1963's "The New Exhibit" was one of the best of all the entries in the "Twilight Zone" series and certainly one the most famous and frightening. Martin Balsam stars as Martin Senescu, the long-time curator of a Wax Museum exhibit that features some of the most gruesome murderers in history (e.g. Jack the Ripper etc.). When the owner Mr. Ferguson (Will Kuluva) informs him that due to financial reasons, he has to close the entire museum, Martin pleads with him to be allowed to keep the exhibit's wax figures in his basement until economic times improve. Reluctantly, Ferguson gives his permission. All seems well for Jack the Ripper and his fellow murderous figures in Martin's air-conditioned basement---for a while. Unfortunately, Mrs. Senescu (Margaret Field) is petrified of them when she's forced to go down there to do the couple's laundry. For her own sanity, she decides to "accidently" turn off the air-conditioning so that the figures can melt away. Jack and his friends don't take too kindly to her actions and poor Mrs. Senescu ends up with her throat slashed. When Mrs. Senescu's brother shows up to investigate her whereabouts, he meets a similar fate. But are the figures truly coming to life or is there really another culprit?
Martin Balsam gives a tour de force performance in "The New Exhibit" and he anchors the hour-long episode. "The New Exhibit" is as much a psychological study of the mind of a murderer as it is a legitimate scare-fest. As curator of the most evil men, Balsam's misguided sympathies lie with the poor "tortured souls" that he's watching over and not their unfortunate victims. As it turns out, he had more in common with them anyway. The episode was written by Charles Beaumont, one of Serling's chief writers. Beaumont's highly original work was usually unencumbered by Serling's moralistic tone and that certainly holds true in this entry. The directorial duties were handled capably by John Brahm.
Martin Balsam gives a tour de force performance in "The New Exhibit" and he anchors the hour-long episode. "The New Exhibit" is as much a psychological study of the mind of a murderer as it is a legitimate scare-fest. As curator of the most evil men, Balsam's misguided sympathies lie with the poor "tortured souls" that he's watching over and not their unfortunate victims. As it turns out, he had more in common with them anyway. The episode was written by Charles Beaumont, one of Serling's chief writers. Beaumont's highly original work was usually unencumbered by Serling's moralistic tone and that certainly holds true in this entry. The directorial duties were handled capably by John Brahm.