“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” stands out in the “Twilight Zone” canon because it wasn’t actually filmed as part of the show. Instead, according to “The Twilight Zone Encyclopedia,” it aired as an episode of the show’s final season after “The Twilight Zone” purchased the rights to the short film out of France. Based on Ambrose Bierce’s short story, the episode tells the tale of a man about to be hanged during the Civil War when suddenly the rope snaps and he escapes down the creek.
I don’t know how this episode of The Twilight Zone ended up being shown in my elementary school class in the early 1970s, but that is where I saw it, and lucky for me, my teacher had us write a theme about what we thought we had just seen, and I aced that baby.
I was about 11 at the time.
By the time I saw “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” I had seen The Exorcist, Jaws, and a slew of House of Hammer films, and I was a Doctor Phibes devotee, but this short story, told with little dialogue and shot in black and white, gave me nightmares.
I remember the part when the rope broke and the man fell into the creek; I remember thinking, “He’s having a nightmare.” It turns out that is exactly what was happening. He just didn’t know it yet.
This episode of The Twilight Zone was not written by the Twilight Zone crew, but spoke from the heart of The Twilight Zone. It was a perfect fit.
Because it wasn’t easy to catch after it aired in 1964, it also didn’t get the love the more well-known episodes got, but it’s worth tracking down and seeing.
Also, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” was my introduction to Ambrose Bierce, and I have remained a devoted fan of his since.
This is a neat watch for Halloween, so if you can dig it up I’d suggest grabbing a shovel and giving it a go.
amm
