Barrett Oliver, the cutie pie from THE NEVERENDING STORY, plays a boy left in charge of his dying grandmother. He makes her a cup of tea but spills it. When he goes to clean it up, he realizes granny's terrible moans and weird mutterings have ceased. He has been reading from a book of hers called The Necromicon, which should give you an idea where the plot is headed. When he goes to check on her, she appears quite dead. Little does he know. We never get a good look at grandma, and the only other performer in this taut little tale is Darlane Fluegel as Oliver's mother, who appears for a minute at the beginning and end. So young Oliver is forced to carry the episode, and he does an admirable job of it, aided and abetted by spooky lighting, unearthly howls and suspenseful music. A nice tip of the hat to Lovecraft.
The Twilight Zone (TV Series)
Gramma/Personal Demons/Cold Reading (1986)
User Reviews
Review this title8 Reviews
Demon genes passed down to grandson?/Writers guilt/Radio special effects.
blanbrn11 February 2008
Episode 18 of "The New Twilight Zone" from the 1985-86 CBS series featured three segments "Gramma", "Personal Demons", and "Cold Reading".
"Gramma" based on a short story from legendary horror novelist Stephen King features a young boy who's left at home to care for his ill and old grandmother. Oddly and strangely she stays at the end of a shuttered room at the end of the hall. Soon strange sounds, voices, wind, and spooks start to occur to the little boy. Finally he finds out a big surprise about grandma, and when mom returns though the boy has made it you can tell by his eyes an old family tradition has been passed on.
"Personal Demons" has Rockne O' Bannon(Martin Balsam) as a washed up and struggling old TV show writer who's searching for new ideas and stories to get over this latest case of writer's block. Ideas and haunted memories soon appear thru little men that look demon like, has the imagination gotten the best of him? Yet it appears these little guys have put a spark in his imagination for new writing ideas.
"Cold Reading" takes place in an age before the golden age of TV, when radio was king as people depended on it for their entertainment. As great plays are read over the airwaves like "Dick Noble", "African Explorer" it starts to invoke powers over the air as in the studio it's a special effects delight as the radio got a glimpse into the future of the TV age and it's way of entertainment.
Overall one of the better episodes of "The New Twilight Zone".
"Gramma" based on a short story from legendary horror novelist Stephen King features a young boy who's left at home to care for his ill and old grandmother. Oddly and strangely she stays at the end of a shuttered room at the end of the hall. Soon strange sounds, voices, wind, and spooks start to occur to the little boy. Finally he finds out a big surprise about grandma, and when mom returns though the boy has made it you can tell by his eyes an old family tradition has been passed on.
"Personal Demons" has Rockne O' Bannon(Martin Balsam) as a washed up and struggling old TV show writer who's searching for new ideas and stories to get over this latest case of writer's block. Ideas and haunted memories soon appear thru little men that look demon like, has the imagination gotten the best of him? Yet it appears these little guys have put a spark in his imagination for new writing ideas.
"Cold Reading" takes place in an age before the golden age of TV, when radio was king as people depended on it for their entertainment. As great plays are read over the airwaves like "Dick Noble", "African Explorer" it starts to invoke powers over the air as in the studio it's a special effects delight as the radio got a glimpse into the future of the TV age and it's way of entertainment.
Overall one of the better episodes of "The New Twilight Zone".
Scary/Stupid/Funny
chrstphrtully7 February 2017
Warning: Spoilers
GRAMMA (7 out of 10)
Stephen King is one of those writers who can be maddeningly difficult to make come alive on film or TV. Some of his work, like "Carrie," "Salem's Lot", "The Stand," can be chillingly brought to the screen, while other works that might work on the page (for me, the definitive example is "The Shining," a moody and creepy book that plays as boring and unconvincing in both of its film incarnations) just don't work dramatically. Adapting his work for "The Twilight Zone" presents a special challenge, particularly since much of the work he's most famous for really doesn't fit the underlying conceit. While "Gramma" doesn't quite make it over that hump, the episode does have an enormous amount going for it -- Harlan Ellison's script (based on King's story), Bradford May's creepy direction, and a knockout lead performance by Barrett Oliver.
