A Most Unusual Camera - Twilight-Tober Zone

[@ChannelAwesome]

What did everyone think of A Most Unusual Camera? Watch more Twilight-Tober Zone here - bit.ly/TwilightToberZone Follow Walter on Twitter - twitter.com/Awesome_Walter Follow us on Twitch - www.twitch.tv/channelawesome

[@trinaq]

It was a compelling concept that was held back from its full potential, in my opinion. Goosebumps arguably pulled the same concept off better.

[@williamcrowe2576]

I was kinda expecting something akin to the old Native American belief that a camera steals your soul.

[@shadowjudge921]

While not on my Top 5 or even Top 10, I do have a big love for this episode, merely because of how comedic it is. 😁

[@moonprincesst.s.h.4ever115]

This is my ultimate favorite episode! Rod Serling especially wrote this part in the episode of Paula for Jean Carson because he loved her voice. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Carson#Television

[@pattywilliams788]

I don’t agree with your overall analysis of this episode. I think that it is typical and classic Twilight Zone. There was no way that these four people were going to come out on top. They were criminals after all. The one moment when the thought of doing something good for mankind reared, didn’t last long because that’s not who they were. The only thing that I will agree with you on is the waiter. After he translated the words on the camera, his character could have just exited (although I always laugh when he screams out in French). I love this episode and I have no problem with watching it and rewatching it.

[@wakeangel2001]

the 3 stooges music is a good joke, but I would have added Goofy's iconic falling scream, it seems appropriate for such a comedic ending

[@kinyutaka]

Yaaaa-hoo-hoo-hoo-hooey!

[@random22026]

Good call! XD

[@yupeo]

IKR!!

[@naughtycicero1460]

I agree with adding the Goofy scream

[@Galantski]

Isn't the Goofy Scream really a modified Wilhelm Scream, recalibrated to account for a massive reduction of brain cells? Ditto the Homer Scream?

[@claytonrios1]

This premise could be used for a lot of interesting stories nowadays. Like imagine a camera on a smartphone with the same ability. That could make for an interesting update in my opinion.

[@Alejandroigarabide]

The rebooted series has an episode with a video camera that can rewind time.

[@claytonrios1]

@@Alejandroigarabide That's the opposite of this cameras ability but that's an interesting way to play around with the idea

[@trinaq]

Indeed, a similar anthology show could update this premise for a more contemporary audience.

[@piplup2009]

As long as it's not a haunted app

[@marcprophet]

Check out the movie “Time Lapse”. Similar concept.

[@EGOS42]

2:25 When this was shot it was common to record audio to 1/4" reel to reel tape. The echo you hear is likely on the master tape. As the tape is spooled onto the take up reel louder passages can magnetize the tape nested beside it. That portion of nested tape happened to be very quiet so the transferred echo is prominent.

[@humanimalhedgehog123]

Odd... because I listened to a version that didn't have that issue.

[@Kentrc11]

The theme "camera tells the future" does get used often. Dave Chappelle used it in a comedy sketch called "Chappelle's Digital World".

[@trinaq]

When a Goosebumps episode (featuring a young Ryan Gosling) arguably does this exact same premise a whole lot better than the show it was inspired by, you know that it's a skippable episode!

[@randalgraves6979]

So this is kinda like “Say Cheese and Die” ? 🤔 Nevermind. I wrote this before he said it. 😐 But i did think it when i saw the thumbnail and title. Lol

[@anubusx]

Funny how he also starred in Are You Afraid Of The Dark?

[@melissacooper8724]

I remember that Goosebumps made a sequel called "Say Cheese And Die Again!"

[@KyleRobots]

For years, like consecutive years starting in 99, whenever I would go 'oh, it's sci-fi channel's new year's Twilight zone marathon' and switch it on, it was either this episode, or the first full one on after. Didn't matter when I did it, morning, noon, or night

[@ronaldeliascorderocalles]

The campiness of this episode screams "60s show" all over the episode.

