I thought I had seen most Twilight Zones until I caught this one on a Newfoundland station at 2:00 am. It surprised me...and in a good way. A frightening visual to start. A strong twist midway through (not at the end as usual with The Zone). Also the story took the characters outside the series usual sets and back-lots. The characters show Serling's usual level of humanism but with a disturbing realistic edge for the series. Finally, it becomes a very personal story and leaves out the moralizing which could sometimes bog down the series. In many ways a perfect short story with just enough to fill out 24 minutes. The only flaw...the direction was a bit heavy handed at times.
28 Reviews
Doppelganger!
Hitchcoc18 December 2008
A young woman in white is out horseback riding near her father's estate. On a ridge she sees a maniacal black figure. A middle aged woman who screams and then pursues her back to the house. She backs off as the young woman gets to her destination. The young woman is to be married soon to an accountant. As her father and fiancé try to comfort her, a handsome young man comes to the door to see her. Apparently, he is quite taken with her but has been told to stay away. There is obviously a spark still there. The father eventually pulls a gun on him. The father is a dominating figure and always gets his way. The rest of the episode is about the future results of these actions. We have two figures of the same person at different times in their lives; yet they are in the same time dimension. We get to see what will happen and it is not pretty. Quite a good episode with a lot of unanswered questions about what can be and what will be.
Eerie
chelseamccarty-cm12 August 2013
I have given this episode a 7/10, but keep in mind that is on a scale in comparison to the rest of TZ episodes.
Rarely do TZ episodes truly give me the creeps, but this episode does. It is almost horrific in a way. I love TZ for so much, and being creepy is naturally a part of it. However, with this episode it is just disturbing. The reoccurring scenes and the simplicity of the makeup and long black hair are probably what makes this simple episode so frightening.
If you don't see this episode for everything it truly is then you won't be as disturbed by it. However, all the same, you should watch it. XD
Rarely do TZ episodes truly give me the creeps, but this episode does. It is almost horrific in a way. I love TZ for so much, and being creepy is naturally a part of it. However, with this episode it is just disturbing. The reoccurring scenes and the simplicity of the makeup and long black hair are probably what makes this simple episode so frightening.
If you don't see this episode for everything it truly is then you won't be as disturbed by it. However, all the same, you should watch it. XD
Catch Me if You Can
dougdoepke4 February 2007
What lingers from this otherwise ordinary episode are several arresting visuals. While on a routine horseback ride, debutante Diana Hyland suddenly encounters a menacing black clad rider silhouetted against the sky. In a close-up, we see the ravaged face of a middle-age woman, her features twisted into a grimace. The figure swoops down from the hill top to chase after the fleeing Hyland. But who is this figure of doom and why is she pursuing such a harmless looking lass as the about-to-be-married Hyland. These first few minutes amount to an intriguing set-up, very well filmed, the color contrast between the riders both arresting and misleading. The rest of the episode may not equal this early plateau; however, the solution remains reasonably satisfying, and one, I suspect, many would like to apply to their own lives. The cast is notable for the presence of Hyland, an excellent actress who unfortunately died young, and for Marsha Hunt as the mother, the victim of a decade or so of political blacklisting.
Scary Stuff
ron_tepper9 October 2007
Warning: Spoilers
A beautiful young woman dressed in white goes horseback riding on a bright summer's day when she spots something horrific-an evil woman dressed in Black who yells out a scream and tries to hunt her down with the apparent attempt of doing harm.This begins episode along with "22" and "Perchance to Dream" has to be the 3 most scary Twilight Zones in the entire Twilight Zone series. I saw this when it 1st came out-I was 10 years old and have also seen it since. As a 10 year old it made me want to hide under the bed and close my eyes The following contains a spoiler so stop reading if you don't know the ending The episode was good and it sends a universal message that runs thru many of Serlings episodes-"what if we could turn the clock back and relive our lives all over again-would our choices be different? The thing that hurt this episode is the fact that you are not supposed to know who the black figured woman is. cameras got too close and you could see that both women-the one in black and the one in white (she is terrifying) are the same woman!! Although this is an episode which relied more on message than twist, it takes away from the impact. It was still one of the best episodes of that final season.You won't want to go horseback riding ever again !
Dark Rider
AaronCapenBanner7 November 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Diana Hyland stars as Anne Marie Henderson, 18 years-old in 1939 who is being terrorized by a mysterious black-clad older woman on horseback who chases and screams at her. Anne returns home to her parents, who are with a young man named Robert that they want her to marry, but she is still in love with another man named David, with whom she does in fact run away with and marry, though 25 years later, her life a bitter disappointment, now understands who that dark rider was, and why she chased her... Reasonably eerie episode isn't quite as effective as it might have been(identity of the rider is obvious), but Hyland is quite good here, and unexpectedly ironic climatic twist is memorable.
