2. Nightmare At 20,000 Feet (1963) TV (1983) Film
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet is an exploration into the fear and paranoia of the human mind. Matheson's short story was first adapted in 1963 for the science fiction series The Twilight Zone. This version was directed by Richard Donner and starred William Shatner. The story is about a man who had suffered a nervous breakdown and boards a plane to return home with his wife. Soon after takeoff he notices someone on the wing of the airplane. When he warns his wife that there is man on the wing she proclaims to not see anything out there. After trying to convince himself that it is all in his mind the strange creature taunts him and begins to inflict damage to the wing of the airplane. The man tries to warn the pilot of what he sees and tells him to look for himself. The pilot does not see anything out there and is convinced that he is crazy. The man decides to take action himself by stealing a gun from a police officer who is on board. The man pulls the emergency latch and shoots the creature. The plane makes an emergency landing and the man is put into a straight jacket to be taken to a sanitarium. As he is loaded into the ambulance the camera pans down to reveal that there was damage done to the wing suggesting that he may not have been crazy after all. Another version of the story appeared in the 1983 film Twilight Zone: The Movie. John Lithgow starred as the paranoid passenger with George Miller directing.
Matheson has said that this was one of his favorite Twilight Zone episodes and was very pleased by both actor's interpretations of the main character. It remains as one of the most popular episodes of the franchise. The story has been referenced and parodied by many other television shows and movies.