[@miguelbranquinho7235]

That's what makes it fun.

[@Oppeldeldoc1]

My problem with skipping this one is that no one could play a comical aggravated boss better than Fred Clark.

[@kinyutaka]

It would obviously need to be retooled if revisited today The ambiguous picture of the frightened sister is good, it gets the boys fighting as they each assume the other betrayed them. The issue is with the last picture of the bodies on the street and her ultimately joining them. A better idea might have been to have the waiter be much more friendly, helping the sister out. She takes a photo of him before leaving together, the now worthless camera on the table, where the developing image reveals him to be the Grim Reaper.

[@ingamingpc1634]

That would have been better but would death still have treated her better You know before killing her

[@elder-woodsilverstein7716]

confusing? Yes A better ending? Yes

[@gameskyjumper1721]

I adore this ep. That ending is funny as hell.

[@justanotherchannelonyoutub126]

I never really liked the fact that they were thieves from the beginning. Like I think the story would’ve worked better if they were regular everyday people that slowly became power hungry due to the camera’s power.

[@trinaq]

I agree, the protagonists might have been more relatable had they simply been decent people driven into corruption by their own greed, and the camera's toxic influence.

[@DracoMagnius]

I agree that might have been more interesting, but at the same time why become theives with a future telling camera when you could use it to gamble like they did at the race track? Stealing adds more problems where as with gambling you technically won the money you just had the benifit of cheating with future knowledge.

[@XenoSpyro]

They already did that in the genie episode

[@calvinjackson8110]

I agree.

[@elder-woodsilverstein7716]

If I'm going to be honest with you, I did not pick up that they were robbers when I watched the episode. I just zoned out, and thought they were just rich people due to the apartment they were living in. I think explains why making them robbers had very little baring on the story. You don't see them rob a place, and with execption of woodword breaking out of prison, they mostly do stuff thats leagle, like betting on a horse race. You really could just have made Chester and Paula rich people, or everyday citezens, and it would have made about as much sense.

[@calvinjackson8110]

That look on Woodward's face when he sees the picture of himself walking in the door and he slowly realizes that picture was taken BEFORE he arrived scared the shoes off me. The look on his face and that of the couple and the music as the scene comes to a pause as everybody is thinking is the part that does it for me. Man!! It makes you think!

[@debbieanne7962]

Woodward was a great character IMO

[@jessetorres8738]

Someone needs to make a compilation video of all of the times people died falling out a window or off a building in The Twilight Zone. Seriously, there are at least a dozen episodes where this happens!

[@geoffreyfyfe2248]

It was an easy and censorship-friendly way to knock off people on a TV show in those days.

[@trinaq]

Indeed, I would love to see that special supercut compilation!

[@GregNumber5]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/b5vRZ3yQfcioa6M

[@Brenda-cg1px]

I can think of 6 episodes off the top of my head (not including this one): 1. What's in the Box 2. Perchance to Dream 3. The Fever 4. Escape Clause 5. The Encounter 6. Cavender is Coming

[@ctmdarkonestm]

Twilight Zone drinking game

[@amazzonkane]

The idea was more interesting than the execution. An “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” Episode “The Tale of the Curious Camera” used this idea and made it genuinely creepy.

[@Enterthedarkness23]

One of my favorite episodes. So much rewatch value. It inspired the killer camera genre that Goosebumps would adapt later as "Say Cheese and Die".

[@I_am_Dane_Youssef]

And ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? used this as THE TALE OF THE CURIOUS CAMERA.

[@WildMen4444]

That Three Stooges joke near the end made me think you guys should do reviews of the Three Stooges in April

[@WalterCulture]

I'd love to do something on The Three Stooges.

[@WildMen4444]

@@WalterCulture Yay!

[@dbefore7165]

The ‘echo’ is the tape audio layers bleeding into each other as they are all bound together on the reel.

[@kfUNC1]

I know it’s not among the best of the series, but I love this episode. The interaction between the characters is hilarious. The ending could have been a little better written, but overall it’s enjoyable.