The looking glass is looked at twice at both ends
bkoganbing4 September 2018
A really fascinating Twilight Zone story which begins with young Diana Hyland
who is well fixed going riding on the family estate shortly before she is to be
wed to Robert Hogan. A mysterious woman in black spots her from a distance
as Hyland spots the mystery woman. The mystery girl rides after her chasing
her back to the estate where Hyland's parents Marsha Hunt and Philip Ober
try to calm her down. Young Roger Davis arrives who Hyland threw overboard
for Hogan also comes to plead his case for the last time.
If you think you know what's going you do not. You might guess part of it, but not all of it. But this does involve three of the cast members giving a different view of themselves.
In the end just who exactly was in The Twilight Zone?
If you think you know what's going you do not. You might guess part of it, but not all of it. But this does involve three of the cast members giving a different view of themselves.
In the end just who exactly was in The Twilight Zone?
A bad marriage with not a lot of possibilities to choose from...
aliases-533349 February 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Interesting enough, this episode did have its twist in the middle, rather than the end, and it worked, as I was truly surprised. I do think this episode makes you think about the choices we make, and what "true love" is really about, is it enough? or should we look much deeper when we choose a spouse. However! the problem with the story here is that - first of all, who's to say that the other man was any good at all?? Anne might have been in just as worst a situation with the other guy her father meant for her to marry, and the story did not pay any attention to that very plausible possibility. The best thing for her to have done was to go to school and forget about getting married at all. but those were different times...
Acting could also have been better too, and quite over reaching... the script could have been better as well, suggesting Anne was a spoiled brat, when what she had meant was probably that she would be better off on her own.
Acting could also have been better too, and quite over reaching... the script could have been better as well, suggesting Anne was a spoiled brat, when what she had meant was probably that she would be better off on her own.
Life"s Lessons Learned Too Late
joposa1 April 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Many Twilight Zone episodes have a moral, or lesson, and this episode is one of them.
The year is 1939. On the day she is supposed to marry Robert Blake, young heiress Ann Henderson, wearing a white blouse, is out riding horseback on her father's estate when she finds herself being chased by a hideous creature clad in black, also on horseback. This other rider screams what sounds like a screeching war cry, and seems to charge at Ann. Ann is terrorized and rides back home as fast as she can, losing the other rider. She tells her parents and her betrothed about her experience. Then, in bursts an impetuous young man, poor and rebellious David Mitchell, who is the opposite of Robert, who is well-to-do, well behaved, and approved by Ann's austere parents.
We soon learn, as does Robert, that Ann really loves David, when, on what was supposed to be his and Ann's wedding night, Robert spies Ann and David kissing like two true lovers. The sad, heartbroken expression on Robert's face is palpable.
Fast forward to contemporary times (1964). Ann is miserable and, like her lazy free-spending husband, David, her "true lover", she is an alcoholic. Her mother is still alive and widowed, and constantly lectures Ann about what she and David are doing to the late Mr. Henderson's estate and legacy. One morning, after another argument with David, which is a constant routine in their miserable marriage, Ann, clad in black, goes out horseback riding, her favorite pastime. While riding, she sees a younger woman, wearing a white blouse, also riding on the estate she now owns. We soon learn that the older Ann is herself the "hideous creature", chasing after the younger Ann (who is still in 1939), not to harm her, but to warn her that she is about to make a mistake she will regret for the rest of her life, their lives. That screeching scream the audience hears is merely her calling out young Ann's name. It was purposely made to sound so hideous and incoherent to us because that is how it sounded to young Ann, who is completely and hopelessly unaware of the black clad rider's true intentions. The older Ann will repeat this routine every morning, which will apparently be a repeat of the same morning back in 1939, the day she was supposed to marry Robert. Her efforts will end in vain every time, because, like the song says, "You Can't Ever Go Home Again".
Many of us do essentially what the older Ann was doing, trying to turn back time, undoing much of what we did wrong and do it over. But, alas, life does not grant such do-overs. Try to get it right the first time!
At the episode's end, we see the contemporary Ann stop riding, breathing hard. It might have been more dramatic, and fitting, if she had started to break down crying, a reflection of the fact that deep down she knows that this routine is a grand exercise in futility.
The year is 1939. On the day she is supposed to marry Robert Blake, young heiress Ann Henderson, wearing a white blouse, is out riding horseback on her father's estate when she finds herself being chased by a hideous creature clad in black, also on horseback. This other rider screams what sounds like a screeching war cry, and seems to charge at Ann. Ann is terrorized and rides back home as fast as she can, losing the other rider. She tells her parents and her betrothed about her experience. Then, in bursts an impetuous young man, poor and rebellious David Mitchell, who is the opposite of Robert, who is well-to-do, well behaved, and approved by Ann's austere parents.
We soon learn, as does Robert, that Ann really loves David, when, on what was supposed to be his and Ann's wedding night, Robert spies Ann and David kissing like two true lovers. The sad, heartbroken expression on Robert's face is palpable.
