Nightmare at 20,000 Feet

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Prior to directing movies like “The Omen,” “Superman,” “The Goonies,” and the “Lethal Weapon” series, Richard Donner initially worked on six episodes of “The Twilight Zone.” Among these, the first one titled “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” is often considered the finest not just among Donner’s contributions, but also the best episode of the entire series. In fact, if it’s not the best episode, then the adaptation of Richard Matheson’s short story is undoubtedly the most memorable and iconic one in the show’s history. This episode features William Shatner (who was yet to play Captain Kirk), portraying a man with an intense fear of flying, who had just been discharged from a mental health facility and despite his wife sitting next to him, could not shake off his fear of flying.

It seems as though, during its breaks from dismantling the aircraft’s wing, a mysterious, shaggy-furred figure is occasionally spotted peeking in through the window. Yet, one may question if this is indeed the case.

Twilight Zone: The Movie Version

In my perspective, while both the 1963 episode and the one portrayed in “Twilight Zone: The Movie” deviate slightly from the original material, I find these differences to be minimal. In Rod Serling’s initial tale, his wife isn’t by his side, and rather than obtaining a weapon from a slumbering officer, he had concealed it on himself before boarding the flight.

A key difference in the narrative is the absence of any hospitalization-related details. However, it’s noted that he uses Dramamine due to flight-induced anxiety.

However, he refers to the creature on the wing as a “gremlin,” which, as detailed in both the narrative and the film titled “Gremlins,” is a term that originated during World War II, where it was employed to describe pilots who reported seeing UFOs.

In my perspective as a movie enthusiast, the elements missing from the original episode are not brought back for the version shown in “Twilight Zone: The Movie.” Much like its interpretation of “It’s a Good Life,” this adaptation predominantly adheres to the source material that inspired it. In the “Twilight Zone: The Movie” adaptation, directed by George Miller (creator of “Mad Max”), John Lithgow takes on the role of John Valentine.

In a similar vein to how Robert Wilson’s character, Shatner, deals with his fear of heights in the episode “Valentine,” our protagonist, Valentine, suffers from a phobia of open spaces, or aerophobia. Spotting the gremlin on board the plane, Valentine is already in the throes of a panic attack, and this sight only worsens his condition. Much like Wilson, Valentine reaches for a nearby security guard’s gun and fires at the gremlin through a window. However, an unexpected twist occurs when the gremlin snatches the gun from Valentine’s grasp and leaps away from the aircraft, disappearing into the sky.

In addition, the similarities continue beyond what’s been mentioned so far. The concluding part of the film’s segment depicts genuine damage to the plane’s wing that bears an uncanny resemblance to deliberate sabotage rather than mere weather damage (which was a contributing factor in both the incident and the movie scene).

The Twilight Zone (2019) Version

In a fresh twist for its second installment, Jordan Peele’s 2019 reboot of the story deviated from the original. The character reminiscent to those portrayed by William Shatner and Dick Lithgow in earlier versions is now played by Adam Scott, star from ‘Parks and Recreation’. However, unlike previous iterations that continued the narrative, this time around the Gremlin decided to step out of the storyline.

In a more conversational style, the scenario could be rephrased as: Scott assumes the role of Justin Sanderson, a reporter tormented by PTSD, who embarks on “Flight 1015.” As he settles into his seat, he unexpectedly finds an MP3 player playing a podcast titled “Enigmatique” that happens to be discussing the disappearance of none other than flight 1015.

As a movie buff, I’d rephrase it like this: In this podcast, they discuss how it was a fellow traveler who mysteriously caused our plane to vanish. Caught up in the chaos, I found myself sharing my tale with everyone on board, but only one person listened – a seasoned pilot I’d just met at the airport and happened to be aboard as well. Little did I know, this ex-pilot was the mastermind behind our plane being hijacked, and unknowingly, I had aided him in his scheme.

Currently, they along with the fellow travelers find themselves marooned on an island. As per the podcast, the passengers and crew were successfully rescued from their predicament, but sadly, Sanderson remains unaccounted for. However, the podcast’s accuracy is undeniable, as it was indeed the passengers and crew who took Sanderson’s life.

Nightmare at 30,000 Feet” deviates impressively from its original and previous versions, but overall, it falls short as a captivating tale. The charisma of Scott can’t entirely compensate for its predictable nature. It seems that the Gremlin character might be crucial to make this story shine more effectively.

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2025-05-17 05:41