Review of Nightmare as a Child

The absolute best "Twilight Zone" episodes grab you by the throat straight from the beginning and practically drown you in a pool of mystery and ominousness… "Nightmare as a Child" is such a fantastic episode. Immediately from the very first sequence, when female protagonist Helen Foley comes home to her apartment and meets a little girl sitting on the staircase, you can genuinely sense that the atmosphere is tense and foreboding. There's something peculiar about the girl, who only refers to herself by her nickname Markie. Is she real or just a ghostly appearance? Is she good or bad? Those and other questions remain compellingly vague for a mere 5-10 fascinating. The more experienced thriller/Sci-Fi fanatic then obviously figures out what's going on, but the tale nevertheless remains incredibly tense. Little Markie overwhelms Helen with private observations about herself and asks whether or not she noticed someone earlier that day who looked familiar to her. Shen then receives another unexpected visitor and slowly realizes that Markie attempted to warn her for something. "Nightmare as a Child" is another magnificent TZ-episode, subtly dealing with difficult themes like unprocessed traumas and suppressed memories. Written by Rod Serling himself, the episode is intelligent and original, while the experienced TV-director Alvin Ganzer provides with a continuously sinister ambiance. Janice Rule gives an impressive performance as the insecure and vulnerable damsel-in-distress, but she also gets excellent support from young Terry Burnham as Markie and – especially – from Shepperd Strudwick as the smooth and inconspicuous but mischievous stranger.