The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street
Encyclopedia
"The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone
. Originally aired when memories of the Second Red Scare
were still fresh in the minds of viewers, the episode is often presented commercial-free as part of the Cable in the Classroom
series in order to teach children about the dangers of prejudice
and hysteria
. The question of whether the monsters of the title are the suspected aliens or the prejudiced residents of Maple Street is open to interpretation. It also shows what people will do to save themselves.
. They gather together in the street to discuss the matter. One of them, Pete Van Horn, volunteers to walk out of the neighborhood to discover the extent of the problem.
Another resident, Steve Brand, wants to go into town but Tommy, a boy from the neighborhood, tells him not to leave the street. Tommy has read in his comic/action hero books a story of an alien invasion causing similar phenomena, and he predicts Steve will probably not be allowed to leave. Furthermore - as part of this fictional invasion - the aliens insidiously placed within the neighborhood a family that appears human. The power outage is meant to isolate and contain the neighborhood.
Meanwhile, another resident, Les Goodman, tries unsuccessfully to start his car. He gets out and begins to walk back towards the other residents when the car starts all by itself. The bizarre behavior of his car makes Les the object of immediate suspicion. One woman begins to discuss his late nights spent standing in the garden looking up at the sky. Les claims to be only an insomnia
c. Later that night, Steve tries to defuse the situation and prevent it from becoming a witch-hunt
. Charlie, one of the loudest and most aggressive residents, pressures Steve about his hobby building a radio no one has ever seen. Suspicion falls on Steve when he sarcastically remarks he talks to monsters from outer space on his radio. Steve remarks to the neighbors "You're standing out here all set to crucify someone! You're all set to find a scapegoat
! You're all desperate to point some kind of a finger at a neighbor! Well, believe me, the only thing that will happen is we're going to eat each other up alive!"
The panic builds when a shadowy figure is seen walking towards them. Charlie, now disturbingly hostile, grabs a shotgun and immediately shoots the shadow, thinking it to be the alleged "monster." When the crowd reaches the fallen figure, they realize it is Pete Van Horn returning from his scouting mission. The shot had hit him in the chest and he is dead.
Suddenly the lights in Charlie's house come on and he panics as the crowd begins accusing him of being both a murderer and the monster responsible for the power being out. He makes a run for his house while the other residents chase after him, throwing stones. Terrified, Charlie attempts to deflect suspicion onto Tommy, the boy who originally brought up the idea of alien infiltration. Lights begin flashing on and off in houses throughout the neighborhood; lawn mowers and cars start up for no apparent reason. The mob becomes hysterical, with terrified residents smashing windows, and taking up weapons, devolving into an all-out riot. Some of the residents take up fire-arms and shoot anyone they can.
The film cuts to a nearby hilltop, where it is revealed the mysterious "meteor" that had flown overhead is indeed an alien spaceship. Its inhabitants, two alien observers, are watching the riot on Maple Street while using a device to manipulate the neighborhood's power. They comment on how easy it was to create paranoia and panic, and conclude that the easiest way to conquer the Earth is to let the people of the Earth destroy themselves.
The moral of the story is that words are mankind's greatest weapon; as shown in this quote,"' There are weapons that are simple thoughts, attitudes, prejudices to be found only in the minds of men.'"
of the episode was created in the latest re-adaptation of The Twilight Zone, but it was renamed "The Monsters Are On Maple Street". The difference between the two is that the remake is more about the fear of terrorism
. When the power surge happens in the remake, it is not caused by aliens but by the government, specifically the United States Army
, experimenting on how small towns react to the fear of terrorism. In the end, the neighborhood takes out its anger and frustration on a family who never left their house after the power surge occurred, thinking that they caused it since they still have power.
as Steve Brand. It was included in The Twilight Zone: Radio Dramas - Volume 2 collection.
A graphic novel
version was published by the Savannah College of Art and Design
partnered with Walker & Co.
This episode served to be a major influence on science fiction in the decades that followed. Among the films that drew their inspiration from this episode include The Trigger Effect
(directed by Akins' nephew, David Koepp
) and The Mist
.
Time Magazine named this the best Twilight Zone episode.
Early Industrial Music
band Skinny Puppy
made heavy use of samples from this episode in the track Monster Radio Man on their 1984 debut album Back and Forth
In the supernatural TV series Angel episode, "Are You Now or Have You Ever Been," the main protagonist Angel is mobbed in a similar way to the characters in this episode while under the influence of a paranoia demon controlling a hotel. Executive producer David Greenwalt admitted he got the idea and way of being mobbed after watching this episode.
In a Prentice-Hall 7th-grade literature book this story is used as a story and presented as a play/movie script format.
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
. Originally aired when memories of the Second Red Scare
Red Scare
Durrell Blackwell Durrell Blackwell The term Red Scare denotes two distinct periods of strong Anti-Communism in the United States: the First Red Scare, from 1919 to 1920, and the Second Red Scare, from 1947 to 1957. The First Red Scare was about worker revolution and...
were still fresh in the minds of viewers, the episode is often presented commercial-free as part of the Cable in the Classroom
Cable in the Classroom
Cable in the Classroom is an American organization that assists the cable television industry in providing educational content to schools. The organization was founded in 1989...
series in order to teach children about the dangers of prejudice
Prejudice
Prejudice is making a judgment or assumption about someone or something before having enough knowledge to be able to do so with guaranteed accuracy, or "judging a book by its cover"...
and hysteria
Hysteria
Hysteria, in its colloquial use, describes unmanageable emotional excesses. People who are "hysterical" often lose self-control due to an overwhelming fear that may be caused by multiple events in one's past that involved some sort of severe conflict; the fear can be centered on a body part, or,...
. The question of whether the monsters of the title are the suspected aliens or the prejudiced residents of Maple Street is open to interpretation. It also shows what people will do to save themselves.
Synopsis
The episode begins in late summer;It's dark in the city of Maple Street. Maple Street is full of playing children and adults talking. A shadow passes overhead and a loud roar is heard, accompanied by a flash of light. Later, after it has gone dark, the residents of Maple Street find that their machines no longer work, and there is no powerElectricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
. They gather together in the street to discuss the matter. One of them, Pete Van Horn, volunteers to walk out of the neighborhood to discover the extent of the problem.
Another resident, Steve Brand, wants to go into town but Tommy, a boy from the neighborhood, tells him not to leave the street. Tommy has read in his comic/action hero books a story of an alien invasion causing similar phenomena, and he predicts Steve will probably not be allowed to leave. Furthermore - as part of this fictional invasion - the aliens insidiously placed within the neighborhood a family that appears human. The power outage is meant to isolate and contain the neighborhood.
Meanwhile, another resident, Les Goodman, tries unsuccessfully to start his car. He gets out and begins to walk back towards the other residents when the car starts all by itself. The bizarre behavior of his car makes Les the object of immediate suspicion. One woman begins to discuss his late nights spent standing in the garden looking up at the sky. Les claims to be only an insomnia
Insomnia
Insomnia is most often defined by an individual's report of sleeping difficulties. While the term is sometimes used in sleep literature to describe a disorder demonstrated by polysomnographic evidence of disturbed sleep, insomnia is often defined as a positive response to either of two questions:...
c. Later that night, Steve tries to defuse the situation and prevent it from becoming a witch-hunt
Witch-hunt
A witch-hunt is a search for witches or evidence of witchcraft, often involving moral panic, mass hysteria and lynching, but in historical instances also legally sanctioned and involving official witchcraft trials...
. Charlie, one of the loudest and most aggressive residents, pressures Steve about his hobby building a radio no one has ever seen. Suspicion falls on Steve when he sarcastically remarks he talks to monsters from outer space on his radio. Steve remarks to the neighbors "You're standing out here all set to crucify someone! You're all set to find a scapegoat
Scapegoat
Scapegoating is the practice of singling out any party for unmerited negative treatment or blame. Scapegoating may be conducted by individuals against individuals , individuals against groups , groups against individuals , and groups against groups Scapegoating is the practice of singling out any...
! You're all desperate to point some kind of a finger at a neighbor! Well, believe me, the only thing that will happen is we're going to eat each other up alive!"
The panic builds when a shadowy figure is seen walking towards them. Charlie, now disturbingly hostile, grabs a shotgun and immediately shoots the shadow, thinking it to be the alleged "monster." When the crowd reaches the fallen figure, they realize it is Pete Van Horn returning from his scouting mission. The shot had hit him in the chest and he is dead.
Suddenly the lights in Charlie's house come on and he panics as the crowd begins accusing him of being both a murderer and the monster responsible for the power being out. He makes a run for his house while the other residents chase after him, throwing stones. Terrified, Charlie attempts to deflect suspicion onto Tommy, the boy who originally brought up the idea of alien infiltration. Lights begin flashing on and off in houses throughout the neighborhood; lawn mowers and cars start up for no apparent reason. The mob becomes hysterical, with terrified residents smashing windows, and taking up weapons, devolving into an all-out riot. Some of the residents take up fire-arms and shoot anyone they can.
The film cuts to a nearby hilltop, where it is revealed the mysterious "meteor" that had flown overhead is indeed an alien spaceship. Its inhabitants, two alien observers, are watching the riot on Maple Street while using a device to manipulate the neighborhood's power. They comment on how easy it was to create paranoia and panic, and conclude that the easiest way to conquer the Earth is to let the people of the Earth destroy themselves.
The moral of the story is that words are mankind's greatest weapon; as shown in this quote,"' There are weapons that are simple thoughts, attitudes, prejudices to be found only in the minds of men.'"
