone tale but also a clever, real-world referend. | AB

19. LONG DISTANCE CALL (1961)

On Billy Bayle’s fifth birthday, his spooky grandmother gives him a toy telephone then rudely steals the birthday boy’s spotlight by dying. Billy appears to cope with the loss of his grandmother by constantly talking to her on said toy phone. His parents initial concern graduates to alarm when Billy says his grandmother’s lonely and wants him to visit *shudder*. What follows is a darker than usual tale of a dead pensioner apparently talking a five-year-old into offing himself in a variety of ways so she’ll have company. This very effective Season 2 chiller marks the first appearance of toe-headed Billy Mumy. He would later go on to star in two further entries, including revered classic It’s a Good Life in Season 3 and Season 5’s In Praise of Pip. This episode also marks the sixth and final time the show was ever shot on videotape. Switching to tape was a cost-cutting exercise by production company Cayuga, but the quality of the final product was, as Serling himself admitted ‘disastrous’. | ES

18. MIRROR IMAGE (1960)

Millicent Barnes begins to suspect that all is not right when, while waiting for her delayed bus during an epic thunderstorm, her suitcase can’t be trusted to stay put, the pissy station manager insists she’s been pestering him when she’s done nothing of the sort and, most worryingly, while looking in the bathroom mirror, she sees a duplicate of herself sitting on the bus station bench. Any story dealing with doppelgängers is inherently unnerving, but even more so when their intentions, as with Mirror Image, are subtly implied as sinister. Interestingly, Serling’s inspiration for this episode occurred at an airport: he saw a man across the room wearing the same suit and top coat as him, carrying the same briefcase, and thought “if he turns around and it’s me, what will I do?” It wasn’t. Airing as the last episode before Season 1’s mid-season hiatus, Mirror Image is an underrated gem and a genuinely spooky tale of paranoia and loss of identity. | ES

17. FIVE CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN EXIT (1961)

This creepy tale of five oddball types trapped in a room together is a little predictable to modern audiences, but that’s because it’s inspired so many similar works such as Cube and The Fictional Man. It’s the tale of a clown, hobo, ballet dancer, bagpiper, and an army major, all of whom wake up trapped in a mysterious metal cylinder. The five argue and bicker, and fail to co-ordinate an effective escape while bemoaning their existence. The twist is that they are actually toys, trapped in a toy barrel. | EF

16. KICK THE CAN (1962)

The secret to staying young is thinking young in this, the 86th episode. Ernest Truex stars as Charles Whitley, a man desperate to feel young. After seeing a group of children outside his care home, he believes the secret to youth might lie in playing childhood games again. After some debate, the other residents decide to join him outside for a late-night game of kick the can, where they’re magically restored to their childhood selves. The episode ends with Ben, Charley’s best friend who refused to come along, forlornly wishing he’d joined them. A painful lesson for him, a poignant warning to viewers about how to approach ageing. This episode was also adapted for 1983’s Twilight Zone: The Movie and directed by Steven Spielberg. Unfortunately, the change they make to the story – putting everything in the hands of a magical new resident rather than the characters coming to these important realisations on their own – made it one of the weaker segments. It was a disappointing way to pay homage to what many consider the best TZ episode of all time. Thankfully, the original is still available, just as relevant today as it was in 1962. | VB

15. AN OCURRENCE AT OWL CREEK RIDGE (1962)

This was the only story that wasn’t made specifically for the show, being a French short film that had already won an award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1962, and won the equivalent Oscar the year later at the Academy Awards. Based on an 1891 short story by Ambrose Bierce, it involves a prisoner being hanged by Union troops. As he falls from the bridge, the rope around his neck snaps, allowing him to make his escape and hopefully return back to his loving wife. Naturally, this being The Twilight Zone, things are not that simple.| MU

