“The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street” was originally produced as an episode of “The Twilight Zone”, an anthology science fiction television series that ran between 1959 and 1964. It originally aired on March 4, 1960. Written by Rod Serling (1924-1975) and directed by Ron Winston (notable for his work on the original Star Trek series as an associate producer and director), this episode followed a group of neighborhood residents as they found themselves mysteriously trapped in their homes, cut off from the rest of society.
The only form of communication available to them is that which shaped most of the stories told on “The Twilight Zone”: using electricity and electronic devices such as television sets and flashlights. The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street was remade twice: first in 1988 as part of the third season of “Tales From The Darkside”, and again in 2003 for Season 4 of “The Twilight Zone” (2002-2003). This article will focus primarily upon Serling’s original script, though comparisons to both remakes will be used where appropriate.
The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street”, in terms of tone and plot, is an excellent example of the science fiction genre. The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street presents viewers with the classic “little guy vs. big government” story that’s become so common in modern science fiction narratives (see: any Star Wars film). It doubles down on this concept by presenting viewers with a story that fits into one of the most prominent features of Serling’s work: his distaste for conformity and mindless obedience to authority. In fact, it would not be overreaching to say that this episode features both at their absolute extremes.
Monsters Are Due On Maple Street is unique from most other episodes from Season One of “The Twilight Zone”, as its conclusion does not give viewers a sense that, in the end, good will always triumph over evil. Monsters Are Due On Maple Street instead presents audiences with a picture of humanity at its most selfish and hateful: one that is not necessarily overcome by courage or hope. In the episode’s first scene, a pleasant suburban neighborhood exists with a friendly atmosphere. At first glance it is hard to believe terrible events are yet to unfold within this idyllic setting.
A child runs past two women gossiping on a front stoop; their dialogue reveals they’re discussing the strange car parked down Maple Street. The shots of children playing ball and men mending cars give no hint of what comes for the residents of Maple Street. Monsters Are Due On Maple Street uses almost every episode to create a world that contrasts with that which will be seen in the next minutes. Monsters Are Due On Maple Street creates this contrast by starting with idyllic scenes before transitioning into an increasingly ominous tone. The transition to the second scene begins when one of the children playing ball seems to have disappeared.
A quiet trepidation settles over the neighborhood, and it soon becomes clear something is seriously wrong. Monsters Are Due On Maple Street gives viewers clues early on about how serious it’s willing to get; we see images of people looking around cautiously while distant shadows move along sidewalks and behind trees and houses. The suspense created through these subtle details pays off when, finally, someone realizes that all of the children in the neighborhood have disappeared. Monsters Are Due On Maple Street brings viewers along for an exciting journey before revealing what it is that lurks in the darkness outside this neighborhood.
The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street begins with two women gossiping casually about a strange car parked down Maple Street (0:02). A child runs past them, chased by another (0:04). The camera jumps to a shot of more children running around playing ball while their parents mow lawns and fix cars (0:06-1:17).. Another cut brings the viewer back to the two women on the front stoop; they resume talking about the car (1:18).. A close-up of the first woman shows she is acting oddly; her eyes dart about and she cocks her head as though listening to something (1:19).
The second woman joins in, but her friend remains fixated on whatever has caught her attention. Monsters Are Due On Maple Street utilizes tight shots on characters’ faces during moments of suspense or horror to bring out discomforting feelings in viewers. This is effective because it forces us to recognize our own unease mirrored back at us through the screen. When the women’s dialogue reveals they are discussing the strange car down Maple Street (1:20), Monsters Are Due On Maple Street reveals that the conversation they’re having is part of the overall suspenseful tone Monsters Are Due On Maple Street is building.
A small child runs past them up the front stairs, chased by another (1:21). Monsters Are Due On Maple Street does not return to this scene until later in the episode. It instead cuts to a shot of men working on cars, followed by a cut back to the two women with their backs turned away from us (1:22). The first woman turns around and begins walking toward us (1:25), Monsters Are Due On Maple Street utilizes tight shots like these throughout the episode to create further tension or unease. After this moment, Monsters Are Due On Maple Street transitions into an increasingly ominous tone.
Monsters Are Due On Maple Street reveals that the strange car is now parked directly in front of us (1:30). The camera then cuts to a shot of three young children looking at the car curiously, followed by a cut back to the two women discussing it (1:31). Monsters Are Due On Maple Street uses this technique throughout Monsters Are Due On Maple Street to highlight key moments and increase suspense by limiting how much information viewers are given about what they’re seeing . By not revealing all of its hand, Monsters Are Due On Maple Street increases viewers’ attention on each new detail about the strange car.
The tension Monsters Are Due On Street utilizes comes from the knowledge of something strange happening that would cause people to act cautiously, but Monsters Are Due On Maple Street does not reveal what Monsters Are Due On Maple Street is until later in Monsters Are Due On Maple Street. Instead, Monsters Are Due On Maple Street shows quick shots of children watching the car closely while their parents are preoccupied with talking on lawns or sidewalks (1:32).. Monsters Are Due On Maple Street adds to this suspenseful tone by not focusing too closely on any single person.
