64 Years Ago, an Iconic Twilight Zone Episode Premiered (And Steven Spielberg Remade It Decades Later)

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Someone unfamiliar with anthology horror films might assume Twilight Zone: The Movie is superior to Tales from the Darkside: The Movie after seeing a well-regarded segment from each. However, they’d likely be mistaken. While the filming of John Landis’ segment for Twilight Zone: The Movie tragically resulted in the deaths of Vic Morrow and two child actors, the movie itself isn’t a complete failure – it’s simply mediocre, despite having good intentions.

The show is made up of four parts. The first, featuring Landis, tells a story that still resonates today – a prejudiced person is forced to experience life as the groups they despise. It’s inspired by an old episode of The Twilight Zone called “Back There.” The remaining three segments are direct adaptations of earlier Twilight Zone episodes, including one directed by Steven Spielberg based on “Kick the Can,” which originally aired on February 9, 1962.

What Is “Kick the Can” About & How Faithful Was Spielberg’s Remake?

Many classic episodes of The Twilight Zone aim to scare you, like “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” “It’s a Good Life,” and “Living Doll.” Others focus on exploring flaws in people’s characters, such as “Time Enough at Last” and the thought-provoking “The Encounter.” However, the show also occasionally delivered heartwarming stories, and “Kick the Can” is a perfect example.

Charles Whitley is a resident at Sunnyvale Rest Home who believes he’s discovered the secret to staying young: simply behaving like a young person. However, the other residents and the rest home’s director don’t believe him, and the director plans to isolate him as a result.

Before things could move forward, Charles decided to have a game of kick the can with some of his retired friends. One friend didn’t want to play, so he asked the superintendent to join instead. When they came outside from the Sunnyvale building, they found a group of cheerful, energetic children already enjoying a game of kick the can.

As a big movie fan, I’ve always loved how Spielberg approached his segment, much like Joe Dante did with “It’s a Good Life” and George Miller with “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.” They all really stuck close to the original 20-minute episodes, and Spielberg’s knack for heartwarming, magical moments felt exactly right for the story, just as Dante’s horror background and dark humor were perfect for his episode. It’s great when a director’s style meshes so well with the source material!

It’s understandable why the filmmakers wanted to stay true to what made the original series so successful – they were classic episodes! However, this strict loyalty to the source material is what ultimately makes the movie feel unnecessary. Tales from the Darkside: The Movie drew inspiration from various works, including a story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a Stephen King novella, and a segment from the Japanese film Kwaidan. But with Twilight Zone: The Movie, you’re left feeling like you’d rather just re-watch the original episodes. If you have both versions of the story available, why choose the less compelling one?

Spielberg’s adaptation isn’t a direct copy of the original story, making several changes. Most notably, the main character is reimagined as Mr. Bloom, a Black newcomer to Sunnyvale, instead of the original white character, Charles Whitley. The story also alters the relationship of the man who mocks the protagonist’s wish; it’s now someone he’s just met instead of an old friend. The ending is different too, and some viewers might find it less impactful than the original, which powerfully depicted the loss of belief in the impossible as the youthful retirees left Charles behind.

In the film, the people of Sunnyvale long to regain their youth, and Mr. Bloom makes it happen, believing their spirits will remain young at heart. One skeptic then tries to relive his own youthful experience by playing kick the can alone, and Bloom knowingly glances at the audience, implying he’ll eventually understand. While these scenes don’t alter the core message, they feel unnecessarily drawn out.

Do you believe any of the stories in Twilight Zone: The Movie are improvements over the original Twilight Zone episodes? Share your thoughts in the comments and discuss it with other fans in the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-02-09 19:41