14. AND WHEN THE SKY WAS OPENED (1959)

Three astronauts, Colonel Ed Harrington (Charles Aidman), Colonel Clegg Forbes (the great Rod Taylor), and Major William Gart (Jim Hutton), disappear for 24 hours off Mission Control radar in the experimental X-20 spacecraft, all surviving a crash in the Mojave desert. Alarmed by the vanishing of Harrington, a distressed Forbes tries to convince Gart that the third pilot existed, yet Gart has never heard of Harrington, stating that there were two, not three astronauts in the X-20. Forbes pleads with Gart, telling him that they are systemically being erased from humanity for going someplace they weren’t supposed to go and that something made a mistake for letting them come back. Rod Taylor owns this episode. His panic from figuring out the truth and the horrifying look in the mirror when he realises he’s next to vanish is truly chilling. Directed by Douglas Heyes from a script by master scribe Richard Matheson, the tension in this sci-fi mystery, much like the X-20 itself, moves at an impressive pace. | WSB

13. NIGHT CALL (1964)

Elderly spinster Elva Keen (Gladys Cooper) is awoken by the shrill ringing of her telephone in the middle of the night. The line is so badly corrupted by static that she can’t discern a voice,and when it becomes a persistently disturbing occurrence, Elva complains to the telephone company with little result. As the nightly calls continue, she begins to hear a voice belonging to a man who seems to have some knowledge of her. Terrified, Elva tells whoever it is to leave her alone. When the telephone company reports they’ve located the unexpected source of the problem, Elva insists on visiting the site. It is there that she discovers the identity of the mysterious caller and heartbreakingly realises that she will never receive any more night calls. Night Call was based on Richard Matheson’s Long Distance Call, but as there had already been an episode by that title (see entry #19), the name was changed. Horror maestro director Jacques Tourneur (Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie, Night of the Demon) crafted a eerily effective episode. Who hasn’t been awakened by the disorientating, skin crawling terror of a late night phone call? It’s somehow scarier in black and white. | CJ

12. A STOP AT WILLOUGHBY (1960)

In this darker, often bleak counterpoint to Walking Distance (see entry #2) contemporary advertising executive Gart Williams is a man teetering on the edge of a chasm. He hates his boss, his job, his wife, and everything they have made him become, all that they expect of him. On his train journeys home, Williams begins falling asleep and waking up at the station stop in Willoughby, an idyllic town in the distant past of the 1880s that no one in real life has ever heard of. As the pressure mounts and Gart begins to crack, he becomes sure that the next time he wakes up in Willoughby, he will stay for good. Where Martin Sloan’s adventure is melancholy but lined with compassion, A Stop at Willoughby is uncompromising in its exploration of the fallacy that you can simply walk off a train into a better, happier life. Ambiguous and with a bruising end, it’s a sharp reminder that sometimes it’s too late for some of us to be anything else than what we are. But Serling could never write anything without hope and so it goes here: don’t retreat into fantasy or give up, change what you want to change now. Or be forever a part of The Twilight Zone. | JE

11. WHERE IS EVERYBODY? (1959)
A series opener that pulled no punches, Where is Everybody? explored what many of us fear the most: being totally, utterly alone. Serling was exposing universal truths about the human race and he was coming out swinging. The episode opens with a confused man waking up to find himself unsure of where or even who he is. (Side note: this is the only TZ episode filmed at Universal Studios and the ‘town’ he explores is the same set featured prominently in the Back to the Future films.) As he attempts to figure out what’s going on, he realises he’s totally alone. This fact quickly terrifies him and eventually reduces him to a blubbering mess. It’s then revealed he’s actually participating in a government experiment designed to test man’s ability to handle the solitude of single-manned space flight, an as yet unattained achievement in 1959. The themes of aloneness and loneliness are explored often throughout the series, as well as the concept of space travel. Just two years after this first episode aired, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to orbit the Earth, turning Serling’s (and everyone else’s) dreams into reality. | VB

