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If you’re a fan of the Twilight Zone, you might be wondering where the movie was filmed. Here’s a look at the locations where the film was shot.
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The Twilight Zone: a brief history
The Twilight Zone is a 1983 American science fiction horror film directed by John Landis, produced by Steven Spielberg, and written by Richard Matheson and Michael Janover. It stars Vic Morrow, Scatman Crothers, John Lithgow, Kathleen Quinlan, and Murray Hamilton. The film presents four unrelated stories set during different periods of time; “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” is a retelling of the original Twilight Zone episode of the same name (written by Richard Matheson), while “A Question of Fear”, “It’s a Good Life”, and “Kick the Can” are original stories.
“It’s a Good Life” was the only segment shot on location in Mesquite, Texas. The opening and closing segments take place on an airplane in flight. The airplane was a simulated set built on Stage 12 at Universal Studios in California.
The Twilight Zone: the movie
The Twilight Zone: The Movie is a 1983 American science fiction horror anthology film produced by Steven Spielberg and John Landis as a tribute to the original Twilight Zone television series created by Rod Serling. The film stars Vic Morrow, Scatman Crothers, Kathleen Quinlan and John Lithgow with Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brooks in the prologue segment. Burgess Meredith, Pennsylvania native Gregori Funkhouser, and Larry Hankin are featured in cameo roles.
It consists of four segments, one directed by each of the filmmakers. Landis’s segment, “Kick the Can”, is a remake of a third-season episode of the original series titled “Kick the Can” written by Serling. Spielberg’s segment, “It’s a Good Life”, is based on a 1961 episode of the same name which was written by Earl Hamner Jr.. Joe Dante’s segment, “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet”, is based on Richard Matheson’s original teleplay that had previously been adapted for an episode of the same name in 1963. The fourth and final segment (titled “The Invaders”) was directed by George Miller and is based on an episode with the same name which aired in 1959 during the show’s second season.
While all four segments were generally well-received by critics (and Spielberg’s and Dante’s were both nominated for Academy Awards), Landis’ “Kick the Can” sequence was singled out as being drastically different in tone from its source material due to its addition of comic elements not present in Serling’s original script.
The film was shot primarily around Los Angeles, California; San Francisco, California; Utah; and Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado.
The Twilight Zone: the cast
The Twilight Zone: the cast — When it comes to the iconic anthology series The Twilight Zone, it’s hard to forget about some of the mind-bending episodes that have captivated audiences for generations. From “Time Enough at Last” to “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet”, there are plenty of scaredy-cat moments that still give us nightmares today. But do you know where The Twilight Zone was filmed?
The answer may surprise you — much of The Twilight Zone was actually filmed on location in California, with a few shots taking place in New York City as well. Some of the most memorable episodes were filmed in Los Angeles, including “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet”, which was shot at the LAX airport. If you’re a fan of the show, be sure to keep an eye out for these familiar locations the next time you’re in California!
The Twilight Zone: the locations
Many of the exterior shots for The Twilight Zone: the Movie were filmed in Alabama, with interiors being shot in California. The most iconic location from the film is undoubtedly Castle Rock, which served as a stand-in for the fictional town of Willoughby.
The exteriors of Castle Rock were filmed at various locations around Alabama, including downtown Florence and Oakville. The outdoor restaurant scene was filmed in Mountain Brook, while the interior shots of the courtroom were filmed in the Alabama Supreme Court building in Montgomery.
The Twilight Zone: the Movie also featured several famous landmarks, such as the Hoover Dam and the Hollywood Sign. In one of the most memorable scenes from the film, a young boy looks out over Los Angeles from atop Griffith Observatory.
The Twilight Zone: the sets
The movie was set in a small town, so the filmmakers had to find a location that would look the part. They eventually settled on the town of Covington, Georgia, which doubled as the town of Willow in the movie. Many of the Twilight Zone: The Movie’s exterior scenes were filmed in Covington, including the pivotal scene where John Lithgow’s character attacks a young boy with a switchblade.
The Twilight Zone: the props
The Twilight Zone: the props
While most of the film was shot on location in California, Texas and Florida, some of the scenes were filmed in New York City. The opening sequence, in which a man steps out of his car to investigate a broken-down truck, was actually filmed on the Brooklyn Bridge. Other New York locations included the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Central Park and the Waldorf Astoria hotel.
The Twilight Zone: the effects
The Twilight Zone: the effects
The Twilight Zone: the effects were impressive for a film made in 1983. The use of miniatures, matte paintings, and stop-motion animation helped create a visually stimulating film that was ahead of its time. One of the most memorable scenes from the movie is when John Lithgow’s character, Upson Pratt, falls victim to a gremlin on an airplane wing. This particular scene was actually achieved by filming a small puppet on the end of a wire against a bluescreen. The gremlin was then added in later through stop-motion animation.
The Twilight Zone: the music
The Twilight Zone: the music was Twilight Zone: the movie soundtrack album by Jerry Goldsmith, originally released in 1983. It contained the complete score to the film, which had been recorded in October 1982.
The Twilight Zone: the legacy
The Twilight Zone: the legacy is a science fiction anthology television series created by Rod Serling. It ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964, with 156 episodes. The show was revived in 1985 for a short-lived second run on CBS, then again in 2002 for a two-season run on UPN.
The Twilight Zone is set in an alternate present or future and often features ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary, bizarre, or disturbing situations. The stories often have a moral or psychological allegory and supernatural or futuristic elements.
The Twilight Zone: the future
In the future, the world is a dark and scary place. People are living in fear of the government, which controls everything. There is no freedom, and people are divided into two classes: the rich and the poor. The poor live in slums and are treated like animals, while the rich live in luxury and enjoy all the benefits that come with wealth.
One day, a man named Johnnie Smith (played by John Lithgow) wakes up from a coma to find that he has been gifted with the ability to see into the future. He uses his power to help people, but his good deeds soon catches the attention of the government. They view him as a threat and try to stop him.
Johnnie is able to use his power to predict their moves and evade them. He also starts to use his power to help people escape from the country. The government eventually catches up to him, but he is able to escape them again. He then uses his power to help people all over the world who are living in fear of their governments.
