The Outer Limits (TV Series) The Forms of Things Unknown (1964) User Reviews

Hypnotic episode from the Limits

[alynsrumbold · 9/10 · 17 January 2008]

According to a couple different sources, Joseph Stefano originally wrote this teleplay as a pilot for a new TV series that didn't sell, and it ended up broadcast as an episode on the original "Outer Limits." This makes sense, since "The Form of Things Unknown" has more of a Gothic thriller quality to it than a science fiction story. The strange "time tilting device" with its "rare magnetic wires" is about the only nod to the SF genre in the show, though it really has more in common with, say, the eerie "camera obscura" that is the centerpiece of an episode of "Night Gallery." In its relationship to "The Outer Limits," this show feels more like "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" did to "The Twilight Zone." Well, anyway, enough of the vaguely-related comparisons. "TFOTU" makes for a very moody, entertaining experience, especially on a rainy night since the majority of the show takes place in a gloomy mansion on... well, a rainy night. The writing is a little melodramatic at points, but the uniformly strong acting by the cast helps it avoid being overdone. David McCallum delivers a performance that is both intellectually sinister and childishly spritely in capturing the eccentricity of Tone Hobart, the creator of the machine. Vera Miles is coolly elegant as the scheming sophisticate Kassia Paine (she is described as a "sleek sack of sin," -- interesting!), while Barbara Rush plays the part of Leonora Edmond with emotional fragility and pathos -- even though she is not above committing murder. Scott Marlowe delivers a convincingly menacing portrayal of the cunning and evil Andre Pavan and has some of the best lines in the show: for example, "I am noisy rich...but I want to be quiet rich" and "come as you are...in your fine stiletto heels." Finally, Sir Cedric Hardwicke underscores the rest with a spirit of calm gravitas and that marvelous voice of his, one more disparate thread that, with the other characterizations, is woven into an intriguing clash of emotions and ambitions.

Between the superb camera work (all in black & white, which is perfect for this show), the beautifully evocative score by Dominic Frontiere, and the aforementioned performances, "TFOTU" delivers an atmospheric blend of preternatural doings against a backdrop of subtle sexual tension. By the way, I liked the ominous little "bridging" moment in the story when Kassia and Leonora encounter the small funeral cortège on the country road -- just another quirky detail that helps pull it all together.

P.S. At least one explanation of this show on a website discussing "The Outer Limits" reports that there is an alternate version of "TFOTU." In this other version, apparently Andre did not actually die -- the thanatos tree was an invention on his part and was not a lethal shrub, so he was faking his own death. Later in the story, when he DOES die in the car wreck, Kassia takes the gun and returns to the house. Mistaking Tone's desperate entreaties to Leonora as an attack on her, Kassia shoots him and he dies in front of his time-tilting machine, which turns out to be nothing; he was apparently just a madman after all. I'd be curious to know if it was actually filmed this way, or if it was just a script version that Stefano wrote but which never got in front of a camera.

The Cinematographer, Conrad Hall, is the Real Star of This Episode!

[Chance2000esl · 8/10 · 21 April 2008]

Conrad Hall, the cinematographer of 15 'Outer Limits' episodes, is the real star of this, his final and ultimate episode! If you don't believe me, just watch it and be amazed.

Oh, by the way, Hall received three Oscars for Best Cinematography during his life time --- for 'Road to Perdition' (2002), 'American Beauty' (1999) and 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' (1969)! He's one of only five cinematographers to have a star on the Walk of Fame! (It's at 7060 Hollywood Boulevard.)

Anyway, the story begins with Kasha (Vera Miles) poisoning her blackmailer criminal boyfriend Andre (Scott Marlowe) with the help of Leonora (Barbara Rush), whose father is the victim of Kasha's and Andre's scam. At first you guess this might become a rip-off of 'Diabolique' (1955), as the episode 'Specimen: Unknown' (1963) stole from 'The Day of the Triffids' (1962), but it doesn't. One reviewer described an alternate version which is more like 'Diabolique,' but fortunately, this one turns out very differently.

After having stored Andre's body in the trunk of his car, Kasha drives off (running into a quirky appearance of a funeral procession) while the rain starts, and the cinematography leaps into high gear.

Most of the rest is in an old Gothic house on a dark and stormy night. No doubt both Hall and the producer decided to really go all the way and do an homage to the whole sub genre of countless 'old dark house' movies from 'The Old Dark House' (1932) on, while, of course, also making use of the bible of camera angles, composition framing, lighting techniques and noir shots developed by Orson Welles and Gregg Toland in "Citizen Kane" (1941).

Hall adds a new camera angle of his own (or did this come from Busby Berkely?): the camera is placed on the floor below the doorknob of a locked door, facing upward. Shooting up Cedric Hardwicke's legs (and later David McCallum's!) the lens is focused on the key in his hands trying to unlock the door; later it's David McCallum's hands trying to open the double doors. Whew!

All of this great camera work adds up to what it is supposed to do: to create a sinister, foreboding, mysterious atmosphere that really emphasizes and conveys the mood and theme of the story. Another fine Hall episode is 'The Bellero Shield' (1964) which features great shadows that accentuate the evil natures of Chita Rivera and Sally Kellerman. Except for that one, none of the other 'dark house' episodes can even come close to matching the level of cinematographic creativity on display in 'The Forms of Things Unknown.' Consider it a job outstandingly done!

At several points the dialog is a little weak, and the meaning of the title is too obscure. Cedric Hardwicke (as Colus) with that great voice of his -- so perfect as the 'story teller' / narrator in "The Picture of Dorian Gray" (1945), and David McCallum as 'Mr. Hobart' (the man who 'tilted time' and somehow came back from the dead, and also revived Andre) are interesting to watch. Barbara Rush (dressed in black) is appropriately emotional, fragile and upset to contrast with Vera Miles (in white) who is calm, cool and rational. Scott Marlowe is the least believable with that phony 'bad guy' cackle-laugh. Fortunately, we've never heard from him again.

The cinematography really elevates this episode, even though it's not the best 'Outer Limits' story. I've got to give it an 8.

Not amongst the show's TOP 10, but interesting, nonetheless!

[garrard · 7/10 · 20 June 2006]

Filmed as a "pilot" for a possible "Outer Limits" spin-off, "The Forms of Things Unknown" boasts an impressive cast of actors that formerly appeared on the series (David McCallum and Scott Marlowe), movie maidens (Vera Miles and Barbara Rush), and a character acting legend (Sir Cedric Hardwicke). The story involves a cad (Marlowe) and his two traveling companions (Miles and Rush) that come upon an enigmatic scientist (McCallum) and his blind manservant (Hardwicke). The two women eventually do away with their manipulative "boyfriend" but due to the scientist's forays into time travel, the cad comes back to life, much to the dismay of the scientist, whose experiments are meant for the good of mankind.

There is much symbolism in the episode and a bit of "kinkiness" in the relationship between Marlowe, Rush, and Miles. Atmospheric camera angles, lighting, and an effective Dominic Frontiere score enhance an intriguing story. The actors are appropriately effective in their respective roles, especially Hardwicke who, at the time, was gravely ill, eventually dying shortly after completion of filming.

Keen observers will note that each "act" began with "The Outer Limits" logo being revealed in a manner that would be later used in "The Invaders" three years later.

Fine Cinematography

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 16 January 2015]

The visual imagery is quite striking here. The camera uses the shadows of the black and white to create ghostly scenes. The story is, unfortunately, plodding. I have to agree with the reviewer who talked about the young woman's hysteria being a distraction. When she assists in the murder of the man who will ruin her father for some relatively innocent transgressions, she quickly falls into utter guilt ridden craziness. This is actually a good ghost story with the old house in the rain and the weird stuff at the end of the hallway. David McCallum, who has made quite a comeback, is the spooky time traveller who set about from childhood to bring people back from the dead. Vera Miles is the ice blonde who has the chops for murder (who actually set up the old man). But this goes on and on and seems to never get to the point. We are also not given a good understanding of how McCallum put this all together. Hardwick is great as the blind homeowner who spooks around the house, knowing, but not knowing. Despite its shortcomings, it is great for atmosphere and a good bit of TV.