Fast forward to contemporary times (1964). Ann is miserable and, like her lazy free-spending husband, David, her "true lover", she is an alcoholic. Her mother is still alive and widowed, and constantly lectures Ann about what she and David are doing to the late Mr. Henderson's estate and legacy. One morning, after another argument with David, which is a constant routine in their miserable marriage, Ann, clad in black, goes out horseback riding, her favorite pastime. While riding, she sees a younger woman, wearing a white blouse, also riding on the estate she now owns. We soon learn that the older Ann is herself the "hideous creature", chasing after the younger Ann (who is still in 1939), not to harm her, but to warn her that she is about to make a mistake she will regret for the rest of her life, their lives. That screeching scream the audience hears is merely her calling out young Ann's name. It was purposely made to sound so hideous and incoherent to us because that is how it sounded to young Ann, who is completely and hopelessly unaware of the black clad rider's true intentions. The older Ann will repeat this routine every morning, which will apparently be a repeat of the same morning back in 1939, the day she was supposed to marry Robert. Her efforts will end in vain every time, because, like the song says, "You Can't Ever Go Home Again".
Many of us do essentially what the older Ann was doing, trying to turn back time, undoing much of what we did wrong and do it over. But, alas, life does not grant such do-overs. Try to get it right the first time!
At the episode's end, we see the contemporary Ann stop riding, breathing hard. It might have been more dramatic, and fitting, if she had started to break down crying, a reflection of the fact that deep down she knows that this routine is a grand exercise in futility.
"I think a good stiff drink is in order, don't you?"
classicsoncall17 August 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Well it's a pretty safe bet this isn't the way Anne Marie Henderson (Diana Hyland) planned things out for herself. But that's how life usually works in the real world, much less The Twilight Zone. However you don't generally find a story like this - the young socialite runs off with the man she really loves instead of marrying the rich investment banker her folks approve of, and then he turns out to be a bum! Whoa, it's the guy she abandons that's supposed to be a louse! Then swirl it all together in that bizarre confluence of time and space and you have the ingredients of a surreal mind bender.
Here's the question mark I have - when were the events taking place? Was it young Anne or older Anne that existed in the 'present' day? Was the engagement party referred to held in 1939 or 1963? I guess it doesn't matter much, but I have to agree with another reviewer on this board. The way to make an impression on your youthful alter-ego is to forego the Halloween witch outfit and just introduce yourself without screaming like a banshee. Would the message have been any easier to accept? Maybe so, if Anne had brought along twenty five year older David for the ride.
Here's the question mark I have - when were the events taking place? Was it young Anne or older Anne that existed in the 'present' day? Was the engagement party referred to held in 1939 or 1963? I guess it doesn't matter much, but I have to agree with another reviewer on this board. The way to make an impression on your youthful alter-ego is to forego the Halloween witch outfit and just introduce yourself without screaming like a banshee. Would the message have been any easier to accept? Maybe so, if Anne had brought along twenty five year older David for the ride.
Teenagers never listen.
BA_Harrison17 April 2022
Instead of marrying trustworthy Robert Blake (Robert Hogan), as her parents would like, 18-year-old Anne Henderson (Diana Hyland) runs off with her childhood sweetheart David Mitchell, and spends the rest of her life regretting it, so much so that her future self tries to go back in time and warn her.
Rather stupidly, 43-year-old Anne dresses like a scary witch, and chases after her younger self on a black horse screeching 'Anne' threateningly at the top of her voice, which unsurprisingly scares young Anne away. Had she dressed normally and approached her 18-year-old self calmly, she might have managed to change events.
Thus, this is one of the weaker episodes of The Twilight Zone, a fundamentally flawed tale that offers a smattering of intrigue, but little in the way of a satisfying resolution.
Rather stupidly, 43-year-old Anne dresses like a scary witch, and chases after her younger self on a black horse screeching 'Anne' threateningly at the top of her voice, which unsurprisingly scares young Anne away. Had she dressed normally and approached her 18-year-old self calmly, she might have managed to change events.
Thus, this is one of the weaker episodes of The Twilight Zone, a fundamentally flawed tale that offers a smattering of intrigue, but little in the way of a satisfying resolution.
Correction!
CherCee25 August 2022
The Present Cannot Change the Past
claudio_carvalho31 October 2023
The eighteen-year-old Anne Henderson is riding a horse, when she sees a scary woman wearing black calling her and riding to her. She flees to her house, where her parents Mr. And Mrs. Henderson and her fiancé Robert Blake are waiting for her. Mr. Henderson calls the police, while her mother and Robert comfort her. Out of the blue, her former boyfriend David Mitchell invades her house and tells to Anne that he loves her. Twenty-five years later, Anne remembers that day talking to her mother.