10. THE HOWLING MAN (1960)

Shortly after the First World War, hiker David Ellington seeks refuge in an isolated monastery during a violent storm. The head of the order, Brother Jerome (John Carradine), tells Ellington that he cannot stay, before he collapses. When Ellington regains consciousness, a strange howling lures him deeper into the monastery where he discovers a raggedy man held prisoner. The prisoner informs Ellington that Brother Jerome is mad and refuses to let him go. When Ellington confronts Jerome the monk reveals the true nature of the howling man. Ellington then decides on a course of action that has dire consequences for the world. The Howling Man brims with atmosphere, with its crashing thunder, pounding rain and screaming wind effects, and director Douglas Heyes’ use of off-kilter camera shots expertly conveys Ellington’s delirium. Also impressive is the in-camera transformation of the Howling Man into his true form as he strides through the monastery. Adapted from Charles Beaumont’s short story, the author envisioned that the prisoner would be imprisoned by a cross upon his cell door. Fearful of a Bible Belt backlash, the producers substituted a cross with the ‘staff of truth’, over Beaumont’s objections. | CJ

9. IT’S A GOOD LIFE (1961)

Stan Lee taught us that with great power comes great responsibility. In this episode from the third season, Rod Serling shows us that the opposite can be equally true with one of the series’ most chilling tales. One day, either the rest of the world disappeared leaving behind only the village of Peaksville in what used to be Ohio – or Peaksville itself was moved somewhere else. Why? Well, the noise and bustle of the rest of the world displeased the village’s most powerful resident, so he changed things more to his liking. Just as his elderly aunt’s singing earned the wrath that left her a vacant, empty husk. The residents of Peaksville have learned to think only happy thoughts, because this monster can read minds, resulting in bad, critical or incorrect thoughts being instantly punished. Such is life under the rule of Anthony Fremont (Billy Mumy), who has God-like powers. If Anthony wills it, it happens. There is no regret, no thought of consequence – only the instant gratification of Anthony getting his own way, because Anthony is only six years old and will send you “to the cornfield” without hesitation. You won’t be coming back. | RP

8. EYE OF THE BEHOLDER (1960)

Alternatively known as ‘The One With The Pig People’, Eye of the Beholder is one of the finest TZ episodes for building a palpable sense of suspense and claustrophobia, with its shadowy hospital setting and its cast always kept just out of frame. The story follows an unfortunate young woman who we’re told has a hideous facial deformity. But when her bandages are finally removed, we discover that she looks conventionally attractive – and it’s everyone else in this world who’s hideous. It turns out these monstrous porcine features are the norm in a near future where conformity is compulsory. With some of the most inventive direction seen on the show, bolstered by Bernard Herrmann’s fantastic score, Eye of the Beholder is one of the most accomplished hours of the whole series. | CB

7. TO SERVE MAN (1962)

It’s a cookbook! It’s a cookbook! As with many Twilight Zone episodes, To Serve Man’s big twist has entered pop culture. You’ve no doubt seen it parodied across film and TV (most notably in The Simpsons’ first Treehouse of Horror), but, even if you know where it’s going, it’s still a standout example of the series. The alien Kanamits – led by James Bond’s Jaws himself, Richard Kiel – land on Earth and seemingly come in peace, offering advanced technology as a sign of friendship. Soon, many of the world’s problems are cured and travel to the Kanamits’ home planet is established. But the truth comes out when the real meaning of their book, To Serve Man, is translated. They don’t wish to serve humanity, but to serve us up for dinner. So, OK, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense – how does that pun work in both English and the alien language? – but it’s still a classic slice of ‘60s sci-fi. | CB

