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You’re reading through another \/Film article, an article not only of words and paragraphs but of insight; a journey into a wondrous website whose boundaries are those of editorial imagination. Next stop, reflecting on “The Twilight Zone.”<\/em><\/p>\n Anthology television has existed before and after “The Twilight Zone,” but few have continued to hold as much of a monumental impact on the pop culture zeitgeist as the lauded sci-fi series. Countless stories within Rod Serling’s creation still strike a nerve through a contemporary lens. “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street,” for example, remains an essential episode and a scathing piece of political commentary<\/a> that feels disturbingly prescient, as it concerns sowing communal distrust to distract from the bigger picture at hand. Serling wasn’t afraid to convert social taboos into carnival mirrors that reflected our distorted anxieties back at us. It was a groundbreaking television achievement that left such an impression that some of its greatest fans would not only go on to become filmmakers, but they’d get to direct “Twilight Zone” stories of their own.<\/p>\n Joe Dante, the filmic mastermind behind “The Howling,” “Gremlins,” and “The ‘Burbs,” ended up dipping his toe into the Serling well twice with a segment in 1983’s “Twilight Zone: The Movie” and an episode of the ’80s revival series. Given how Dante transformed one of the great “Twilight Zone” episodes into an imaginative cavalcade of “Looney Tunes” horror<\/a>, you’d think his favorite episode would be a real bugnuts choice, but he went with a surprisingly thoughtful entry with “Walking Distance” (via ComingSoon.net<\/a>). It doesn’t feature a huge plot twist, nor does it include any noteworthy makeup or special effects, but this is undoubtedly a great episode.<\/p>\n Gig Young plays Martin Sloan, the 36-year-old Vice President of an advertising agency who’s frustrated with his many adult responsibilities. A casual summer drive leads him to a gas station that just so happens to be across from his childhood hometown of Homewood. With it being within walking distance<\/a>, Martin goes for a little stroll down memory lane that he’ll never forget.<\/p>\n