[@delliott7]

This is actually one of my favorites!!

[@daytimesky]

I actually liked this one. I watched it with my mom and we found it fun. I also noticed that this likely inspired the Goosebumps books mentioned in the review, which definitely did more with the premise!

[@tonys9102]

Good overview, as always. The audio echo you mention around 5:40 is mostly likely "bleed-through" from old magnetic tape. This happens as tapes age. If you have an old audio cassette you made yourself, play it and odds are you'll hear an echo of the starting sound just before the real audio begins. Whatever the case, this deficiency is easily remedies with a simple sound editing program, and I'm surprised they didn't fix it for the DVD.

[@blisswonder]

As someone that used to watch three stooges growing up I laughed out loud when that Columbia logo and music started up.

[@DerkMiester]

Same!

[@DeadMoon1986]

Let's not forget Are You Afraid Of The Dark? 's "The Tale Of The Curious Camera"

[@geoffreyfyfe2248]

"AYAOTD" even did a previous episode with sinsister camera action in "The Tale of the Captured Souls", complete with Kiki's opening spiel about how some Native American tribes refused having their pictures taken because they feared a camera captured your soul (actually a true thing; the legendary Sioux chief Crazy Horse has no photos of him in part because he had this belief).

[@revacohen]

I agree about the waiter: his death never made sense, since it wasn't clear what caused him to fall out the window.

[@RegginaldRiglet]

These are so good. Twilight zone. Batman animated series. These video essays have gotten me to go back and revisit these shows. Thank you and keep them coming

[@julieporter7805]

It's goofy but I love the "And Woodward" running gag.

[@SnakeRoadComicsOfficial3677]

This was the first twilight zone episode I've seen. The ending was funny.

[@glowworm2]

Surprised you didn't mention that Paula was played by the late Jean Carson. I didn't realize it at the time when I saw this episode, but she was one of the "fun girls" in the Andy Griffith Show. The one with the raspy voice, natch. Also, that Three Stooges joke worked like a charm.

[@ThePkmnYPerson]

Yesterday was an episode I didn't realize was good and today's is one I didn't realize was bad. It's like A Most Unusual Camera got me interested enough in what was gonna happen next to make me overlook its flaws whereas The Trouble With Templeton was the exact opposite of that.

[@phillipmorland7124]

I've always wondered how the French waiter died at the end. What, did he see there were four bodies so he jumped out to not make the camera a liar?

[@satisacro]

Next episode, Walter will do the same thing malls and supermarkets are doing right now: skip Halloween and go straight to Christmas!!!!

[@coolnerdlll6053]

Did anyone else read the title and immediately think of Goosebumps?

[@trinaq]

Yep, I thought of Goosebumps instantly!

[@geoffreyfyfe2248]

Surprised Walter did not even mention the episode features baby Ryan Gosling even though he showed a clip of him.

[@kirk1701]

The actor who portrayed Woodward had a prominent role as a hood in the Alfred Hitchcock film _North by Northwest._

[@Shorai_3]

I'm surprised that Fun Girl Daphne didn't use the camera to finally get Andy.

[@chrisazylum6624]

Remember watching this as a kid! Next time Christmas episode!

[@GabrielRuizBallard]

5:12 That actually got a laugh out of me

[@BaronOfHell666]

I loved this episode.

[@matthewmcshane399]

I really liked this episode

[@cessnaace]

In the late 70s I began working in local television as a Broadcast TV Operations Engineer. The echo you noticed sounds very much to me like Print-Through. Thin magnetic tape, video or audio, particularly when stored for a long time without being rewound or played, is highly susceptible to this problem. 2" Quad video tapes frequently had this problem (I know from experience), but so did 16mm film prints with magnetic (as apposed to Optical) soundtracks. Now we aired "The Twilight Zone" from 16mm film prints with Optical soundtracks (we could also run Magnetic), but it's possible that the 35mm film negative had a Magnetic track. Or, the original Magnetic Sound Mix tape had Print-Through damage.

