The episode remains one of the crowning achievements not only of the second season but of the entire series. Its imagery makes it one of the most recognizable episodes of the series, with its unusual atmosphere, a memorable monster, and its frequent broadcasts in The Twilight Zone syndication packages. Even the stock music, which includes pieces from regular series contributors Jerry Goldsmith and Bernard Herrmann, is used effectively. "The Howling Man" succeeds on every level, from the script, direction, photography, and casting to the makeup and set design. With "The Howling Man," The Twilight Zone ventured directly into Gothic horror in bravura style, complete with an old European abbey, a thunderous storm, a lost traveler, and a confrontation with the ultimate enemy of mankind. The door opens to darkness but we know what waits there in the dark. Though the whole tale has been a tale of warning to Elllington's housekeeper, whom he leaves in charge of his home while he is off making arrangements to move the Devil back to Brother Jerome, the housekeeper, upon hearing the howling from behind the closed door, cannot resist removing the staff once Ellington has left. He plans on transporting the Devil back to Brother Jerome at the hermitage. He keeps the prisoner locked in a room in his home, barred only by a small wooden staff. Years later, after the second World War and the Korean War and the development of new weapons of mass destruction, Ellington manages to recapture the Devil. The man in the cell really is the Devil and he quickly escapes from the hermitage. Once the staff is removed, Ellington learns the terrible truth. It is the last questioning moment that Ellington will have and to remove the staff seems to be a difficult act. It is something which can easily be removed by the prisoner. In a moment before he frees the prisoner, Ellington notices that it is only a thin piece of wood, the staff of truth, which holds the door closed. Ellington rushes to the prison cell to free the man within. Later in the night, Ellington leaves his room against Jerome's orders by stealing the key to the locked bedroom door from the neck of the sleeping Brother Christophus. This time, unfortunately, Jerome believes him. Ellington again tells Jerome that he believes. Jerome pursued the Devil across the world and finally managed to trap him. It is but a meager wooden staff which holds closed the door of the Devil's cell. The herding staff which all the members of the order carry represent "truth," which is, in Jerome's words, the greatest weapon against the Devil. Jerome sees through the lie and attempts to explain to Ellington how he and the brotherhood came to be the wardens of the Devil. The man in the cell is the Devil, himself!Įllington is reluctant to believe the incredible story but tells Jerome that he does believe. It is only when Ellington threatens to involve the authorities in the matter that Jerome relents and tells Ellington the truth. The howling which Ellington hears again and again Brother Jerome pretends not to hear at all. When Ellington confronts Brother Jerome, the old monk attempts to convince Ellington that he has not seen or spoken to a man at all.
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