5 Favorite Episodes of The Twilight Zone

Rod Serling's iconic show The Twilight Zone remains a classic program beloved by fans of the bizarre and eerie. Each episode thrills and mystifies viewers, building suspense toward a shocking twist that makes them rethink everything they just saw.

Some episodes in particular leave a mark that doesn't fade. I tend to revisit certain ones on occasion, and in this post I'd like to share five of my favorites.

Without further ado, let us begin.

The Howling Man

"Let me tell you a story and we'll see how certain you are that I am mad."

Frame narratives surrounding the supernatural often provide a gateway to a grim flashback ending with a chilling warning to the audience. In this episode, David Ellington relates how he got lost on a dark and stormy night and sought refuge at a monastery hiding a terrible secret.

Ever rational, David grows suspicious of the monks sheltering him when he discovers another man locked in a cell who begs to be freed. The audience must decide alongside David who to believe when the monks insist their prisoner is no ordinary man. The climactic twist is sure to leave viewers reeling and possibly make them believe in the wonders of the unknown.

Mirror Image

"I wonder if you saw someone sitting in my seat."

Ever have that feeling of "Hey, that person looks just like me"? Millicent Barnes is waiting for a bus when the counter operator tells her she already approached him, which she never did. Sharp-eyed movie fans may recognize Millicent's actress Vera Miles from a famous Alfred Hitchcock film. While Miles had to contend with Anthony Perkins’ disturbing character Norman Bates in Psycho, here she faces a far more unsettling foe: herself.

As viewers hold their breath, Millicent tries to convince disbelieving onlookers that she is not losing her mind and that a doppelganger is out to steal her identity and take over her life. The mundane interior of a bus terminal makes for a surprisingly sinister backdrop, as Millicent begs skeptics to believe her wild claims. The episode finishes on a dark note, leaving the audience to wonder how many other doubles might be out there waiting for their chance.

Nightmare at 20,000 Feet

"Honey, you remember what I told you before about seeing something outside?"

William Shatner aka the one and only Captain Kirk stars as Robert Wilson, a man on a plane desperate to save his fellow passengers from a gremlin he claims is tampering with one of the wings. Tension builds as Robert tries to convince his wife and the flight crew that he isn't mad. This task is not easy, given that he suffered a mental breakdown just six months prior.

Paranoia and suspense drive this episode; the audience knows Robert is telling the truth while everyone around him refuses to believe it. Following a thrilling climax it seems his warnings may be dismissed as delusion, but a rare glimmer of hope in the closing shot suggests he might be vindicated after all.

Where Is Everybody?

"You see, there's some question about my identity. Let me put it to you this way: I'm not sure who I am."

This episode has the honor of being the one that started it all, and it's the only entry on this list with no supernatural elements whatsoever. A wandering stranger stumbles upon a town completely devoid of people. Is there more to it than meets the eye? As the episode progresses, the stranger and the audience piece together the truth and what it means for everyone.

Despite being the sole character on screen for most of the episode, the stranger grabs your attention and keeps holding it throughout the plot. His struggle to make sense of the empty town draws genuine curiosity, and by the end he's someone you find yourself rooting for. When the show's signature twist finally lands, you're left stunned and eager to reenter the Twilight Zone.

Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?

"You're trying to tell us that there's one person in here who landed in some kind of a saucer or something and then came in here?"

A great mystery with a whodunnit setup never fails to excite viewers, and closing off my list is one of the best Twilight Zone episodes ever made. Less of a whodunnit and more of a "who-am-I," we follow a pair of state troopers on a snowy night investigating what appears to be a crashed alien spacecraft. They track a set of footprints to a roadside diner and announce to a bus driver, his passengers, and the fry cook that a stranger from outer space may already be among them.

My personal favorite of the series, this episode invites the audience to play detective and guess who the mysterious outsider might be. But just when you think you have it figured out, a late shocker enters the scene and leaves you staring at the screen with one thought: what just happened?

These five episodes have stuck with me above all others from The Twilight Zone. Got any favorites that didn't make the list? Feel free to share them in the comments below!