"Spur of the Moment" is an episode of "The Twilight Zone" about the regret for mistakes in the youth that everyone has certainly committed. Unfortunately, the present cannot change the past, but only the future. Anne Henderson will certainly regret that day for the rest of her life. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Impulso Repentino" ("Sudden Impulse")
"Spur of the Moment" is an episode of "The Twilight Zone" about the regret for mistakes in the youth that everyone has certainly committed. Unfortunately, the present cannot change the past, but only the future. Anne Henderson will certainly regret that day for the rest of her life. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Impulso Repentino" ("Sudden Impulse")
Weird, scary opening, but it all could have worked so well.
darrenpearce11118 January 2014
An eerie opening makes this one seem a lot more promising than it turns out to be. Anne (Diana Hyland),age 18, is out riding when she gets pursued by an older, black-cloaked, scary woman also on horseback screaming 'Anne'. Poetic, haunting sort of imagery for what was also a great plot idea idea from the great Richard Matheson. Unfortunately it all gets done in such a soap-like way. The characters don't generate much interest, not even Anne ,a spoiled rich girl, who needs to be more sympathetic for this to work. The chance is wasted to explore the subject matter deeper. If only this had been in the first series when Rod Serling saw to it that almost all the stories received a polished production! There is a clever dual perspective about it, but sadly it gets somewhat unseated in the middle.
Interesting episode, but with a few flaws
spenrh4 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
There are some interesting moments in this Twilight zone episode, such as the wealthy family of spoiled 18 year old woman Ann who has been cottled and protected by her seemingly loving mother and strong willed father who won't hesitate to point a gun at any unwanted guests in their big fancy estate. It's a country estate with family members' horses saddled outside it and rural countryside and meadows surrounding the area where 18 year old ann encounters the strange screaming woman in black who chases her back to her mother's arms and father's unyeilding protection. The strange woman shown at the episode's start is its first flaw, we get a close-up view of her right then and there and we can clearly see that she's an older version of Ann as she's chasing her younger self. That in itself ruins the mystery and would-be twist that shouldn't have been revealed until later in the ep.
18 year old Ann's father had a suiter to his liking that he wanted her to marry and really didn't like Brian, the headstrong and not too stable guy who Ann really loved. We then cut to 25 years later where it's revealed that Brian is who she ended up with, and now has serious regrets about as he's angry and miserable, and Ann is now also that way, and a bitter alcoholic. Ann's mother is also now more bitter, and it is revealed that her father has now passed away. It's also revealed how she is angry that her father cottled her so much and never let her become independent and able to make her own decisions. However though, she did. She married the guy that her dad didn't want her to be with, and now regrets it. So I'm not really sure why she's so upset about how her dad controlled her. She didn't marry the guy her dad wanted her to be with, and she may have ended up much happier if she did.
Another flaw is how we're given no explanation on how 43 year old Ann managed to travel back in time 25 years to try and warn her younger self who not to marry. There were no shown mechanisms on how she did it, and no scenes with her arriving back in 1939 and showing us her intrigued emotions of her experience of doing so. Also, if Ann wanted so badly to change her destiny, why did she scream so maniacally and scare the life out of her younger counterpart, especially now that she had memories of how much that frightened her? I realize that she was drunk and angry so that may be down to that she was unable to control herself at that moment no matter how hard she hadn't previously wanted to do so. She might've simply just been destined to act that way at that moment, I don't know.
Some of this ep was still interesting enough, and mildly enjoyable in parts. It just wasn't my favorite TZ ep though.
18 year old Ann's father had a suiter to his liking that he wanted her to marry and really didn't like Brian, the headstrong and not too stable guy who Ann really loved. We then cut to 25 years later where it's revealed that Brian is who she ended up with, and now has serious regrets about as he's angry and miserable, and Ann is now also that way, and a bitter alcoholic. Ann's mother is also now more bitter, and it is revealed that her father has now passed away. It's also revealed how she is angry that her father cottled her so much and never let her become independent and able to make her own decisions. However though, she did. She married the guy that her dad didn't want her to be with, and now regrets it. So I'm not really sure why she's so upset about how her dad controlled her. She didn't marry the guy her dad wanted her to be with, and she may have ended up much happier if she did.
Another flaw is how we're given no explanation on how 43 year old Ann managed to travel back in time 25 years to try and warn her younger self who not to marry. There were no shown mechanisms on how she did it, and no scenes with her arriving back in 1939 and showing us her intrigued emotions of her experience of doing so. Also, if Ann wanted so badly to change her destiny, why did she scream so maniacally and scare the life out of her younger counterpart, especially now that she had memories of how much that frightened her? I realize that she was drunk and angry so that may be down to that she was unable to control herself at that moment no matter how hard she hadn't previously wanted to do so. She might've simply just been destined to act that way at that moment, I don't know.
Some of this ep was still interesting enough, and mildly enjoyable in parts. It just wasn't my favorite TZ ep though.
Ride for your life
Calicodreamin23 June 2021
NIGHTMARE IN BROAD DAYLIGHT...
tcchelsey21 November 2023
10 STARS.
I'll bet this eerie story was partly due to a dream, and thanks to Richard Matheson, the spinner of some weird tales from the beyond. You have to admit, it's something like a nightmare sequence and could have doubled as an episode from Alfred Hitchcock's own tv show.