[@ZekeStaright]

The Three Stooges soundtrack really fits well with that ending, lol.

[@jeremytung1632]

I think we’ve all seen evil camera stories.

[@javodey]

I remember one night during the pandemic, this episode came on and we watched the whole thing. Great memory

[@wstine79]

This sounds similar to the episode with the dictator who had a mirror that showed the reflection of his friends trying to kill him.

[@geoffreyfyfe2248]

"The Mirror." That's next season, the one with Peter Falk playing a blatantly obvious Castro stand-in.

[@mayhemx9]

The three stooges thing you said was very spot on. I could just see shemp doing that last part.

[@geoffreyfyfe2248]

It's amusing how both "Goosebumps" and "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" did this story at practically the same time (although with noted differences). Hell, the "Goosebumps" episode not only had the same director as the "AYAOTD" episode, but some of the same actors essentially playing similar roles.

[@pkmntrainermark8881]

Interesting...

[@PhoenixHealing]

Rod pushed him 😁

[@oliverdelica2289]

🤣🤣

[@BillGraper]

When I watched the episode where the man calls his widow from beyond the grave, I could hear the characters' voices a few seconds BEFORE they said them. This occurred throughout the episode. It was eerie. I'm not sure if that's in the actual footage, or some kind of problem with the audio on the streaming service, but it sounded just like this clip. It was very distant, but noticeable.

[@broEye1]

Reminds me a little of a manga I liked called Ginen Shounen. The hero is an analog photography fanatic who's been taking pictures for years. One day, he starts getting pictures that show a strange tint and display things that will clearly happen in the future. Before he's even able to grasp this, he ends up with two more pictures with this tint to them, the first showing his childhood friend/crush kissing a strange man at a famous romantic location, and the other showing him lying dead at the base of his apartment building. From there begins a story of the boy trying to find a way to divert both his imminent death and her relationship with this new man.

[@melissacooper4282]

Nice touch to play The Three Stooges theme after the waiter fell out the window! "A Most Unusual Camera" wasn't a favorite of mine anyway.

[@gingaddict]

That window fall at the end is indeed goofy but not as goofy as the one in the episode 'What's in the Box?' - seriously, that one stands in a class all its own, when I first saw it, I burst out laughing!

[@ThenewTchannel]

Thank you for mentioning the Goosebumps books

[@josiahjenksisawesome]

Could we get a retrospective of the Dick Van Dyke Show as well? It was a really good series with great actors and more people should know about it.

[@merriquelynn]

I really love the show. It’s still fun to watch.

[@madizzle90]

They could’ve done more with this episode, but I never thought it was boring.

[@poochyenarulez]

I really enjoyed this episode, it was fun.

[@dekumon1473]

This reminds me of this one movie from a few years ago with a similar premise. Only it was with a painter, his girlfriend, and his best friend. And the camera couldn't be moved

[@wrtlpfmpf]

Well that kind of echo appears on all kinds of magnetic tape. If you store it without occasionally rewinding it, the tape will magnetize other parts of itself. Over years this can lead to some very noticeable echo. However usually tape is wound in a way that causes it to have a pre-echo. That's why some broadcasters in Germany wind it the other way whenever possible to get a less annoying post-echo. Also the period seems to be a bit long. Maybe they got the audio from a spool of magnetic track film?

[@labyfan1313]

I grew up with Goosebumps so as soon as I read the title I was hoping it would be about a haunted camera. I was surprised though that the camera turned out to be less evil and more just future telling and wish fulfilling (until the end of course). The Goosebumps books about a camera causing horrible things to happen to people still gives me chills even as an adult when I read it. Good to know this episode was where R.L. Stine got his inspiration though, because I know he's said that he's gotten ideas for many of his books from classic movies/TV, and I wondered if this episode was the inspiration for Say Cheese And Die. But I enjoyed this episode. For someone who's never seen it before I didn't know where it was going to go. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop the whole time, so I found it engaging.

