Reel Deep Dive

This is the second of an ongoing series where Reel Deep Dive examines clusters of Twilight Zone episodes by writer. The prior installment focused on the three episodes ghostwritten by Jerry Sohl on behalf of the dying Charles Beaumont, so it felt appropriate for the follow-up to focus on the stuff Beaumont wrote himself (or, in the case of "Number 12 Looks Just Like You", an episode based on a Beaumont-penned short story that was adapted by John Tomerlin).

The network execs who greenlit The Tick as a Saturday morning cartoon were baldly trying to replicate the smash success of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This is a bit more obvious upon examination; like the Ninja Turtles, The Tick was based on an indie comics series by an eccentric artist from New England, the show features many toyetic character designs, and much of the TMNT cast was hired to voice various characters (including the titular protagonist). However, while The Tick was popular enough to get renewed for two additional seasons and the IP remained in the public imagination long enough for several attempted reboots, The Tick was never able to sell as many action figures, video games, or breakfast cereal as Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, or Raphael.

George Lucas' Star Wars prequels were received with widespread scorn by the geek community upon their release and, while their reputations have been somewhat rehabilitated by endearing memes and the passionate, nostalgic support of those who loved the movies as children, much of the eventual goodwill surrounding these films was likely engendered by the higher quality of their animated spinoffs. Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which began in 2008 and concluded in 2020, is one of the most beloved products of the sprawling Star Wars franchise overall. Somewhat overshadowed is the preceding (and similarly-named) Star Wars: Clone Wars, a series of loosely connected vignettes overseen by director Genndy Tartakovsky and released between Attack Of The Clones (2002) and Revenge Of The Sith (2005). This episode is about the Tartakovsky program.

A loosely autobiographical account of Prince's rise in the Minneapolis music scene, the Purple Rain film is a wild, messy, silly, uneven, and idiosyncratic time capsule. While one could argue that Purple Rain is a bit slight as a movie, its soundtrack was a juggernaut that sold millions of copies, was played endlessly on Top 40 radio, captured the essence of an era, and even spurred congressional hearings due to horny song lyrics. As such, Purple Rain has become a generational touchstone like few other hit movies of the 1980's.

The third (and most beloved) installment in the long-running Vacation franchise, this film centers upon suburban patriarch Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) and his vain efforts to recreate the fun, old fashioned Christmas celebrations of his youth. As ever, slapstick, property destruction, cutting remarks, kidnapping, and other assorted forms of mayhem ensue.

For most of its history, the horned, anthropomorphic figure known as The Krampus was a seasonal folk icon that was pretty obscure outside of Austria and southern Bavaria. However, soon after the turn of the millennium, The Krampus became increasingly more popular as a folkloric curio and as a fixture in snarky internet culture. By 2013, he was well-known enough for filmmakers to use him as the antagonist in Christmas-themed horror movies. There were a whole slew of them made in the 2010's; this episode is focused upon Michael Dougherty's 2015 effort, which is arguably the most successful and visible example.

Shot and released during a troubled period where Hollywood was losing audiences to both television and the "white flight" to the suburbs, White Christmas used vibrant technicolor, an expanded aspect ratio, playfully light acting, and lots of expensive spectacle in the hopes of giving people a reason to go out of their way to buy a ticket to the movies. It was an impressive success, taking in far more money than any other American film released that year. Its seasonal dressing also turned it into a festive perennial; above all else, White Christmas is a nostalgic favorite that's reliably revisited by millions of people every December.

Released with little fanfare and modest box office, The Nightmare Before Christmas gradually attained a significant audience of millennial children through home video and, by the early years of the 21st century, was widely seen as a seasonal favorite of the same stature as A Christmas Story (1983) or Miracle On 34th Street (1947). These days, the film is a holiday staple whose merchandise clogs department store and pharmacy shelves right alongside comparable items featuring Snoopy or The Grinch.

After writing, directing, and producing a number of coming-of-age comedies that have since become generational touchstones for Gen X and millennials, John Hughes shifted his focus to adult characters for this feature. Centering upon two strangers with little in common besides their painstaking quest to reach Chicago in time for Thanksgiving, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles uses gross-out gags, cringe humor, slapstick, and a string of profanity to gradually tease out a meditative story centering upon found family, overcoming societal assumptions, and finding humanity in the depths of grief.

Ostensibly a remake of the low budget 1932 horror movie, writer/director Stephen Sommers' take on The Mummy borrows more heavily from Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981) than German Expressionism. A rollicking, high octane adventure story with scenic vistas, elaborate special effects, and a bombastic score from Jerry Goldsmith, The Mummy received mixed reviews and bountiful box office. While it was pretty shameless about being a disposable throwback to the popcorn entertainments of yore, The Mummy has had sturdier legs than what many had assumed in 1999. In addition to two direct sequels and a mess of spinoffs, The Mummy supercharged the career of leading man Brendan Fraser and has been periodically reappraised as an underrated gem multiple times since it debuted.