6. THE HITCH-HIKER (1960)

While driving cross country Nan Adams (Inger Stevens) becomes increasingly terrified when she keeps passing the same dishevelled man on the side of the road. No matter how fast she drives, no matter the distance she travels, the hitch-hiker is always ahead of her, patiently waiting. Rod Serling adapted The Hitch-Hiker from Lucille Fletcher’s original radio play, which itself had been broadcast several times, most notably on The Orson Welles Show (1941), Suspense (1942), and The Mercury Summer Theater (1946). Certain music cues composed by Fletcher’s former husband, Bernard Herrmann, for the 1946 radio production were re-used for this episode, while all the various radio productions had starred Orson Welles as Ronald Adams. Serling changed the gender of the protagonist from that of Ronald to Nan as he believed that viewers would have more empathy with a lone woman driving across America, and as anybody familiar with the radio productions will tell you, he was most assuredly correct. Inger Stevens perfectly conveys the escalating terror and vulnerability of Nan’s situation, while Leonard Strong’s deliberately languorous portrayal of the hitch-hiker is increasingly unsettling with each appearance, never more so than when he calmly declares “I believe you’re going… my way?” | CJ

5. NICK OF TIME (1960)

William Shatner made his first foray into that fifth dimension in this second season episode by Richard Matheson in a subtle and thought-provoking tale. The Carters, a young honeymooning couple, are passing through a small Ohio town en route to New York when they need to pull in for a quick repair to their car. Deciding to grab a bite to eat at a diner, Don becomes fascinated by a novelty napkin holder that, for a penny, dispenses fortune cards, predicting the future. Don is by nature a superstitious man and buys into what the cards tell him, as it seems to predict what will happen with an eerie accuracy. But are the cards really telling him his future, or is Don convincing himself that their vague generalities are somehow guiding his life? Don eventually becomes incapable of making any decision for himself about his career and future without asking the machine’s advice. His wife persuades him to walk away from the machine and live his life, his way. But waiting for the couple to leave the booth is another pair, who are anxiously waiting for the machine’s permission to leave town… | RP

4. THE MONSTERS ARE DUE ON MAPLE STREET (1960)

The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street, like all good (and bad) 1950s/’60s sci-fi, is not about aliens at all. Despite its central premise – that aliens have landed and there are some living amongst us – it is an analogy for the real red menace – not from Mars, but from the USSR. Yes, The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street is one of those stories, where liberal, pinko Hollywood fought back against the McCarthyite witch-hunts by hiding its message in plain sight. The twenty-second episode of the show’s first season, it begins early one summer evening on Maple Street, which could be a stand-in for any suburban street in the US of the time. Children are playing in the street, the men are fixing cars, and something flashes and roars overhead. Initially thinking it to be a meteor, the neighbours are soon convinced – by a child talking about something that happened in his comic books – that aliens have landed, and that some of their number are fifth columnists. The descent into madness is gradual, and then sudden; suspicion and conjecture brings about death and destruction. At its close, it is revealed that there were aliens, and that they manipulated the fear and panic, turning the neighbours against one another. As with many classic Zone stories, there are lessons that can still be learned. | AB

3. TIME ENOUGH AT LAST (1959)

The eighth episode of the original series, Time Enough at Last is the bibliophile’s worst nightmare and one of the most heartbreaking stories ever committed to screen. Scripted by series creator Rod Serling, Burgess Meredith is Henry Bemis, a henpecked bookworm whose life is made a misery by his wife, and by his boss at the bank where he works. All Henry wants to do is read, but life gets in the way – that and the cruel, book-destroying woman he’s somehow ended up with. One day, while stealing a few moments to read alone in the bank vault, a hydrogen bomb destroys the city, killing everyone in it; only Henry survives, due to the vault’s impenetrable walls. Emerging into the solitary existence he once craved, Henry discovers that the town library has also survived the bomb, and that all the books he ever wanted to read are waiting for him. Bliss! And then he trips and his glasses, without which he is practically blind, fall to the ground and smash, beyond repair. “That’s not fair! That’s not fair at all!” cries Henry, and it certainly is not. | AB

