10 Greatest Episodes Of The Twilight Zone

This episode begins when a mother buys her daughter a new doll named Talky Tina, but when the father examines it, the doll begins saying flat out evil things to him. But nobody else hears it, so the show once again leaves some ambiguity as to whether the doll is really alive or if Erich is just going insane. 

Serling gives you plenty of reason to consider the latter, establishing marital problems in the family and that Erich sees Tina as a cruel reminder of his own impotence. The ambiguity makes the whole thing much scarier, and never having Tina get up and start walking around the house is a wise decision. The episode also gets across the absolute hopelessness of trying to deal with a force like Tina, as seen when Erich throws the doll out only to receive a phone call with Tina on the other end. 

There have been dozens of stories about evil dolls in horror history, yet the greatest one was told 52 years ago and still has not been topped. It’s so iconic that just about every other evil doll story for here on copies something from this episode. Living Doll is creepy and unforgettable, but with a strong emotional core that elevates it beyond just standard horror fare.