MovieChat Forums > The Twilight Zone (1985) Discussion > The After Hours

The After Hours

posted 14 years ago by SoapWatch
7 replies | jump to latest

One of my favorite eps in the original 1960 series was "The After Hours" with Anne Francis. I just caught the remade version in this 1980's TV series. First, I do not understand why the 1980's TV series had to make partial 15 minute episodes. That alone takes away from the quality of the story, which is what the original 1960's series concentrated on more that made it the success that it was. Most of the episodes back then did not have any special effects because the drama of the terror happening to the characters was what was important.

In the 1980's "After Hours" more effects are added to the episode such as when Marsha's body parts are turning back into a mannequin one by one. Alright, that effect I thought was cool since this a more modernized version of the story. But when that started to happen, suddenly the actress who played the role seemed to start losing her reactions properly according to what was happening to her ... so it made the effects seem pointless.

All in all, the original "After Hours" with Anne Francis beats the newer version hands down!

[–] Rufus-T 14 years ago

The new "The After Hours" was one of the worst in the 80s Twilight Zone. All the creepy tone of that great original was lost.

----------
"Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try", RIP Irvin Kershner

[–] michaelm6000 13 years ago

I absolutely agree. One of the problems with the 80s version of this show was the fact that they dumbed down every episode. Instead of letting the viewer fill in the details, they explain the sh_t out of everything. "We're all mannikins, Marsha" "You're really a dummy, Marsha." I'm not sure if they got around to "To Serve Man", but I can just imagine the voice over at the end. "He's on his way to another planet where they eat people. Oooooo spooky".

[–] masuka-fan 12 years ago

It's been a while since I've seen either version, but I do remember having the same reaction back when this aired. The original was much creepier just by using simple mannequins and no transitions.

[–] PeterBlues (790) 7 years ago

that could be said for much of entertainment progress, right in the kisser and nothing holding back... i tell you how this has aged compared to the original series, its like you get the idea this "the new twilight zone" should be remade in as 1959 episodes... i recognise alot of the players in this later series as they contain many of today's biggest stars, but let's face it, this is not the generation of actors packed in the 50's series, and then there is the awful 80's background music (as already pointed out on this board), and the dvd release i got on this was really terrible and didn't even have the episodes listed by titles properly on the dvd menu... the first episode i watched was a remake of this "after hours", kind of losing its eerie feeling of the original by adding more people in the episode, but a real surprise was ann hedgeworth, her voice would suit for "the twilight zone radio dramas", once you have heard her you never forget it, i remember i was so surprised when i found out her birthyear after watching her in 90's movies, she is old enough to have been in the original 1950's twilight zone series, i don't know if she's still around but if so she could have been in all versions of twilight zone including the great atmospheric radio adaptation of this.

🏬 🛍 🛒

programmed me like a robot,
a manual to everything she please,
pushed my buttons with ease,
until she had it all worked out,
tried to stand my ground,
stared me down with dekko female eyes,
to which i cannot tell a lie,
revealed my soul dusted the tin off,
turned me into her useful livin robot.

[–] [email protected] (5854) 7 years ago

Just watched "The After Hours" on youtube recently. I saw it when it first aired and it CANNOT hold a candle to the original.

The original played out all the beats of the story, just pulling the viewer IN and making the audience wonder, "What the heck is going on?"

The original was a gentle feather tickling you into a world of strangeness. The remake was a sledgehammer. She's a MANNEQUIN! Okay, I get it!

[–] mikeyp (146) 7 years ago

Some of the background music was bad in some of the episodes not all of the episodes!

[–] mikethemartian (6710) 5 years ago

The original with Anne Francis is definitely much better.

The actress who plays Marsha in the 80s version is Terry Farrell from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine