The Monsters Are Due - A Twilight Zone Podcast

Old Ben spends his time with the neighborhood children, especially Jenny. He impresses them all with his magic and transformations. When two men in suits show up looking for him, Jenny learns the truth of his powers and works to come up with a plan to keep them together.  Nicole and Peter track down this episode and discuss the big three of crimes, non-standardized laser sounds, and the best place...

When the alien Kanamits visit Earth with promises of relief from famine and protection from war, people are suspicious--at first. But when their gifts start to materialize, humans quickly come to gratefully accept. A small book left behind by a Kanamit may provide some clues to their motives, if only the nation’s codebreakers could crack it. Nicole and Peter whip up this delicious episode and disc...

If Jefferson Mrytlebank died, then why did he sit up in his coffin? That’s the question haunting this southern, mid-west town. Nicole and Peter will resurrect this undead episode and discuss controversial scores, an inspiration for Sinners, and a failed assassination attempt.   We hope you’ll join us.   Official site: https://www.themonstersareduepodcast.com/ Follow us on bluesky: https://bsky.app...

Fitzgerald Fortune, theater critic, comes into possession of a player piano with the ability to use music to reveal someone’s true nature. Being a spectacular jerk, he decides to use this to torment his wife and her friends. Being The Twilight Zone, things aren’t going to end well for him. Nicole and Peter select a roll for this episode and discuss a standout performance, rancid vibes at a party,...

At Sunnyvale Rest, the elderly residents quietly pass the time, sitting or standing alone. One resident, Charles Whitley, has an idea: he thinks that by playing kick the can, they can actually return to their youth. Nicole and Peter take off running for this episode and discuss its connection to Stephen Spielberg, different notes in a scent, and making multiple appearances on The Twilight Zone.  ...

Rance McGrew isn’t really the Marshall in an Old West town, he just plays one on T.V. Tired of the show’s heroics and exaggerations, a group of long-dead outlaws elect to send Jesse James back down to Earth to teach Rance a lesson. Nicole and Peter call “action!” on this episode and discuss the 1995 film Tall Tale, the superiority of Coward Rance, and the character names and music from Gunsmoke  ...

What is supposed to be a simple raccoon hunt turns into something much more complicated for Hyder Simpson and his dog, Rip. As they walk down Eternity Road, it turns out Hyder has an important decision to make as to which path to take. Nicole and Peter will tree this episode and discuss a new writer, the threat of an underwater raccoon, and a letter about vampires in The Twilight Zone.   We hope y...

When Nate Bledsoe finds the body of a man in an alley, his first thought is to take his shoes. These shoes are haunted with the vengeful spirit of their previous owner, though, and are out to settle old scores. Nicole and Peter step into this episode and discuss suspicious drink orders, how a big cowboy hat would change everything, and movies that play when the class has a sub.   We hope you’ll jo...

Millionaire Paul Radin has devised an elaborate hoax to settle some decades-old grievances: he’ll invite 3 of those he believes have wronged him in the past to his underground bunker, convince them an atomic bomb is about to go off, and wait for them to beg to stay.  Unfortunately for him, they’d rather die. Nicole and Peter accept the invitation for this episode and discuss ugly fountains, a fami...

Wanda Dunn cracks open her door one winter’s morning to a haunting question—is the wounded police officer before her who he says he is, or is he just another face of Mr. Death? Nicole and Peter will haunt this deadly serious episode and discuss apartment set design, two all-timer performances, and the many incarnations of death.   We hope you’ll join us.   Official site: https://www.themonstersare...

We had the pleasure of going to SerlingFest X in Binghamton, New York! Here, we break down the panels, the presenters, and the overall vibe of the event and the town. Spoilers: we had an absolute blast. Official site: https://www.themonstersareduepodcast.com/ Follow us on bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/themonstersaredue.bsky.social Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/themonstersaredue...

It’s World War II in the Pacific, and a group of Japanese soldiers are holed up in a cave. The battle-weary American platoon is content to just leave them, but a new lieutenant shows up and insists they launch a full-on attack. He’ll learn the hard way what it feels like when the shoe is on the other foot. Nicole and Peter will fall back on this episode and discuss Quantum Leap, a single line from...

An Army Major finds himself at the bottom of a strange cylinder with no memory of who he is or how he got there. With him are four others: a clown, a ballerina, a hobo, and a bagpiper, all of whom share his memory loss, and all of whom would like to find a way out and discover what has happened to them. Nicole and Peter scale this bottle episode and discuss Amy Madigan, the 1997 film Cube, and wha...