Young Georgie (Oliver) is left at home one day to do his schoolwork while his mother goes to the hospital to visit his brother. Although he tells his mother he is not afraid of his grandmother (who lies upstairs in bed, ostensibly senile), his tone and body language says just the opposite. When Gramma calls to him for tea, Georgie must fight his own fear to go to her, and finds out some things about Gramma that he probably would have preferred not to know.
The episode works best when Georgie (through voice-over) is working through his own fears and apprehensions, and May's lighting and shot selections enhance the creepiness of the situation, and the stakes for Georgie. Faced with what amounts to a series of extended monologues, Oliver more than rises to the occasion, using his body language, facial reactions, and vocal tone to believably play an 11-year old boy working his way through both the imaginings of his juvenile mind, and the genuinely spooky situation in which he finds himself.
This work sustains the episode almost right up to the end, where it kind of fell apart for me. On its own terms the story is fine (and the script is faithful to the King story), but for a "Twilight Zone" episode, the ending feels incredibly cruel, without any message or at least pointed irony to justify it. Likewise, from the moment the name "Chthulu" is mentioned, the ending (complete with a gimmicky final shot) is about as unexpected as alcohol on New Year's Eve.
With that said, "Gramma" is very effective on its own terms; while it may be second-tier "Twilight Zone", it is a first-rate horror story thanks to Ellison, May, and (especially) Oliver.
PERSONAL DEMONS (2 out of 10)
This segment plays exactly like one of the atrocious filler pieces that used to be a part of "Night Gallery," wasting a great deal of directing (Peter Medak) and acting talent (Martin Balsam, Clive Revill, and Joshua Shelley) in the process. Balsam plays a blocked writer, who begins to see strange, hooded creatures everywhere he goes. The script offers absolutely no substance or insight into the character of the writer -- an imaginative script might have given us some idea of why he's blocked -- and nothing about the direction makes it even remotely interesting. As for the creatures themselves, they basically look like the cast of "The Brood" dressed up as the Emperor Palpatine for Halloween.
A complete and utter waste of time.
COLD READING (6 out of 10)
Show business is filled with stories of creative geniuses (real or erstwhile) who went to often ridiculous lengths to ensure realism or to obtain a desired effect, perhaps none more so than Orson Welles, the epitome of the indulgent creative genius.
Welles is clearly being spoofed in this segment, in the form of Nelson Westbrook, the resident radio genius behind "Dick Noble, African Hunter": the character's first appearance in the segment has him arriving at the radio studio in the back of an ambulance that he's using for a taxi (Welles apparently did the same thing back in the 1930s when he was shuttling back and forth between his Broadway engagements and his radio shows). As played by the late, great Dick Shawn, Westbrook is all flash and megalomania, exercising control over every aspect of his show to a hilariously detailed degree. When he berates his sound effects man (Ralph Manza) over what he thinks is an insufficiently authentic sound prop, he expresses his wish that all of the sound effects on the show could be provided by their authentic sources. As the old saying goes, be careful what you wish for....
This being "The Twilight Zone," each mention of a sound cue (e.g., monkeys, tribal drummers, torrential rainstorms) is greeted by the genuine article. What makes the episode funny is Westbrook's reaction -- for the most part, he's delighted with the results, despite the resulting mayhem. Only when things get to the point they become downright dangerous does our maestro realize he might need to start taking control again.
Like "Gramma," "Cold Reading" is not exactly top-tier "Twilight Zone" material, but it's certainly enjoyable to watch. Martin Pasko's and Rebecca Parr Cioffi's script is light-hearted enough, and wisely plays the ridiculous situation straight-faced rather than fall in the trap of simply telling jokes. Gus Trikonis' direction serves the material well, and the supporting cast is game. And then there is Shawn, who is quite funny and knows exactly how far over the top to go with the material.
In all, a cute little dig at Wellesian artistic types and, while perhaps not a great episode, it's certainly better than most of its type, and infinitely better than the piece of stupidity ("Personal Demons") that preceded it.
