Night Gallery-
The Complete First Season
(Universal Region 1 DVD)
(1970)
review by Head Cheeze

Rod Serling is perhaps best known as the creator, host and "face" of the Twilight Zone series rather than as the writer of literally hundreds of hours worth of episodic television and films. The man, who died at the age of 51, left behind a massive body of work that included the screenplay for The Planet of the Apes, the classic noir/western series, The Loner, and the seminal suspense series, Night Gallery. Universal Home Video proudly presents a showing of Serling's beloved Gallery, presented on DVD for the first time ever.

Night Gallery was a logical step forward for Serling, borrowing a bit from his Twilight Zone anthology formula, but with more sophisticated and mature themes better suited to the audiences of the time. The series also served as something of a proving ground for young directors to strut their stuff (most notably future Hollywood heavyweights, Steven Spielberg and John Badham). Featuring guest appearances from the likes of Joan Crawford, Roddy McDowell, Ossie Davis, Diane Keaton, amongst many others, it's easy to see why Night Gallery has remained a fan favourite based on the sheer level of talent involved. Of course, none of that talent would amount to much were it not for solid screenplays, with Serling turning in the bulk of them. And, just as he did in the Twilight Zone, Serling serves as host here, this time in a gallery adorned with macabre paintings that serve as the introduction to each tale.

Notable episodes in this first season boxed set include the fantastic "pilot" episode, which features a trilogy of tales including the gothic zombie ghost story, "The Cemetary", which features Roddy McDowell as the opportunistic nephew of a wealthy elderly man. When he "helps" his uncle pass into the great beyond, he inherits his uncles home and fortune, as well as his wrath from beyond the grave! The pilot also features the stylish Spielberg helmed "Eyes", in which Joan Crawford plays a wealthy blind woman who seeks out a physician who can give her back her sight, but the price is more than even she can afford.

Other standouts include the spooky killer toy episode "The Doll", and "Room with a View" in which a husband hatches a revenge scheme against his cheating wife with the unwitting aid of a nurse (Keaton). "The Nature of the Enemy" is a fantastic episode in which scientists on Earth watch helplessly as the crew of an expedition to the moon are attacked by unseen forces. It's a really suspenseful episode, and one of the best in the set.

I've read a lot of complaints from fans of this series regarding Universal's decision not to include any "extras", but that simply isn't true. The first season of Night Gallery consists of 14 episodes. This set contains all 14 episodes, as well as the pilot movie, plus six bonus episodes. I can understand why people may be upset that their weren't commentaries or interviews included, but there are extras, and those extras come in the form of more than four hours worth of terrific episodes of the show! I'd rather have that than some half-hour retrospective, but maybe that's just me.

Night Gallery is a fantastic and underrated gem of a series that features great stories, some fantastic direction (and not just from Spielberg), and a really swanky seventies vibe that I just love. The episodes are taken from original negatives and, while not remastered, look fantastic and vibrant. This three disc set features some of the best examples of quality anthology horror you're apt to find anywhere, and at less than sixty bucks at retail, it's well worth the purchase.