Diana Hyland is terrific as a young lady named Anne Henderson, who goes horseback riding one fine day --only to meet up with a macabre version of herself from the future! An outstanding story, and one that will stay with you for awhile.
The other lady on horseback looks like a witch, dressed in black and with a screeching voice. She comes with a message of impending doom, especially since Anne wishes to wed a man who may ruin her life.
Stay tuned... it gets creepy.
Well directed by Elliott Silverstein, who headed four episodes for the series. Silverstein directed many episodes of NAKED CITY, and the classic western CAT BALLOU. Top cast, including Marsha Hunt as Mrs. Henderson and Philp Ober as Anne's father, in one of his best dramatic roles.
From SEASON 5 EPISODE 21 remastered dvd box set. 6 dvds. 2005 release.
I'll bet this eerie story was partly due to a dream, and thanks to Richard Matheson, the spinner of some weird tales from the beyond. You have to admit, it's something like a nightmare sequence and could have doubled as an episode from Alfred Hitchcock's own tv show.
Diana Hyland is terrific as a young lady named Anne Henderson, who goes horseback riding one fine day --only to meet up with a macabre version of herself from the future! An outstanding story, and one that will stay with you for awhile.
The other lady on horseback looks like a witch, dressed in black and with a screeching voice. She comes with a message of impending doom, especially since Anne wishes to wed a man who may ruin her life.
Stay tuned... it gets creepy.
Well directed by Elliott Silverstein, who headed four episodes for the series. Silverstein directed many episodes of NAKED CITY, and the classic western CAT BALLOU. Top cast, including Marsha Hunt as Mrs. Henderson and Philp Ober as Anne's father, in one of his best dramatic roles.
From SEASON 5 EPISODE 21 remastered dvd box set. 6 dvds. 2005 release.
Good idea a bit flawed
kellielulu3 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I guess my biggest issue with the episode is why Anne has to marry either David or Robert? She probably would have divorced Robert the sensible and responsible man her parents wanted her to marry .Looking back at it Robert dodged a bullet. He's literally the only good person in this at least he doesn't seem too bad . I didn't recognize that when I was younger he had the fathers approval and I couldn't stand the father . It seems to be a semi arranged marriage.
David is Anne's rebel boyfriend. Blond and headstrong and full of promises. Anne wants him( or just sex with him) he excites her . Daddy disapproves making David more appealing to Anne. She runs off with David during the evening of her engagement party to Robert!
Twenty five years later everything has changed . Anne and her mother for whatever reason didn't take control or didn't know how. Maybe they thought it was unladylike? The father must have died from shock or something at the elopement of Anne and David . David has run the estate into the ground. Both Ann and David are alcoholics and childless. It is this Anne that's warning her younger self in a pointless attempt to reverse her life.
The 18 year old Anne was too sheltered to know anything and at 18 she wasn't ready for any marriage. The older Anne verbalizes her disdain for her father for making her so ill equipped for life . It's probably the best scene in the episode.
David and Robert are too underwritten they are tropes . David the headstrong romantic and Robert the steady, cautious one opposite of David. We don't however really know what they would be like to be married to. We never see how David might have given us a hint of his true nature or did he really start out sincere and well intentioned but perhaps just weak and not very capable? He does at one point later in the episode break down a bit but was due to his disappointment in himself or that he's no longer adored by his wife?
Robert has even less time . He shows he's willing to go along with Anne's father but also has some sympathy for David. It's hard to say if he would prove to be more his own man or just who his father in law expects him to be.
Edit: stand by my criticisms of this episode but it is pretty entertaining.
David is Anne's rebel boyfriend. Blond and headstrong and full of promises. Anne wants him( or just sex with him) he excites her . Daddy disapproves making David more appealing to Anne. She runs off with David during the evening of her engagement party to Robert!
Twenty five years later everything has changed . Anne and her mother for whatever reason didn't take control or didn't know how. Maybe they thought it was unladylike? The father must have died from shock or something at the elopement of Anne and David . David has run the estate into the ground. Both Ann and David are alcoholics and childless. It is this Anne that's warning her younger self in a pointless attempt to reverse her life.
The 18 year old Anne was too sheltered to know anything and at 18 she wasn't ready for any marriage. The older Anne verbalizes her disdain for her father for making her so ill equipped for life . It's probably the best scene in the episode.
David and Robert are too underwritten they are tropes . David the headstrong romantic and Robert the steady, cautious one opposite of David. We don't however really know what they would be like to be married to. We never see how David might have given us a hint of his true nature or did he really start out sincere and well intentioned but perhaps just weak and not very capable? He does at one point later in the episode break down a bit but was due to his disappointment in himself or that he's no longer adored by his wife?
Robert has even less time . He shows he's willing to go along with Anne's father but also has some sympathy for David. It's hard to say if he would prove to be more his own man or just who his father in law expects him to be.
Edit: stand by my criticisms of this episode but it is pretty entertaining.