Cast
- Claude AkinsClaude AkinsClaude Marion Akins was an American actor with a long career on stage, screen and television.Powerful in appearance and voice, Akins could be counted on to play the clever tough guy, on the side of good or bad, in movies and television. He is best remembered as Sheriff Lobo in the 1970s TV series...
as Steve Brand - Barry AtwaterBarry AtwaterGarrett "Barry" Atwater was an American character actor who appeared frequently on TV from the 1950s into the 1970s...
as Les Goodman - Jack Weston as Charlie Farnsworth
- Amzie StricklandAmzie StricklandAmzie Strickland was an American character actor who began in radio, made some 650 television appearances, had roles in two dozen films, appeared in numerous television movies and also worked in TV commercials...
as Woman - Burt MetcalfeBurt MetcalfeBurt Metcalfe is a Canadian American television and film producer, director, and writer.-Biography:...
as Don Martin - Jason Johnson as Man
- Sheldon AllmanSheldon AllmanSheldon Allman was a Jewish American-born Canadian raised actor, singer, and songwriter.He began his singing career with the Royal National Guard during his World War II service with the RCAF...
as Alien - Bill WalshBill WalshBill Walsh may refer to the following:*Bill Walsh , coached San Francisco 49ers*Bill Walsh , center from Notre Dame*Bill Walsh...
as Alien (as William Walsh) - Robert McCordRobert McCordRobert M. "Rob" McCord is the Treasurer of Pennsylvania.- Biography :Born on March 5, 1959, Robert Maxwell McCord was born in California. When he was 10 he moved to Ardmore PA and later attended Lower Merion High School. After graduating from Lower Merion High, McCord took a year off and then went...
as Ice-cream Vendor - Jan Handzlik as Tommy
Remake
A 2003 remakeThe Monsters Are on Maple Street
"The Monsters Are on Maple Street" is episode #32 of the science fiction television series 2002 revival of The Twilight Zone. The episode, a remake of "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street", an episode of the original series, aired February 19, 2003 on UPN....
of the episode was created in the latest re-adaptation of The Twilight Zone, but it was renamed "The Monsters Are On Maple Street". The difference between the two is that the remake is more about the fear of terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
. When the power surge happens in the remake, it is not caused by aliens but by the government, specifically the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, experimenting on how small towns react to the fear of terrorism. In the end, the neighborhood takes out its anger and frustration on a family who never left their house after the power surge occurred, thinking that they caused it since they still have power.
Other media
A radio dramatization of this episode was produced in the mid-2000s, featuring Frank John HughesFrank John Hughes
Frank John Hughes is an American film and television actor best known for his portrayal of "Wild Bill" Guarnere in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, Tom Fox in Catch Me If You Can, Tim Woods in 24 and Walden Belfiore in The Sopranos.-Early life and career:A native of the South Bronx, Hughes...
as Steve Brand. It was included in The Twilight Zone: Radio Dramas - Volume 2 collection.
A graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
version was published by the Savannah College of Art and Design
Savannah College of Art and Design
SCAD, the Savannah College of Art and Design, is a private, accredited and degree-granting university with locations in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia, Hong Kong, and Lacoste, France.-History:...
partnered with Walker & Co.
This episode served to be a major influence on science fiction in the decades that followed. Among the films that drew their inspiration from this episode include The Trigger Effect
The Trigger Effect
The Trigger Effect is a 1996 movie starring Kyle MacLachlan, Elisabeth Shue and Dermot Mulroney.-Plot:The story starts off with a young married couple, Annie and Matthew, played by Elizabeth Shue and Kyle MacLachlan, returning home from the movies to find their infant child screaming with a high...
(directed by Akins' nephew, David Koepp
David Koepp
-Career:As a writer, Koepp has worked on such blockbuster Hollywood films as Jurassic Park, Mission Impossible, and Spider-Man. Koepp had a cameo as the "Unlucky Bastard" in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, in which he was serving as Writer and Second Unit Director.His work as a director has not had...
) and The Mist
The Mist (film)
The Mist is a 2007 American science-fiction horror film based on the 1980 novella of the same name by Stephen King. The film is written and directed by Frank Darabont, who had previously adapted Stephen King's works The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile...
.
Time Magazine named this the best Twilight Zone episode.
Early Industrial Music
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
band Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial musical group, formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1982. The group is widely considered to be the founders of the electro-industrial genre....
made heavy use of samples from this episode in the track Monster Radio Man on their 1984 debut album Back and Forth
In the supernatural TV series Angel episode, "Are You Now or Have You Ever Been," the main protagonist Angel is mobbed in a similar way to the characters in this episode while under the influence of a paranoia demon controlling a hotel. Executive producer David Greenwalt admitted he got the idea and way of being mobbed after watching this episode.
In a Prentice-Hall 7th-grade literature book this story is used as a story and presented as a play/movie script format.