2. WALKING DISTANCE (1959)

Walking Distance tells of advertising executive Martin Sloan, a man crumbling under the relentless pressure of his big city adult life and compelled to drive back to the town he grew up in and hasn’t returned to since he was a boy, Homewood. When he arrives, it is as if the world has stopped spinning and everything is as it was when he was young. Sloan discovers that somehow, he has travelled back into the past – his past – and he is determined to stay in that simpler time, regardless of how impractical or even dangerous it may be. Rod Serling completely understood the attractions and dangers of nostalgia and in Walking Distance, he expertly explores our longing to go back home, as it were, to a time that felt emotionally easier and less battering than grown-up life, and how that impossible yearning for what has already been can damage our here and now, or what could be. It is a masterful piece of writing and married to outstanding acting, direction, editing and Bernard Herrmann’s beautiful score is a shining example of The Twilight Zone at its best: wonderfully, painfully human, and alive with wisdom and hope. | JE

  1. NIGHTMARE AT 20,000 FEET (1963)

Written by Richard Matheson, this fifth season story is the best of the best. William Shatner stars as Robert Wilson, an anxiety-suffering air traveller who is on his way home from a sanitarium, following a mental breakdown that happened on a similar flight several months earlier. But whereas that flight concluded with Wilson’s breakdown, this one is just beginning. As he tries in vain to relax, the increasingly twitchy Wilson spots a furry creature making its way along the wing toward one of the engines. He tries to raise the alarm, but of course, nobody believes him. Nobody can see the gremlin on the wing apart from Wilson. Is it really there, or is it cunning enough to hide when Wilson draws attention to it? His wife is increasingly convinced Wilson is relapsing and becoming hysterical in the process – to the point of taking a gun and shooting at the creature, which is tearing away at the engine. Was it really there, or did the plane have a technical malfunction? As medical staff take Wilson away in a straitjacket, the engineers will soon spot claw marks on the wing… | RP

The Twilight Zone returns to our screens on Legend from January 1st, 2023. You can tune into Legend via Sky 148 / Virgin 149 / Freeview 41 / Freesat 137

Words: ROBIN PIERCE ALAN BOON CHRISTIAN JONES JAMES EVANS VANESSA BERBEN EARL STRYDER CHRISTIAN BONE • WHITNEY SCOTT BAIN ED FORTUNE MARTIN UNSWORTH

[This article was originally published in issue 465, October 2019.]

Five Films to Check Out on Legend This Week – 261222

legend twilight zone twins of evil

Happy Christmas to all and if you’ve not been making too merry, Legend has some more fab films and TV series to keep the spirits up. Here are our picks you shouldn’t miss this week…

 

 

Monday December 26th, 1pm – Dr Who and the Daleks (1965)

Peter Cushing plays the big-screen alt-version of the famous Time Lord, reimagined here as a kindly old inventor. Produced by Amicus, this is visually lush and a whole load of fun. (Also screening on Sunday at 3pm)

 

 

Tuesday December 7th 1pm – Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 AD (1966)  

Cushing’s Doctor is back in this equally flash sequel. Bernard Cribbins, who sadly died this year, is along for the ride in this one – nearly forty years before he appeared in the regular BBC series. (Also screening on Sunday at 4.35pm)

 

 

Saturday December 31st, 9pm – The One (2001)

Jet Li stars in this all-action sci-fi film in which a police officer must kill a parallel universe version of himself to become immortal. Our editor’s favourite muscle guy, Jason Statham, also stars. Directed by Final Destination’s James Wong.

 

 

Sunday January 1st, 8.30pm The Twilight Zone – Season 1 Episode 1

It might be a whole new year, but tonight, we’re transported back to 1959 for the very first episode of Rod Serling’s timeless masterpiece. This opening story, Where Is Everybody?, sets the tone perfectly.