Very good and interesting
richspenc29 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I like the actress (Diana Hyland) that plays the girl in this episode. Diana was also in TZ ep "Two" where she and one man are the only people left after a war and are roaming the empty streets of the city together. In this ep, Diano is riding her horse in the country when chased by a mysterious screaming woman in black. Very frightened by it back at her home, we see she lives in quite a big, wealthy, nice house. Then her ex barges in, not to the likings of Diana, and definitely not to the likings of her rich aristocrat father, badgering her to come back to him. Her dad, who sort of looked like and reminded me of Daddy Warbucks from "Annie", along with Diana's present fiancé by his side, gets right on him to get out of their house and out of their lives. Due to having a listening problem, he pulls out a gun to get him out of there. I liked how when he finally left, Diana's fiancé says " I almost feel sorry for him", and her dad replies with a smile "but not quite, right?". Fiancé: "right, not quite". Dad: "I think it's time for a good, stiff, drink". Speaking of drinks, we then cut to about 25-30 years into the future where we see a noticeably aged Diana knocking back liquor and showing us how she has now become a bitter, middle aged, alcoholic. Her mom, who was in the earlier scene with Diana's dad and the whole ex and gun situation, is now also looking noticeably older and a lot more bitter than before. We learn how Diana's dad has now passed on, and that they are bitter because of how badly he spoiled them for so many years.The writers of this episode did an excellent job with makeup of making them look convincingly aged. It just makes me wonder why they didn't do this with TZ ep " sixteen millimeter shrine" when they made the main character Barbara Dean Trenton look exactly the same in her 30 years later scenes from her earlier scenes. That was the one problem that kept that ep from really being good. Oh well, the writers learned from that error in this ep. We also see that 40 something year old Diana ended up marrying the ex, who also looks a lot older, the guy that her dad chased away with a gun 25-30 years earlier. It's there where I assumed that Diana's dad had not only spoiled her, but controlled her, and it was him that forced her to be with that other yuppie fiancé instead of the ex that he chased out with a gun. We then see another scene from years ago when Diana runs from her fiancé to jump into the arms of her ex, and we learned who she really loved. I do understand though why Diana and her mother are so bitter, spending years being spoiled and controlled by someone, and then them passing away leaving them stranded can definitely mess someone up.
SPOILER BELOW
The mysterious screaming woman in black at the beginning of the ep was Diana's older self who apparently traveled back in time to scare her young self away from making the wrong choices. There are definitely better ways she could've approached her instead of screaming like a crazy woman, but that kind of is what she became, she was not too stable anymore, and was also drunk at the time since we saw her knocking back liquor right before jumping on her horse to go back into time to find her 19 year old self. This ep also did not show us how the middle aged Diana went back in time, we saw no machines or mechanisms. I suppose this was sort of like TZ ep "Walking distance" where you could just simply be walking through an invisible time change window and then you're there in the earlier time.
SPOILER BELOW
The mysterious screaming woman in black at the beginning of the ep was Diana's older self who apparently traveled back in time to scare her young self away from making the wrong choices. There are definitely better ways she could've approached her instead of screaming like a crazy woman, but that kind of is what she became, she was not too stable anymore, and was also drunk at the time since we saw her knocking back liquor right before jumping on her horse to go back into time to find her 19 year old self. This ep also did not show us how the middle aged Diana went back in time, we saw no machines or mechanisms. I suppose this was sort of like TZ ep "Walking distance" where you could just simply be walking through an invisible time change window and then you're there in the earlier time.
A Woman Being Chased by Herself
gregorycanfield6 June 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Diana Hyland plays Anne, a seemingly wealthy heiress. As the episode opens, Anne is being chased by a woman dressed in black, and riding a black horse. Anne, of course, is riding a white horse. Apparently, Anne doesn't recognize her own face, figure, or voice. An interesting question is raised. Did the writer of this episode think the viewer wouldn't immediately know that this was two versions of the same person? Twilight Zone usually showed more respect for the viewer's intelligence. The story fluctuates between Anne's present and past life. Who is supposed to be the "real" Anne? The young, nice-looking woman, or the older, not so nice-looking woman? Diana Hyland's performance was good. She managed to make this character both vulnerable and scary. The story is pretty silly, though. A woman on a horse, chasing the younger version of herself, trying to say: "Don't make the same mistake that I made." Except for Diana, this episode has a notably unlikeable, unengaging cast. Overall, could have been better.
Not good.....
lrrap7 August 2019
Richard Matheson's intriguing concept aside, this episode suffers from lifeless direction and staging, usually known to produce overwrought, phony performances....as is the case here.
I agree with other IMDB comments-- including the silliness of the opening scene, where the "old" Diana Hyland screams at her younger self, guaranteed to terrify and send her galloping away. Hardly the way to help her out.
But quality really plummets once Diana hits home, with that interminably long shot of the family "group-hug" as they attempt to comfort her; everyone on screen seems uncomfortable, as if waiting for director Silverstein to give them a hint as to what to do next. How about a few close-ups, alternate angles, etc to add variety to the scene? The momentum of the episode really suffers. Maybe some better dialogue would have also helped. Or how about one of the menfolk running outside to check on the black-clad figure---ANYTHING to liven up this ineptly staged scene.
