User Reviews

SPOILER: In a house untouched by progress in an out of the way place, a lonely woman (Agnes Moorehead) hears noises on the roof and finds a spaceship; then she defends her property against the invasion of a tiny being.

"The Invaders" is probably the most classic and unforgettable episode of "Twilight Zone" supported by a magnificent performance of Agnes Moorehead and a surprising and totally unexpected plot point in the very end. Her character has no lines and never speaks; however she delivers a fantastic performance with her facial expressions and choreographic movements. The conclusion, when the viewer sees "U.S. Air Force - Space Probe no. 1", is one of the best twists ever. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Os Invasores" ("The Invaders")

Note: On 25 may 2018, I saw this episode again.

Certainly one of the more remembered of all TZ episodes. Agnes Moorehead battles apparent martians from outer space. I recall this episode giving me the willies when I was a kid, especially the scene where Agnes grabs the knife instead of the door handle! Ouch!! The little "robots" don't seem very scary by today's standards; certainly not with all the CGI effects out there today. However, it's an episode that helped propel TZ into the loved series that it continues to be today.

Will she triumph? And are they REALLY martians??? Great episode. One of the best from year one for me.

From her days with Orson Welles' Mercury Theater through her popular role as the witch Endora on the TV sitcom "Bewitched" through her last performances as the voice of an animated goose, and finally as Aunt Alicia on Broadway in "Gigi", Agnes Moorhead remains a supporting player who truly was a star. She could play beautiful and ugly, but her acting was always gorgeous. There was something about her that that haunted you, because each of her characters had dark secrets, and she played each of those through her eyes and that fabulous voice. Like Dame Judith Anderson, Moorhead commanded attention, and even in small parts, it is heard you remember when the movie or TV episode is over.

Without a doubt one of the most popular episodes of "The Twilight Zone" series, "The Invaders" teachers only Moorehead, acting with her body entirely, with absolutely no voice except a few grunts and groans and sighs. the episode is nearly silent except for dramatic music that appears here and there as she plays a mute woman all by herself in her attic, discovering an unwanted intruder. Is this a gag, played on her by kids next door? Certainly, the spaceship she finds looks like a child's toy, but questions arise that makes it seem like it could indeed be invaders from outer space. Horrified to the point of possibly dying from fright, Moorehead seems on the verge of tears as she burns herself and ends up with welts, takes tumbles, and ultimately finds her fate as she deals with a little robot that appears from the spaceship. There's a Twist at the end that you may not see coming, but once it happens, you will certainly remember this as being in the top 10 of the best of "The Twilight Zone".

Most reviewers seem to rave about this episode, and it's certainly a tense, solid effort. The lack of dialogue works well and the relentless, malevolent assault on the woman is genuinely frightening. I did find her cries somewhat repetitive after a while and there wasn't a great deal of story to fill the running time.

My biggest issue is with the twist, since it isn't at all clear who the invaders are supposed to be. Astronauts? Then why do they look and move like toy robots? Was the episode a commentary on America as a war-monger? We certainly can't feel sympathy for these astronauts, since they attack an innocent woman (albeit a giant) in her own home!

Overall, the episode is well done but I still don't get what point Matheson is trying to make. The invaders may not be who we initially think they are, but they're still the invaders. Or maybe, like the space probe itself, this episode went over my head.

Okay, I know many will disagree, this episode has a very high ranking on IMDb. Why, I don't know, unless it is because of Agnes Moorehead's great performance. And I will agree with that, I'll give her performance great marks. But the episode itself? Hard to know where to start! How about with the big oar, okay, she's ready to defend herself, knock the little invader dudes to pieces, so what does she do? She looks and looks all around for them in an empty room. Then, when she finds one, does she swat it? No! She closes the door to hide from it! And the knife thing? Like, these little 6 inch creatures are going to grab a kitchen knife to nick her ankles? Come on! These are USAF astronauts (as we find out at the end), can you just imagine Neil or Buzz on a strange planet, saying "let's grab a kitchen knife that's 12 feet long and nick the person's ankle"? Or the even more ludicrous knife thru the doorknob hole one? She keeps acting like she's both scared and also on the attack against these little gremlins, yet until the final scene it's like she doesn't know how to attack them! And how did the warty growths figure in? Like the US is going to equip it's astronauts with wart guns? Okay, maybe we started an epidemic on this other planet, and it will destroy their population. Who knows. And is this the way we picture ourselves interacting with a new species? Oh, look, giants, lets sneak around and shoot them with our ray guns! And how did these little guys move around so effectively? At the beginning, she tries to push the UFO with her foot, and we hear a zap... force field? Who knows? If so, why didn't the force field protect the UFO at the end? Overall, episode looks like it was written by a 5 year old, and is nothing more than a "horror and anxiety" flick, lacking all the elements of neat morality tales that make for a great TZ episode. Amazed to see Rod liked it. Not sure where that quote came from, but I'm a bit skeptical of it. Not at all like the episodes Rod wrote. Maybe he was joking when he said it, or being sarcastic?

