In this episode of Sci-Fi Graveyard, Joseph, Jeremy, and Josh venture into the darkness to review the 1988 film adaptation of Isaac Asimov's legendary short story, Nightfall. Directed by Paul Mayersberg, the movie attempts to tell the tale of a planet with six suns facing its first night in thousands of years, but the crew debates whether it succeeds as a sci-fi classic or fails as a incoherent mess.

The discussion is filled with disbelief as the hosts break down the film's baffling choices, from the gratuitous and unexplained nudity to the nonsensical plot additions like a snake-charming scene and a love triangle involving the main character's son. They compare the movie to Asimov's original 1941 short story (considered one of the best sci-fi stories ever written), noting how the film stripped away the intellectual dread of the impending darkness and replaced it with generic cultist villains and bad acting. The group also laughs about the terrible special effects, including a "bird eating eyes" scene that used practical effects a little too realistically. Ultimately, the verdict is a unanimous "Let It Die" for the movie, but a "Rise from the Grave" for the original story, which they believe deserves a faithful, big-budget adaptation.

Key Highlights
[02:34] Asimov's Story vs. The Movie: Joseph explains the plot of the original short story, which focuses on scientists in an observatory facing the psychological terror of darkness, contrasting it with the movie's focus on cultists and romance.
[06:40] Director's Quote: A critique of director Paul Mayersberg's quote claiming "film is not a very good medium for science fiction," which the hosts vehemently disagree with, citing Star Wars and Star Trek.
[14:07] The Eye-Pecking Scene: The crew reacts to the gruesome practical effect where a bird pecks out Sarah Douglas's eyes, noting it looked disturbingly real (because it was).
[16:57] The Blind Man: A funny observation about a character who the hosts didn't realize was blind for half the movie because he was just "tapping rocks."
[29:22] No Temperature Drop: Joseph points out a major scientific flaw: despite the suns setting, the characters never react to the temperature dropping until it suddenly snows at the very end.
[40:48] Rise from the Grave (The Story): The hosts agree that while the movie should be forgotten, Asimov's original story is brilliant and deserves a proper, faithful adaptation that focuses on the psychological horror of the event.