The big confrontation between David and the father is also pretty lame--very stagey and lacking in any honest intensity. And poor Marsha Hunt just stands around.
The "modern" scenes--despite Matheson's unexpected twist, are particularly bad, with Diana Hyland's over-the-top and even amateurish performance. And why does her hair look EXACTLY like it did 25 years earlier?? Add to it all the customarily grey-toned, clunky musical score of Rene Garraguenc, and you have another of TZ's 5th-season duds. Too bad, since it didn't have to be: Matheson's basic concept and script deserved much better. LR
I agree with other IMDB comments-- including the silliness of the opening scene, where the "old" Diana Hyland screams at her younger self, guaranteed to terrify and send her galloping away. Hardly the way to help her out.
But quality really plummets once Diana hits home, with that interminably long shot of the family "group-hug" as they attempt to comfort her; everyone on screen seems uncomfortable, as if waiting for director Silverstein to give them a hint as to what to do next. How about a few close-ups, alternate angles, etc to add variety to the scene? The momentum of the episode really suffers. Maybe some better dialogue would have also helped. Or how about one of the menfolk running outside to check on the black-clad figure---ANYTHING to liven up this ineptly staged scene.
The big confrontation between David and the father is also pretty lame--very stagey and lacking in any honest intensity. And poor Marsha Hunt just stands around.
The "modern" scenes--despite Matheson's unexpected twist, are particularly bad, with Diana Hyland's over-the-top and even amateurish performance. And why does her hair look EXACTLY like it did 25 years earlier?? Add to it all the customarily grey-toned, clunky musical score of Rene Garraguenc, and you have another of TZ's 5th-season duds. Too bad, since it didn't have to be: Matheson's basic concept and script deserved much better. LR
Who is that old and nasty witch chasing me? Oh, wait...
Coventry10 December 2022
This may not be the best episode of the "Twilight Zone" series, but the least you can say is that it's original, compelling, and containing at least one highly effective and unforeseeable plot-twist. That's more than you get in most movies and TV-series, right?
Shortly before her marriage with the carefully selected - by her parents - nobleman Robert Blake, the stunningly gorgeous 18-year-old Anne Henderson goes out riding with her horse and gets the fright of her life when she's suddenly pursued by a hysterically shrieking woman in black. Any viewer can plainly see the woman is an older version of Anne, but the girl doesn't recognize herself. Only years and years later, Anne discovers she wasted a unique opportunity to warn her stubborn younger self about the wrong decisions she was about to make. Maybe - just maybe - try starting a calm and normal conversation next time, rather than acting like a deranged witch...
I know that many people, whose opinions I usually agree with, dislike this episode, but yours truly has a weakness for Sci-Fi/melodrama tales featuring time-traveling, inexplicable paradoxes, and the supernatural messing with the characters' minds. In other words, I liked it a lot and particularly appreciated the twist regarding the "wrong choice" as well as the visible agony and disappointment in "elderly" Anne's eyes and voice. Splendid performance by Diane Hyland, by the way! Rest assured, also, a combination of Rod Serling (creator), Richard Matheson (writer), and Elliot Silverstein (director) practically cannot fail.
Shortly before her marriage with the carefully selected - by her parents - nobleman Robert Blake, the stunningly gorgeous 18-year-old Anne Henderson goes out riding with her horse and gets the fright of her life when she's suddenly pursued by a hysterically shrieking woman in black. Any viewer can plainly see the woman is an older version of Anne, but the girl doesn't recognize herself. Only years and years later, Anne discovers she wasted a unique opportunity to warn her stubborn younger self about the wrong decisions she was about to make. Maybe - just maybe - try starting a calm and normal conversation next time, rather than acting like a deranged witch...
I know that many people, whose opinions I usually agree with, dislike this episode, but yours truly has a weakness for Sci-Fi/melodrama tales featuring time-traveling, inexplicable paradoxes, and the supernatural messing with the characters' minds. In other words, I liked it a lot and particularly appreciated the twist regarding the "wrong choice" as well as the visible agony and disappointment in "elderly" Anne's eyes and voice. Splendid performance by Diane Hyland, by the way! Rest assured, also, a combination of Rod Serling (creator), Richard Matheson (writer), and Elliot Silverstein (director) practically cannot fail.
An interesting but flawed episode
getfitforlife-5257626 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
The theme of this episode is about choice. There is an opportunity and a consequence to each choice that we make in life. In this story, 18-year-old Anne Marie Henderson is on a routine horseback ride near her father's estate. She is engaged and her engagement party is later that night. She suddenly encounters a menacing middle-aged woman dressed in black approaching her on horseback. Unsurprisingly frightened, she flees back to her father's estate where she is comforted by her parents and her fiancée though he makes an insensitive joke about the whole ordeal. Suddenly, her childhood sweetheart and ex-fiancée barges into the estate, pleading for one more chance. Her parents clearly don't approve of the ex and while Anne Marie is clearly upset that her ex is there, she doesn't necessarily tell him to leave, indicating she still has feelings for him. Flash forward to the present where the mysterious woman is actually Anne Marie herself, a depressed, destitute, and drunken woman. This is all because of the decisions she made that fateful night.