For some reason, "The Invaders" reminds me of Samuel Beckett's play, "Act Without Words," perhaps because a lone woman who lives in the middle of nowhere is like Beckett's play character, a person of few or no words. Though there is a dearth of dialog in this story, there is plenty of action as the woman defends her house and herself from the seemingly relentless attack from invaders out of the Twilight Zone. The technology and special effects in this episode would seem quite quaint compared to today's standards, but for those of us who lived through this period of time in TV history and saw the original for the first time as kids, it still conjures up dread and horror. It's one of my favorites.

Agnes Moorhead gives a bravura performance as a lonely rural woman who is suddenly and inexplicably the target of an alien invasion right in her own dilapidated country homestead. Without uttering a single word, she withstands this vicious attack with all the strength she can summon and with all the ingenuity she can muster. Luckily for her, the "aliens" are pint-sized and she has the advantage of towering over them to go along with her edge in strength and stamina. After a ferocious battle, the aliens finally succumb as Ms. Moorhead wins the day with her relentless defense of her "home turf."

Writer Richard Matheson's "The Invaders" plays upon the viewer's fear of the unknown and preconceived notion of where this invasion is taking place. In this classic case, the locale and true identity of the alien invaders is held out to the last possible moment and after they've been thoroughly routed by this "giant monster" of a woman. The director, Douglas Heyes, handles his duties effectively here and gives Ms. Moorhead enough latitude to turn in one of her more memorable efforts. Although best known now for playing the witch "Endora" on the old "Bewitched" series, Moorhead made her mark years earlier in films like "Citizen Kane" and others. Even in her youth, she was never considered a "beauty" by Hollywood standards. That seems to work to her advantage in this famous "Twilight Zone" episode.

My favorite episode of TZ. I always wondered though, how interesting it would be to see the Astronaut's perspective. Trying desperately to fight off this huge alien. Then defeated, desperately warning earth of the danger.

An old woman (an incredibly expressive portrayal by Agnes Moorehead) who lives by herself in a remote farmhouse finds herself under attack from mysterious alien invaders.

Director Douglas Heyes relates the gripping story at a brisk pace, builds plenty of tension, and makes fine use of the isolated rural location. Moreover, Moorehead's remarkably vivid physical performance really holds this particular episode together: Moorehead manages the extraordinary feat of conveying a strong and resilient personality without ever uttering a single line of dialogue as well as projects such basic emotions as fear and rage with her facial expressions and body language alone. Richard Matheson's tight and clever script delivers a real doozy of a twist ending. Jerry Goldsmith's moody score and the sharp cinematography by George T. Clemens further enhance the overall sterling quality of this nerve-wracking show.

Agnes Morehead plays a role of a simple woman who seems to be living perhaps a hundred and fifty years ago on the prairie. I say "seems" because this is only a guess--the exact frame of reference is unclear. And, since she never speaks at all during the entire episode, it's hard to figure this out--though it still manages to work. Into her simple rural life come some strange looking tiny robots who have invaded her planet. Despite her best efforts, the robots are very tough and time and again they evade or even attack this poor lady.

My uncle and I both love The Twilight Zone and we have frequently talked about our very favorite episodes. Mine is "To Serve Man" and his is "The Invaders". Based on the very good reviews of this episode, perhaps I am a bit too judgmental about this very good episode. I liked the main idea, but just felt it went on too long which lessened the eventual impact of the twist ending. You watch it and be the judge.