[@_captain_N]

the tale of the curious camera from are you afraid of the dark did the same thing as say cheese and die and a most unusual camera and that show had some of the same actors from say cheese and die and was directed by the same guy I believe if I can remember.

[@gingergoddess8953]

The paranormal camera conxept was used again in the 2002 Twilight Zone remake episode Developing, only instead of the camera being psychic, the main character thinks her dead fiance is trying to contact her through it.

[@BigGrim87]

Holy shit the three stooges gag is so funny

[@job489]

I watched this episode again and noticed the waiter's index finger on the photo. When he pulls the photo from the camera, his thumb is covering a part of the photo. When he's counting the number of bodies, his finger moves up and that's when he sees four bodies.

[@smithno41]

I actually like this episode and watch it again from time to time.

[@alexgrant2602]

Well done Walter :) it did have a feel like the goosebumps episode

[@BYERE]

There was also an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark that used this concept, "The Tale of the Curious Camera". Whether it was inspired by this or just made to rival Goosebumps, I don't know, as it came out ~2 years after the book, but ~2 years before the Goosebumps tv series did it (the Goosebumps book was released in 1992, the AYAotD episode was in 1994, and the Goosebumps tv episode was from 1996)

[@shawnmalone9711]

This episode was on MeTV, today, 12-3-24.

[@skarloey1214]

Great Video Walter.

[@justsomeokami8867]

You said exactly what I thought! “This reminds me of “Say Cheese and Die” from Goosebumps”

[@petergray7576]

Next Episode: S2E11 Night of the Meek Starring Art Carney as a department store Santa Claus. He would later star in another holiday themed show, The Star Wars Holiday Special.

[@tremorsfan]

I remember watching two movies in a row, one had Fred Clark and the other had Marcel Hillaire.

[@labyfan1313]

Also it's hilarious how seamlessly that 3 Stooges outro fit at the end of this episode. lol But I agree it didn't make sense how the waiter fell out the window. I could see if he fainted and fell out but you hear him scream on the way down. Maybe the camera actually was evil and it sucked him out the window. Like whatever is in the picture has to come true, more like the Goosebumps book.

[@MrYTGuy1]

There was also an episode of 'are you afraid of the dark' with a very similar premise as well.

[@compatriot852]

The 3 stooges joke matched up far more than it should have

[@danielcharland1374]

I remember seeing a Jetson episode with almost the exact same premise, only it was glasses showing the indicate future instead of a cameras. They use it to win a ton of money at the race track, but the glasses end up breaking and they have to pay almost all of the money in taxes. I guess now I know where those ideas came from.

[@RialVestro]

I believe there was also an Are You Afraid of the Dark? episode released around the same time as Goosebumps was adapting it's story. Goosebumps was the more memorable version though.

[@titanguy7316]

I think it was meant to be implied that the fourth person to lie dead on the pavement had a heart attack, but it sure doesn't sound like someone having a heart attack with that out-of-place "Yelp!"

[@tenkou]

I wonder if that episode of Are you Afraid of the dark with teh gremlin in the camera also was inspired by this twilight episode.

[@geoffreyfyfe2248]

It would not be surprising. "AYAOTD" creator D.J. McHale has been very open about "TZ's" influence on his show. The whole "Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society..." thing is a direct nod to Rod Serling.

[@battleblitz2581]

I bet you he fell out the window by stepping back in shock and tripping over the lady's shoe.

[@acimagination7982]

i saw it once. kind of reminds me of that episode "the mirror".

[@XperimentorEES]

The indie film Time Lapse (2014) takes this concept a bit farther, worth a watch if you can find it.

[@albertnormal6834]

Thank you! I knew I'd seen a movie like that, but couldn't remember the title. I was hoping someone in the comments had mentioned it.