 

Sunday January 1st, 9pm – 12.30am The Vintage Vault

Legend continues to celebrate the Golden Age of genre cinema with a season of double bills. This week, Robert Powell stars in the channel premiere of the Victorian-set chiller The Asphyx (1972) in which a photographer tries to capture the moment the spirit leaves the body at death. This is followed by the Hammer classic Twins of Evil (1971), where Peter Cushing appears once more as a priest whose nieces fall under a vampire’s spell. Real-life twins Madeline and Mary Collinson play the titular sisters in the last of Hammer’s ‘Karnstein trilogy’ movies inspired by Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla.

Find out more information at https://www.legend-tv.co.uk/

Tune into Legend on Sky 317, Virgin 149, Freeview 41, Freesat 138.

Podcast Recommendations for Nursing Students in Canada

nursing students

The healthcare system is evolving more and more today, with new procedures and treatments that make the life of patients easier. Being a nurse is such a noble job, as you commit to doing everything possible to help patients and support their recovery. However, being a nurse is not an easy thing to do. You have to deal with challenging patients. There might be moments when you need to do extra shifts. There might be moments when you feel stressed and overwhelmed like it was with the global pandemic. And as a nursing student in Canada, you go through college years that help you develop your skills a lot, but also expand your knowledge.

Getting a nursing education can turn out to be challenging at times, as you need to learn that lesson, attend those university classes, and meet the requirements of your teacher when it comes to assignments. We live in a multimedia world where you can get access to any information in an instant. You also have a lot of sources of information that can help you expand your culture and knowledge of nursing, so here are some podcast recommendations for nursing students in Canada.

Life in Scrubs

Being a nurse is noble, but it is not a noble thing. It is a podcast for nursing students that will inspire and motivate you to go beyond the challenges that lie ahead. To face them and to learn from every experience you will go through. Life in Scrubs is a podcast for nurses and students who want to learn more about the obstacles that will be present in their job and how to overcome them. It is a podcast by nurses, so you get valuable insight into the healthcare industry and what it really means to be a nurse.

They discuss a lot of subjects you may already have to write essays on. Assignments are part of college life in Canada, so expanding your knowledge on related topics is always useful. These assignments and essays can be challenging too, so whenever you need nursing assignment help, you can get it from professional writers. They are updated with the treatments and advancements in the healthcare industry, so they can support you in completing your essays.

Nursing Uncensored

During nursing school in Canada, you attend classes, go to lectures, and participate in workshops. All are intended to help you develop the set of skills that will support your success as a nurse. However, there is a lot of information to grasp and knowledge to acquire, so at times, it can feel too much. Nursing Uncensored is a podcast for students that combines information with humor.

And with storytelling too. So, you will listen to stories told about nurses, nurses that have had challenging patients, or have gone through events that taught them a lot. Sometimes, it is easier to remember a story rather than the information you read in a book, and this is what the Nursing Uncensored podcast is about. Learning more about treatments and advancements in the healthcare industry through storytelling.

The Gritty Nurse Podcast

The Gritty Nurse Podcast is developed in Ontario, Canada by two nursing professionals who are working in the field. It is one of the most helpful podcasts for Canadian students as they delve more into the challenges of the job, preparing nursing students for their life after college. They talk about hot topics in the healthcare industry, topics that are crucial to your cultural development as a nursing student in Canada.

Nursing with Lea

Being a nursing student is an enlightening experience, but it can be challenging at times. Tune in and listen to the podcast Nursing with Lea, which is specially designed for students in Canada. You will find out more about tips and tricks on how to complete your nursing assignments and manage your time during college. It also discusses topics such as communication in the healthcare system, research in nursing, and many more.

Final Thoughts

If you are a nursing student in Canada, you are probably looking for sources of information that can help you tackle college challenges better and more efficiently. At the same time, you want to know about the developments of the healthcare industry or just listen to stories from nurses, stories you can learn a lot from. Tune in and listen to these podcasts for students that will make your day better and help you expand your knowledge.

 

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