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Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone Follow-up Was An Underrated Horror Masterpiece

Published

3 days ago

6th July 2025

Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone remains one of the most influential TV shows ever created. Airing from 1959 to 1964, the iconic anthology series redefined storytelling on the small screen, blending science fiction, social commentary, and twist endings in a way that had never been seen before. Much of the show’s lasting power comes down to Serling himself – the sharpness of his writing and his iconic presence as host. Whether he was exposing Cold War paranoia or existential dread, Serling never underestimated the intelligence of his audience, making The Twilight Zone a timeless viewing experience.

However, The Twilight Zone wasn’t the only anthology series created by Rod Serling. After The Twilight Zone ended its landmark run, Serling would return to the format with another series that delved even deeper into the shadows. Though it didn’t achieve the same enduring mainstream legacy, his next horror-focused project was no less powerful, and was a chilling viewing experience that deserves far more recognition than it usually gets. While it lives in the shadow of its predecessor, Rod Serling’s Night Gallery was a masterclass in eerie storytelling.

Night Gallery Is The Twilight Zone’s Darker Sibling

Serling’s Second Anthology Series Took A More Overtly Macabre Approach But Shared The Same Storytelling Soul As The Twilight Zone

Rod Serling in front of a painting in Night Gallery

After the end of The Twilight Zone, Rod Serling wasn’t finished exploring strange new worlds – he just chose to paint them with darker, bloodier colors. Night Gallery, which ran from 1969 to 1973, was Serling’s second anthology series, and it leaned far more into horror than science fiction.

While The Twilight Zone was cerebral and often speculative, Night Gallery embraced a gothic, sometimes grotesque atmosphere that made it a spiritual cousin rather than a carbon copy. Each episode of Night Gallery was framed by Serling himself, who served once again as both host and writer. This time, he introduced stories not from a cosmic dimension, but from the shadowy halls of an art gallery.

Underneath all the rotting corpses and cursed canvases, Night Gallery retained that same Rod Serling DNA

Each tale in Night Gallery was represented by a painting, which Serling would unveil to the camera – a device that instantly set the tone for the more visual, psychological horrors that followed. The series debuted with a 1969 pilot movie featuring three stories, including “Eyes,” which marked the directorial debut of Steven Spielberg. The Night Gallery pilot was so well-received that NBC greenlit the full series the following year.

While The Twilight Zone often left room for hope or moral clarity, Night Gallery was bleaker. The horror in Serling’s Twilight Zone follow-up often stemmed from humanity’s cruelty, selfishness, or blind ambition. Stories like “The Caterpillar” and “The Doll” still haunt viewers with their skin-crawling imagery and twisted conclusions.

The dozens of stories in Night Gallery dealt in cursed objects, vengeful spirits, and psychological torment, drawing more from the legacy left by authors like Edgar Allan Poe than Issac Asimov. Yet underneath all the rotting corpses and cursed canvases, Night Gallery retained that same Rod Serling DNA: an incisive look at the human condition wrapped in genre storytelling.

Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone may have set the bar, but Night Gallery proved that his talent for blending the strange and the socially relevant wasn’t a one-time feat. It was simply a different kind of nightmare – one painted in darker hues.

Rod Serling’s Horror Anthology Show Mixed Original Stories With Chilling Adaptations

Classic Literary Horror And Serling’s Original Tales Collided In A Uniquely Unsettling Anthology Format

One of the most fascinating elements of Night Gallery was its mix of original stories and adapted horror classics. Rod Serling penned many episodes himself, just as he did for The Twilight Zone, but Night Gallery also adapted works by iconic horror writers like H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, and Algernon Blackwood.

This literary edge gave the show a timeless quality. It was rooted in horror’s past even as it experimented with television’s future. Episodes like “Pickman’s Model,” adapted from Lovecraft, captured the eerie, oppressive tone of the original short story, while others like “The Sins of the Fathers” tackled period horror with striking visuals and disturbing themes.

In an age before horror anthologies were common, Night Gallery was doing something bold: marrying the established masters of the macabre with modern television storytelling. Rod Serling served as the bridge between these worlds, writing many of the original segments himself and injecting his trademark moral scrutiny and philosophical musings.

All 5 Seasons Of The Twilight Zone, Ranked Worst To Best

While this classic anthology series was an iconic show for five seasons, some seasons failed to sustain the charm the show is celebrated for.

However, despite Serling’s passion for the show, Night Gallery wasn’t without behind-the-scenes conflict. NBC took a more hands-on approach than CBS had with The Twilight Zone, and Serling was frequently frustrated by creative interference. He had less control over the final product than he did on his earlier series, and producers often re-edited or trimmed his scripts. Over time, Serling became increasingly disillusioned with the network’s handling of the series – a creative tension that many fans believe contributed to Night Gallery‘s cancellation in 1973.

Still, even when constrained, Serling’s voice came through. Episodes like “They’re Tearing Down Tim Riley’s Bar” – a rare character-driven story in a horror-leaning anthology – reminded audiences that he could still deliver deeply moving television. Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone proved his genius, but Night Gallery reinforced that his talents weren’t confined to one format or network. It was a series where horror met poetry, and where Serling’s creative soul was on full display, even in the darkest corners.

Night Gallery Inspired One Of The Most Celebrated Movie Directors Of The Last Few Decades

Guillermo Del Toro, Steven Spielberg, And The Simpsons Have All Paid Tribute To Night Gallery’s Chilling Legacy

Bart in front of a painting in The Simpsons Treehouse Of Horror 4

Though Night Gallery doesn’t have the same pop culture prominence as The Twilight Zone, its influence runs deep, especially among storytellers who grew up watching it. One of the show’s most vocal admirers is Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, who has repeatedly cited Night Gallery as one of the formative inspirations for his love of horror and fantasy (via Far Out):

“Night Gallery is still the foundation of what I love, Night Gallery stays in my mind… and it forms my roots as a storyteller.”

It’s not hard to see the connection. Del Toro’s fascination with haunted objects, tragic monsters, and painterly visuals all echo the mood and aesthetic of Night Gallery. The show’s structure – horror tales introduced through art – mirrors del Toro’s own gothic sensibilities. He’d even go on to helm a similar anthology horror show of his own, 2022’s Cabinet of Curiosities.

For a generation of horror fans and creators, Night Gallery was a gateway into the strange and the sublime, offering stories that frightened, disturbed, and lingered. The show also holds a place in the origin stories of other major creators. Steven Spielberg’s first professional directing gig came from Night Gallery‘s pilot movie, helming the Joan Crawford-led segment “Eyes.”

It’s hard to imagine a Hollywood without Steven Spielberg, and Night Gallery is responsible for launching his legendary career. Even The Simpsons paid homage in the Treehouse of Horror IV, which had Bart stepping into Sterling’s role and setting up each segment by telling the audience a story about a painting.

Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone will always be the crown jewel of his legacy, but Night Gallery is one of the best horror TV shows of the 1970s (and, for some fans, all time) and deserves more credit than it gets. It may not be quoted as often or revived as frequently, but it quietly shaped horror on television and beyond. For fans willing to look past its flaws – and the long shadow of its predecessor – Night Gallery remains a haunting, underrated masterpiece that influenced some of the greatest cinematic storytellers of all time.