Stephen King is one of those writers who can be maddeningly difficult to make come alive on film or TV. Some of his work, like "Carrie," "Salem's Lot", "The Stand," can be chillingly brought to the screen, while other works that might work on the page (for me, the definitive example is "The Shining," a moody and creepy book that plays as boring and unconvincing in both of its film incarnations) just don't work dramatically. Adapting his work for "The Twilight Zone" presents a special challenge, particularly since much of the work he's most famous for really doesn't fit the underlying conceit. While "Gramma" doesn't quite make it over that hump, the episode does have an enormous amount going for it -- Harlan Ellison's script (based on King's story), Bradford May's creepy direction, and a knockout lead performance by Barrett Oliver.
Young Georgie (Oliver) is left at home one day to do his schoolwork while his mother goes to the hospital to visit his brother. Although he tells his mother he is not afraid of his grandmother (who lies upstairs in bed, ostensibly senile), his tone and body language says just the opposite. When Gramma calls to him for tea, Georgie must fight his own fear to go to her, and finds out some things about Gramma that he probably would have preferred not to know.
The episode works best when Georgie (through voice-over) is working through his own fears and apprehensions, and May's lighting and shot selections enhance the creepiness of the situation, and the stakes for Georgie. Faced with what amounts to a series of extended monologues, Oliver more than rises to the occasion, using his body language, facial reactions, and vocal tone to believably play an 11-year old boy working his way through both the imaginings of his juvenile mind, and the genuinely spooky situation in which he finds himself.
This work sustains the episode almost right up to the end, where it kind of fell apart for me. On its own terms the story is fine (and the script is faithful to the King story), but for a "Twilight Zone" episode, the ending feels incredibly cruel, without any message or at least pointed irony to justify it. Likewise, from the moment the name "Chthulu" is mentioned, the ending (complete with a gimmicky final shot) is about as unexpected as alcohol on New Year's Eve.
With that said, "Gramma" is very effective on its own terms; while it may be second-tier "Twilight Zone", it is a first-rate horror story thanks to Ellison, May, and (especially) Oliver.
PERSONAL DEMONS (2 out of 10)
This segment plays exactly like one of the atrocious filler pieces that used to be a part of "Night Gallery," wasting a great deal of directing (Peter Medak) and acting talent (Martin Balsam, Clive Revill, and Joshua Shelley) in the process. Balsam plays a blocked writer, who begins to see strange, hooded creatures everywhere he goes. The script offers absolutely no substance or insight into the character of the writer -- an imaginative script might have given us some idea of why he's blocked -- and nothing about the direction makes it even remotely interesting. As for the creatures themselves, they basically look like the cast of "The Brood" dressed up as the Emperor Palpatine for Halloween.
A complete and utter waste of time.
COLD READING (6 out of 10)
Show business is filled with stories of creative geniuses (real or erstwhile) who went to often ridiculous lengths to ensure realism or to obtain a desired effect, perhaps none more so than Orson Welles, the epitome of the indulgent creative genius.
Welles is clearly being spoofed in this segment, in the form of Nelson Westbrook, the resident radio genius behind "Dick Noble, African Hunter": the character's first appearance in the segment has him arriving at the radio studio in the back of an ambulance that he's using for a taxi (Welles apparently did the same thing back in the 1930s when he was shuttling back and forth between his Broadway engagements and his radio shows). As played by the late, great Dick Shawn, Westbrook is all flash and megalomania, exercising control over every aspect of his show to a hilariously detailed degree. When he berates his sound effects man (Ralph Manza) over what he thinks is an insufficiently authentic sound prop, he expresses his wish that all of the sound effects on the show could be provided by their authentic sources. As the old saying goes, be careful what you wish for....
This being "The Twilight Zone," each mention of a sound cue (e.g., monkeys, tribal drummers, torrential rainstorms) is greeted by the genuine article. What makes the episode funny is Westbrook's reaction -- for the most part, he's delighted with the results, despite the resulting mayhem. Only when things get to the point they become downright dangerous does our maestro realize he might need to start taking control again.
