The Twilight Zone is a series that, like the strange tales that populate it, seems to take a different form every few years. In addition to Rod Serling‘s original run from 1959-1964, The Twilight Zone would see a revival in 2002 with Forest Whitaker taking up Serling’s hosting duties. There’s also the short-lived 2019 revival produced by Jordan Peele (who also stepped into Serling’s role as the host). But the one version of the show that measures up to the original is the 1985 revival, which gathered a collection of talented writers and directors during its run. Horror icons including Wes Craven and Joe Dante helmed the episodes, while the writing staff included Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin and Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski. But what Twilight Zone fans might not know is that the 1985 revival adapted one of Stephen King‘s short stories, “Gramma” And it’s one of the few adaptations that King gave high praise to.
‘The Twilight Zone’ Picked a Stephen King Story That Veers Into Lovecraftian Territory (Literally)
Like most episodes of The Twilight Zone, “Gramma” begins with a seemingly innocent premise. 11-year-old George (Barret Oliver) is tasked with looking after his grandmother, who’s been confined to her bed for mysterious reasons. Those reasons immediately become clear when George tries to bring his “Gramma” tea, but is started when her hand reaches out and causes him to drop the tea tray. He cleans up the mess and discovers two books under Gramma’s bed, with one of them being the Necronomicon, the dark book of magic that’s a fixture in H.P. Lovecraft‘s short stories chronicling the “Old Ones”. Naturally, this is when the episode takes a turn for the darkest, as George learns that his Gramma has died…but when he goes to cover her body, it turns out that Gramma is a monstrous mass of flesh that drags him to hell.
That’s a horrifying moment, and what makes it so compelling is the fact that most of “Gramma” is told via George’s inner monologue. While there’s dialogue sprinkled throughout, the fact that most of the sound comes from smashing tea trays, the horrifying screech of what’s left of Gramma’s body, and the ominous chants that begin when George opens the Necronomicon. It’s enough to shake the most stoic person you know, and it wouldn’t work without the performances of Barrett Oliver or Piper Laurie. A year before the revival, Oliver had starred in The Neverending Story, which also features a young boy narrating from a magical book; “Gramma” expertly flips this and shows just how terrifying finding a mystical book would be. As for Laurie, she’d previously starred in one of the best adaptations of Stephen King’s work with Carrie, and though she only does vocal work to bring Gramma to life, it’ll still send chills down your spine.
Another Legendary Author Adapted “Gramma” for the Twilight Zone, and It Was Almost Directed by a Horror Icon
Though it seems like most filmmakers would leap at the chance to adapt one of Stephen King’s stories, “Gramma” proved to be a major challenge for The Twilight Zone‘s writing staff. Given that the original short story is mostly told via George’s inner monologue, adapting it wouldn’t be easy. So the rest of the writing staff decided that the best person for the job would be none other than Harlan Ellison. Ellison was serving as a story consultant on The Twilight Zone at the time, and in the DVD commentary, he outlined the moment where the other writers tricked him into accepting script duties:
“They were afraid they were just going to have to write this off and lose a lot of money on this because it couldn’t be adapted. Well, they brought it out, and they said, ‘Here, take a read of this,’ and I read it, and I said, ‘Well, this is an impossible script to do because to do this what you’d have to do is da da da dada dadada.’ And they all started grinning, and they said, ‘Guess what? You’re going to do it.’ I said, ‘No, no, no, no, I was telling you what a writer would have to do!’ And they said, ‘Well guess who that writer [is]?’”
Even though “Gramma” had a writer, it still needed a director… and it almost got one in the form of William Friedkin. Friedkin had previously directed the Season 1 episode “Nightcrawlers”, and though he had to bow out of directing “Gramma” for personal reasons, his director of photography Bradford May would wind up stepping behind the camera. May must have learned quite a few tricks from working with Friedkin, as “Gramma” is a masterclass in how to build tension: every scare lands with the force of a hammer, and he knows how to stage a reveal for massive effect. Ellison would also contribute vocal work to “Gramma”, resulting in some horrifying moments that will linger with you long after you turn off the TV.
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We learned a lot from Mr. Sterling.
Stephen King Freely Admitted That ‛The Twilight Zone’s Take on “Gramma” Scared Him
While Stephen King is notoriously picky about adaptations of his work (he infamously hates Stanley Kubrick‘s adaptation of The Shining), he referred to “Gramma” as “the most terrifying 19 minutes ever put on television.” That’s high praise indeed, especially since King said that the story was based on a personal moment from his youth. The Twilight Zone wouldn’t be the only time someone would try to adapt “Gramma” to the screen. Jason Blum would produce Mercy, a 2014 horror film that greatly expands upon the events of “Gramma”. But where Bradford May and Harlan Ellison managed to terrify audiences in 19 minutes, Mercy has lethargic pacing and wastes a great cast, including The Walking Dead alum Chandler Riggs. It speaks to how The Twilight Zone remains one of the most iconic pieces of television; not only has it managed to reinvent itself, but it did justice to Stephen King’s work — which is an extraordinarily high bar to clear.
All episodes of The Twilight Zone are available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.
