10 Twilight Zone Episodes With Unforgettable Endings

These 10 The Twilight Zone episodes have absolutely perfect endings. The first run of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone is far and away the best version of the series, with episodes so memorable that you may not have even seen them, but would recognize them instantly from how often they’ve been paid homage.

The Twilight Zone is known, among other reasons, for its shocking, twisty endings, which often serve to frame the episode in a new light or reveal a clever truth about something. Sometimes these endings and twists are ridiculous, but other times, Rod Serling nails the perfect final five minutes to satisfyingly close out an episode.

The Prime Mover (1961)

Season 2, Episode 21

In “The Prime Mover”, a gambler, Ace Larsen (Dane Clark) discovers his friend, Jimbo Cobb (Buddy Ebsen) has telekinetic powers. Ace decides the best use of those powers is at the Las Vegas casinos. He quickly grows rich, but also insatiably greedy. His final bet of the weekend, however, ends badly, and he loses it all.

It turns out Jimbo’s powers left him at that crucial moment and Ace is back to being broke. It’s a big enough loss that Ace realizes what kind of man he was becoming, and decides to be more honest. Jimbo secretly uses his telekinetic powers to continue his janitorial work, pleased to know he helped his friend overcome his vices.

A Nice Place To Visit (1960)

Season 1, Episode 28

There are plenty of episodes of The Twilight Zone that trap their protagonists in unending hells, but “A Nice Place to Visit” does it more literally than most. Rocky Valentine (Larry Blyden) is a thief who is shot and ends up in heaven, where every one of his desires is met with the snap of his fingers.

Soon, Rocky becomes bored with having everything handed to him, and asks to leave heaven, at which point he’s informed he’s been in the other place all along. There’s a slow creeping horror in “A Nice Place to Visit” and you can see how oppressive a world where you could have anything for eternity would be.

The Invaders (1961)

Season 2, Episode 15

“The Invaders” is almost a one-woman show, with Agnes Moorhead as the unnamed, one-woman. Living in a remote cabin with no modern conveniences, the woman is surprised when two tiny robots land a flying saucer on her roof. The two robots attack her with alien weapons, and she desperately manages to defeat them.

Before the last robot is defeated, however, it sends a message back to its homeworld, in perfect English. The invaders were astronauts from Earth who landed on a planet inhabited by humanoid giants. It’s a reveal that turns everything on its head and is a perfect example of how one line can make an entire episode of The Twilight Zone.

A Passage For Trumpet (1960)

Season 1, Episode 32

In “A Passage for Trumpet”, Jack Klugman plays Joey Crown, a jobless trumpet player in New York City has nothing to live for when he impulsively steps in front of a speeding truck. When he rouses, he finds himself in limbo, where he can see people, but they can’t see him.

He meets a mysterious stranger named “Gabe” (John Anderson) who encourages him to return to life. Jack decides to give life another try, and the end of the episode is filled with small, but important wins, such as earning a few bucks and attracting the attention of a kind neighbor. It’s the little things that keep us going.

The Masks (1964)

Season 5, Episode 26

“The Masks” is an unnerving episode of The Twilight Zone that’s also highly satisfying. Jason Foster (Robert Keith) is an elderly, dying New Orleans man whose spineless daughter and her unpleasant family come to visit him in hopes of claiming his fortune upon his death. He agrees to will them his money, but outlines one term.

Emily (Virgina Gregg), her greedy husband, and her sadistic and vain children have to wear Mardi Gras masks that depict their true inner selves. As the night goes on, Jason berates his family for their failings, then passes away. His family’s celebration turns to horror when they realize their faces have twisted to conform to their masks.

Two (1961)

Season 3, Episode 1

“Two” is set in a not-so-distant future where a man and a woman are the last two inhabitants of a battered city, perhaps the last two inhabitants in the world. The problem is that they’re soldiers on opposite sides of a war that clearly led to the destruction around them. Despite their natural opposition, there’s some chemistry there.

This episode of The Twilight Zone is a bit reversed from what we know. Instead of two typical, modern people thrust into an inexplicable situation, this episode is about two people used to a strange existence, thrust into a romantic comedy. It’s charming and winking, and the ending is as uplifting as you can get in an apocalyptic landscape.

The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street (1960)

Season 1, Episode 22

“The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” is often ranked among the best episodes of The Twilight Zone ever. The episode begins in the quaint, all-American neighborhood on Maple Street. After a strange object passes in the sky overhead, the power in the neighborhood begins turning off and on.

Paranoia sets in as the once friendly residents of Maple Street violently turn on one another. The end of the episode zooms out to show there were alien invaders, but they only needed to cut the power to start a frenzy. They intend to use the same strategy on the rest of Earth, and it’s obvious they’ll be successful.​​​​​​​

Miniature (1963)

Season 4, Episode 8

Robert Duvall stars in “Miniature” as Charley Parkes, a lonely man who passes away his time at the local museum. One day, he notices something odd: the dolls in one of the decorative dollhouses become animated when he looks inside. Tragically, the woman inside seems to be a victim of abuse by the male doll.

Charley gradually falls in love with the doll, but is put in a psychiatric hospital after he’s discovered trying to rescue the female doll. He eventually escapes, and later, the night watchman peers into the dollhouse to find Charley embracing the female doll. It’s a strange ending, made sweeter by the guard’s kind smile, suggesting he’ll keep this secret.

The Night Of The Meek (1960)

Season 2, Episode 11

Christmas is not a common theme in The Twilight Zone. The ideas that go along with the holiday, joy, family, love, and selflessness don’t exactly square with Serling’s cockeyed view of humanity in the show. However, he all but makes up for the lack of Yuletide with “The Night of the Meek”.

The episode finds a department-store Santa, Henry Corwin (Art Carney), drunkenly lamenting his life and inability to provide joy. However, the discovery of a magical sack filled with gifts turns him into the St. Nicholas he always wanted to be, and the end of the episode confirms that Henry has earned the title of Claus for every Christmas to come.

Nothing In The Dark (1962)

Season 3, Episode 16

In “Nothing in the Dark”, a frail old woman named Wanda Dunn (Gladys Cooper) lives alone in a basement apartment, never venturing outside for fear that Death will claim her. When a young police officer, played by the late Robert Redford, is shot outside her door, she reluctantly takes him in.

Though she’s suspicious of the man, she warms to him, eventually explaining her fear of death. When the twist comes in this The Twilight Zone​​​​​​​ episode, it’s not so much a surprise, but it’s wonderfully crafted. Wanda is aghast at first, but Death is so kind and welcoming that it’s a relief to watch the frightened, lonely woman pass on.

Release Date

1959 – 1964

Showrunner

Rod Serling

Directors

John Brahm, Buzz Kulik, Douglas Heyes, Lamont Johnson, Richard L. Bare, James Sheldon, Richard Donner, Don Medford, Montgomery Pittman, Abner Biberman, Alan Crosland, Jr., Alvin Ganzer, Elliot Silverstein, Jack Smight, Joseph M. Newman, Ted Post, William Claxton, Jus Addiss, Mitchell Leisen, Perry Lafferty, Robert Florey, Robert Parrish, Ron Winston, Stuart Rosenberg

Writers

Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, Earl Hamner, Jr., George Clayton Johnson, Jerry Sohl, Henry Slesar, Martin Goldsmith, Anthony Wilson, Bernard C. Schoenfeld, Bill Idelson, E. Jack Neuman, Jerome Bixby, Jerry McNeely, John Collier, John Furia, Jr., John Tomerlin, Lucille Fletcher, Ray Bradbury, Reginald Rose, Sam Rolfe, Adele T. Strassfield

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