Like "Gramma," "Cold Reading" is not exactly top-tier "Twilight Zone" material, but it's certainly enjoyable to watch. Martin Pasko's and Rebecca Parr Cioffi's script is light-hearted enough, and wisely plays the ridiculous situation straight-faced rather than fall in the trap of simply telling jokes. Gus Trikonis' direction serves the material well, and the supporting cast is game. And then there is Shawn, who is quite funny and knows exactly how far over the top to go with the material.
In all, a cute little dig at Wellesian artistic types and, while perhaps not a great episode, it's certainly better than most of its type, and infinitely better than the piece of stupidity ("Personal Demons") that preceded it.
Saw "Gramma" as a child
Phantasiii9 August 2020
The segment of "Gramma" scarred me for life. I saw it as a very young child (6-7 yrs old when it originally aired) and had nightmares like you wouldn't believe! The being alone, the dark room she is in, the hand, the eyes! Up to the mysterious ending. I could not sleep for almost a week because of this segment. I'll need to rewatch as an adult to see if the terror I endured still holds up. Here's to hoping!
Update: rewatched the segment. My fears as a child were completely justified. This is a scary segment (for a young viewer). I would've been better of watching TCSM, FT13th, or ANOES. I can watch this now and laugh. But rewatching it thinking back on how I felt on first viewing still sticks with me.
Watch "Gramma" and have a laugh or a scare. A great segment!
Update: rewatched the segment. My fears as a child were completely justified. This is a scary segment (for a young viewer). I would've been better of watching TCSM, FT13th, or ANOES. I can watch this now and laugh. But rewatching it thinking back on how I felt on first viewing still sticks with me.
Watch "Gramma" and have a laugh or a scare. A great segment!
Lovecraft LIves/Writer's Block/Radio Days
Hitchcoc23 April 2017
There is no greater fan of H. P. Lovecraft than I am, having read all his stories numerous times. This first offering gives us a bit of pause. Most immediately, who is grandma and why is she there, and why is mom leaving her son there. Lovecraft created the Chthulu mythos and countless authors have written stories based on it, including Stephen King. We know right away that Gramma is a monster and the poor kid is in grave danger. He starts to read the Necronimicon and saying words that generate horrors. It's pretty good, but the conclusion is the same old same old. "Personal Demons" has hack writer Martin Balsam with a huge case of non-creativity. Then a bunch of guys in black robs and with destructive tendencies show up. You can guess the rest. "Cold Reading" is much more imaginative. It is full of nice touches based on the idea that since we cannot see the radio personalities, we don't know what goes on in the studio. This is somewhat original.
A decent King adaptation/Martin Balsam meets gremlins
Leofwine_draca25 March 2015
The first segment of episode 18 of series 1 of THE NEW TWILIGHT ZONE is entitled GRAMMA and based on one of Stephen King's more frightening short stories. The question is whether this low budget show could actually do justice to the power of the King story.
The answer? A resounding yes! This is the best story of the series I've yet seen, and it's a story that actually manages to be frightening. The horror in the tale is present from the very beginning and the fast pace really adds to the energetic feel of the production. Even better, the titular menace is actually scary, and the way they film her without actually showing much of her makes her presence all the more sinister. The Lovecraftian nods are also more than welcome.
The second story, PERSONAL DEMONS, sees Martin Balsam playing a washed-up writer suffering from writer's block who's desperate for one last original idea. To that end, a gang of black-clad gremlins appear in his home and proceed to wreak havoc; they're there to help him of course. There isn't really much to this story (other than a typically assured performance from Balsam); lasting only 15 minutes, it has scant time to introduce the premise and develop it, let alone providing much in the way of a twist.
The final segment of the episode is by far the weakest. COLD READING is about radio sound effects which by the power of magic come to life. So we have scenes like the one in which a team of sound recorders find themselves menaced by real-life jungle animals which suddenly show up in the room. It's a comedy, a waste of time and best forgotten in favour of the previous segments.