Buster Keaton makes a stop in The Twilight Zone as Woodrow Mulligan, a man who finds his life in 1890 to be too loud, too expensive, and too chaotic for his liking. His boss, Professor Gilbert, has invented a time helmet, and Mulligan uses it to travel to 1961, where he doesn’t exactly find the peace he is seeking. Nicole and Peter will poof into this slapstick episode and discuss physical comedy,...

Alan Richards has just returned from Africa, where his company plans to build a dam that will displace the local population. When he ignores their warnings, his wife’s pleadings, and his own intuition, he is doomed to suffer the consequences. Nicole and Peter roar into this wild episode and discuss lion habitats, Deep Blue Sea, and Beaumont taking the bus.   We hope you’ll join us.   Official site...

Today, Nicole and Peter are joined by Rod Serling Memorial Foundation board member and nephew of Rod Serling, Jeff Serling! They’ll talk all things Sci-Fi, Horror, The Twilight Zone, and this year’s SerlingFest in Binghamton, New York August 21st-22nd.   We hope you’ll join us.   Get tickets to SerlingFest: https://RodSerling.com   Official site: https://www.themonstersareduepodcast.com/ Follow us...

It’s another Civil War episode, and this time, we’re adding witchcraft. Sergeant Joseph Paradine, a Confederate soldier, is sent to scout some Union troops. He finds them all motionless and statue-like, and a man named Teague tells him it’s all thanks to his book of witchcraft. Nicole and Peter summon this stock-still episode and discuss the challenges of trying not to move, an unrecognizable acto...

As the Earth moves ever-closer to the sun, Norma and her neighbor Mrs. Bronson struggle to survive. Between the deadly heat and the desperation of the remaining people, they stick together to try and make it through another day, but with no way to change the situation, the end seems inevitable. Nicole and Peter sweat through this roasting episode and discuss a quote from Sir Laurence Olivier, how...

Gunther Lutze returns to the scene of his abominable crimes at the Dachau concentration camp some 17 years later, because he’s grown nostalgic for his time as a power-hungry sadist when he was a captain in the SS. Once there, he learns the hard way that some ghosts won’t—and shouldn’t—stay hidden. Nicole and Peter haunt this episode and discuss historical context, making the set work for you, and...

There is a monster in Peaksville, Ohio: 6-year-old Anthony Fremont. Anthony has incredible psychic powers, capable of wishing people and things that don’t please him out of existence entirely, and he has isolated his town from everywhere else. Nicole and Peter think only happy thoughts about this episode and discuss the three best episodes in a row, Perry Como Christmas music, and the ensemble cas...

Pinto Sykes is gunned down by a town tired of waiting for justice, and tired of waiting for the man they hired, Conny Miller, to bring him in. When Conny returns to the town, they dare him to visit Pinto’s grave at midnight, all knowing that Pinto vowed to grab Conny should he ever come 'round his grave. Nicole and Peter plunge a knife into this freshly-dug episode and discuss non-Serling Westerns...

A dictator who has just been overthrown tells Ramos Clemente, the man usurping him, about a magic mirror that will show him the faces of his assassins. When the mirror shows Clemente those people closest to him, he immediately accepts it as a truth and goes on a killing spree. Nicole and Peter will shatter this paranoid episode and discuss the Serling-verse, terrible accents, and the 1990s TV seri...

Wanting to be the best at something may be a noble goal, but Jesse Cardiff is going to learn the obligation that comes with being a legend when he challenges the greatest pool player to ever live. Nicole and Peter try not to scratch this episode and discuss Lisztomania, the joy of walking up hills, and an alternate ending.   We hope you’ll join us.   Official site: https://www.themonstersareduepod...

The Civil War may have ended, but there is a long march ahead for the soldiers that trudge past Lavinia Godwin’s home. When a Confederate Sergeant stops for a drink of water, they discuss what they’ve lost and what may lie ahead. Nicole and Peter will march through this episode and discuss box guitars, excellent use of shadows, and Abraham Lincoln in media.   We hope you’ll join us.   Official sit...

When an alert comes in that a bomb may be headed their way, the Stockton family heads for their in-home shelter. The rest of their neighbors, once their dear friends, have their own designs on the space. Nicole and Peter will break through this stronghold of an episode and discuss infamous freeloaders in film, connections to The Office and Monsters, Inc., and Control of Electromagnetic Radiation....