This is an interesting episode that signifies that in everyone's life there is that so called "fork in the road" moment. To me what brings this episode down a notch is why did the "older" Anne Marie suddenly stopped chasing the "younger" Anne Marie? And also think of the logic of the episode. "Older" Anne Marie knew where her father's estate was back then, why not go there to warn her? These are some of the things that were left out in this episode, but it does talk about our life choices that we make. I give this a 6 out of 10.
This is an interesting episode that signifies that in everyone's life there is that so called "fork in the road" moment. To me what brings this episode down a notch is why did the "older" Anne Marie suddenly stopped chasing the "younger" Anne Marie? And also think of the logic of the episode. "Older" Anne Marie knew where her father's estate was back then, why not go there to warn her? These are some of the things that were left out in this episode, but it does talk about our life choices that we make. I give this a 6 out of 10.
Crap.
planktonrules29 May 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This episode proves that even with very good show like "The Twlight Zone", there are going to be some duds and this one is a definite DUD. Anne (Diana Hyland) is a rich heiress. One day she's out on horseback when a mysterious figure in black approaches her on a horse yelling her name. It turns out this is herself from years later trying to somehow warn her not to marry some stupid bum, as it will ruin their lives.
Problem number one: When you DO somehow have the chance to meet an earlier version of yourself and you want to warn yourself NOT to do something, don't start screeching your name like a crazy person. This will make the younger you run in terror. In this show, the older Anne is apparently stupid and acts accordingly.
Problem number two: When some odd person calls your name, you could answer or talk to them. But instead, you get all histrionic and have palpitations and whine a lot after running away from her. Nuff said.
Overall, BOTH versions of Anne are morons and their actions make no sense. As a result, the entire episode is pretty much a waste of time. No irony, no twist...just a very dumb lady!
I suspect this episode was actually written by Rod Serling's cat. Seriously.
Problem number one: When you DO somehow have the chance to meet an earlier version of yourself and you want to warn yourself NOT to do something, don't start screeching your name like a crazy person. This will make the younger you run in terror. In this show, the older Anne is apparently stupid and acts accordingly.
Problem number two: When some odd person calls your name, you could answer or talk to them. But instead, you get all histrionic and have palpitations and whine a lot after running away from her. Nuff said.
Overall, BOTH versions of Anne are morons and their actions make no sense. As a result, the entire episode is pretty much a waste of time. No irony, no twist...just a very dumb lady!
I suspect this episode was actually written by Rod Serling's cat. Seriously.
Clarify a confused point -> it was intentional
benk19766 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Listen, the identity of the rider and the young woman as the same person is in no way supposed to be hidden. The twist isn't that they are the same person. The only possible "twist" is if the message she is trying to convey is the cause of the perceived error.
It's a classic trapped by fate play. Does the disappointing choice occur because she tried to intervene or would it have happened anyways?
Can you change using lessons learned if by changing the past you would not have learned that very lesson? Is it folly to think that if you could do it again that you even could do it differently? One possible lesson is forgiveness - don't judge yourself too harshly for errors of the past because you were a different person; a person who had not learned the lesson yet. Indeed, being preoccupied and tormented by obsession with a perceived past mistake only amplifies the mistake by making it manifest in the present. If the older Anne wasn't obsessed by a moment in her past perhaps she could have avoided a bitter life by changing things in here ongoing present.
Point is - the identity of the riders as the same person separated by time being obvious is intentional. They knew how to shoot an entire episode without revealing faces at all until the end. If they wanted to hide the identity they could have done so. To assume the point is a "twist" of being the same person is to completely water down, underestimate, even belittle Rod Sterling's capacity and capability.
It's a classic trapped by fate play. Does the disappointing choice occur because she tried to intervene or would it have happened anyways?
Can you change using lessons learned if by changing the past you would not have learned that very lesson? Is it folly to think that if you could do it again that you even could do it differently? One possible lesson is forgiveness - don't judge yourself too harshly for errors of the past because you were a different person; a person who had not learned the lesson yet. Indeed, being preoccupied and tormented by obsession with a perceived past mistake only amplifies the mistake by making it manifest in the present. If the older Anne wasn't obsessed by a moment in her past perhaps she could have avoided a bitter life by changing things in here ongoing present.
Point is - the identity of the riders as the same person separated by time being obvious is intentional. They knew how to shoot an entire episode without revealing faces at all until the end. If they wanted to hide the identity they could have done so. To assume the point is a "twist" of being the same person is to completely water down, underestimate, even belittle Rod Sterling's capacity and capability.
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