The answer? A resounding yes! This is the best story of the series I've yet seen, and it's a story that actually manages to be frightening. The horror in the tale is present from the very beginning and the fast pace really adds to the energetic feel of the production. Even better, the titular menace is actually scary, and the way they film her without actually showing much of her makes her presence all the more sinister. The Lovecraftian nods are also more than welcome.
The second story, PERSONAL DEMONS, sees Martin Balsam playing a washed-up writer suffering from writer's block who's desperate for one last original idea. To that end, a gang of black-clad gremlins appear in his home and proceed to wreak havoc; they're there to help him of course. There isn't really much to this story (other than a typically assured performance from Balsam); lasting only 15 minutes, it has scant time to introduce the premise and develop it, let alone providing much in the way of a twist.
The final segment of the episode is by far the weakest. COLD READING is about radio sound effects which by the power of magic come to life. So we have scenes like the one in which a team of sound recorders find themselves menaced by real-life jungle animals which suddenly show up in the room. It's a comedy, a waste of time and best forgotten in favour of the previous segments.
I remember like yesterday
the_conman28318 December 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I remember this episode like yesterday; I just picked up the DVD. It brought back a lot of good memories. Anyway, don't ask me why but this ep I remember clearly. I read the story "grandma" by Stephen King. I think the characters were well acted and I love the witch part in this movie, it had me scared for a few minutes, actually. In short this TV series was probably excellent in its ERA, not just this episode.
The book by Stephen king was very good, in his short story collection, "Skeleton Crew". I think this story could be made into a short horror movie for kids if acted right.
Anybody who hasn't seen this series should; it's a good one.
The book by Stephen king was very good, in his short story collection, "Skeleton Crew". I think this story could be made into a short horror movie for kids if acted right.
Anybody who hasn't seen this series should; it's a good one.
Cold Reading
Scarecrow-8818 August 2011
Warning: Spoilers
A radio broadcast in the 30s is besieged by voodoo, thanks to an African artifact brought in to the studio as a prop, where anything that is mentioned, whether it be a torrential rainstorm, monkeys, the sound of drums, and tropical birds, by the actors in their parts across the microphones, come to pass—we watch as they deal with the challenges, continuing to stay in character while their boss celebrates the authenticity such voodoo brings to his broadcast. Played entirely for laughs, this episode is loaded with sight gags such as a rifle shooting by itself and a pitcher pouring milk into a bowl of bran flakes in mid air, the disbelief worn effectively on the faces of everyone in the studio. The game cast really liven up the silly material, and the way they continue to forward ahead despite the distractions, which are many, is quite amusing. The evocation of the period, back when radio was king, is beautifully conveyed on a low budget. 5/10
In "Personal Demons", Martin Balsam is novelist cursed with thirty years putting stories to paper on the typewriter than don't come from an original thought. He longs for some original material, and you know the old saying, "Be careful what you wish for " Soon dwarf little monsters in robes start following him, tearing up his home, and calling him on the phone! What do they want? Balsam asks this with great hope for them to leave him alone. They might just be that original thought he's been pining for. Manifested "demons" requesting to be unearthed from the great unknown, typed in form, ready for the consumption of others. I imagine a few of Stephen King's demons wound up on the Best Seller's List. Always good to see Balsam, even if in a minor, forgettable third wheel on a Twilight Zone hour. 5/10
In "Personal Demons", Martin Balsam is novelist cursed with thirty years putting stories to paper on the typewriter than don't come from an original thought. He longs for some original material, and you know the old saying, "Be careful what you wish for " Soon dwarf little monsters in robes start following him, tearing up his home, and calling him on the phone! What do they want? Balsam asks this with great hope for them to leave him alone. They might just be that original thought he's been pining for. Manifested "demons" requesting to be unearthed from the great unknown, typed in form, ready for the consumption of others. I imagine a few of Stephen King's demons wound up on the Best Seller's List. Always good to see Balsam, even if in a minor, forgettable third wheel on a Twilight Zone hour. 5/10
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