[@XperimentorEES]

@@albertnormal6834 You're welcome, been trying to collect the lost gems of movies myself, though still forget one occasionally unless I write it down lol.

[@Dboy21ish]

I saw a trailer for a movie where 3 teens find a big device in their deceased neighbors apartment that takes x-ray pics of what will happen to the other tenners.

[@mam162]

There was also an Are You Afraid of the Dark episode with an evil camera, The Tale of the Curious Camera. And much like the Goosebumps books Walter mentions, I thought it had a better story than the Twilight Zone version.

[@firewalldragon9774]

This episode left me with one question. If you know what the camera does, and you see an extra body in the picture that isn't suppose to be there, why would you go to the window and check. It seems like you're just asking to fall at that point.

[@l3nsman]

I remember this from the Pinball game. I could never get the trickshot in.

[@pkmntrainermark8881]

I thought the waiter rushed to the window to see if there was another body and fell out.

[@jonmercano1138]

Since his back is to the window, I assumed he backed away in shock and also tripped, or tipped over when he hit the wall

[@TheGoodWario]

This episode is probably regarded by some people as the inscription would appear on a video camera in the Jordan Peele reboot.

[@nathanpeoples2319]

I love this episode!

[@colinwilliams553]

Yeah,a great episode, I've seen it a dozen times( I have the DVD box set) I like the premise of the storyline.Sorry, but I liked the episode more than he did.

[@WasabiSniffer]

I think the strangest thing I learned was Ryan gosling’s role in goosebumps

[@subzippo]

This reminds me of the Twilight Zone pinball machine. Maybe next year you can review other Twilight Zone media like the movie, the pinball, the later series and whatever other odd media is out there.

[@debbieanne7962]

My household rate this episode highly. It's my 2nd favourite episode after World of difference and my partners favourite. We like to daydream about finding a similar camera!! Rod Serling wrote this episode especially for Jean Carson who played Paula. I thought Adam Williams who played her brother Woodward was quite funny

[@dawnmcauley6411]

The change I would've made is after the waiter says there are three bodies and the wife falls out of the window, have the waiter with a self-satisfied look on his face place the picture down, take the money and leave the room. The final shot is focused on the picture with only two bodies present.

[@lizd.8655]

That was a young Ryan Gosling in the Goosebumps ep!

[@mustbetheSUN]

I think a better twist would have been the waiter grabbing the photograph and saying "Jesus Christ, they're alive!". Then Paula goes to the window, she falls off, it is revealed that the photo showed her body down there too and the waiter smirks as he keeps everything.

[@BruteVanSlyke]

I tried skimming through the comments to see if someone else pointed it out and didn't see it so forgive me if I'm repeating. I totally agree with the ending being rushed and a little flat, especially with how much I enjoyed the episode up until then, but I just want to point out that I noticed the waiter was holding the picture a certain way where his index finger was on the photo. It's only when he's counting again that you see him lift that finger to presumably reveal his own body that he didn't see before. Which would have shocked him and made him step backwards away from the photo tripping back over the window. So to me that part seemed thought out at least.

[@moonprincesst.s.h.4ever115]

This is my ultimate favorite episode! Rod Serling especially wrote this part in the episode of Paula for Jean Carson because he loved her voice. 📺🤩 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Carson#Television

[@sirorliktheironclad]

5:10 That sound effect makes me laugh.

[@seanromine3932]

There were 4 as a means of wrapping the episode up but if the final destination series should teach you, death has a plan, a schedule. Accidents can happen, happy or otherwise, but in the end there were 4 in that photograph. If he didn't fall or slip he would be forced. Just another rule of the camera.

[@acerumble]

The ending has the feel of a last minute rewrite, where originally the waiter pushed the girl out the window and absconds with all of the cash, but would have been decided to be too dark, and in need of the waiter getting comeuppance rather than benefiting from his crime

[@thelonegunman2157]

An other episode!! Just give me the time to put my nostalgy costum on!!

[@willwaggenspack6411]

Goose bumps ripped this off