Film Noir Masterpiece

[profh-1 · 18 December 2009]

And so, once again, I reach the end of the 1st season. I first saw this story when it was first-run --or perhaps on a rerun, if it was... either way, it was almost definitely during that 1st season when the show was on early Monday nights, just as the Tara King AVENGERS were years later. (Funny thing, my favorite "Tara" episode was THEY KEEP KILLING STEED, which blatantly swiped from THE HUNDRED DAYS OF THE DRAGON, which had aired in the same time slot on the same network years earlier.)

I never saw this again until I rented it in the early 90's. I've played the entire 1st season back twice now, so I've seen it 4 times now. I was completely shocked, surprised and blown away when I saw it the 2nd time, after so many years. WHAT THE F***??? Looking at the credits, I see this was the work of Joe Stefano and Gerd Oswald. But they'd done so many episode of OL, and none of them were quite like this!!

The story seems almost relatively simple... but not the way it's told. You feel like you're watching some kind of avant-garde European "art" film. All the weird camera-angles, the bizarre edits, the strange language, the intense expressions of people's faces. It's like some twisted, otherworldly version of Shakespeare... perhaps that's what they were after?

Barbara Rush is so beautiful, yet so tragic. Who'd believe she would later wind up in my vote for the absolute WORST episode of the Adam West BATMAN a few years later?? I found out she was a regular on PEYTON PLACE (as was Tippy Walker, who I fell for watching her early film). Made me wonder how things would have been if she'd been on DARK SHADOWS instead. Vera Miles, meanwhile, is reunited with Stefano (after PSYCHO, heh).

David McCallum is genuinely other-worldly in this. Perhaps, like Lugosi in Dracula, he really is "undead". His facial expressions make him seem something not quite human.

The house and its corridors reminds me of the 2 other "haunted house" stories OL had that year-- Stefano's own DON'T OPEN UNTIL DOOMSDAY and the very similar THE GUESTS (which, in the long run, I came to like much more). But this time out may be Stefano's unsung masterpiece.

Crime melodrama? Science-fiction? Art film? Poetry? All of the above? What a hell of a way for Stefano to depart the show. One can only wonder what might have been if he had stayed... if he hadn't pulled his own vanishing act, just as "Tone" did in the last scene.

A great end to the first series.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 18 September 2023]

Two women stumble into the house of a quirky inventor, who claims to have a time machine, added complication is that they have a dead body in the boot of their car.

I purposely watched this episode twice, as after the first viewing, I couldn't really form much if an opinion, the second viewing definitely helped. I e now come to the opinion that it's a great episode.

I'd go so far as to say this is perhaps one of the best five episodes from the first series, it's very imaginative, it's well realised, and it features some of the most beautiful and creative cinematography that I've seen in any show from the 1960's.

I really liked the story, it's clever, it's pretty dark at its core, but it's delivered with true authenticity, the cast do a fine job.

Wonderful to see Vera Miles, she's very good here, and adds some real star quality to proceedings, they clearly went for a star to end the series on a high.

David McCallum steals the show for me, his previous episode is perhaps my favourite of the lot, he gets to appear in another classic.

Series one ended on a high note, on to series two.

9/10.

Strange, even for Outer Limits

[nickenchuggets · 10/10 · 15 June 2021]

By now, it shouldn't be a surprise that the Outer Limits has a whole array of very strange and mysterious episodes that will leave the viewer confused even after finishing them. One of the most mysterious of all of them has got to be The Forms of Things Unknown. The title is taken from a Shakespeare play, but I don't know which one. The storyline of the episode involves two girls, Kassia and Leonora, who are in a close but reluctant relationship with someone named Andre. Andre is blackmailing one of the girl's fathers, which makes both girls hate him. After stopping his car at a lake, he says he wants one of the girls to make him a drink. As they do so, they put the leaf of a poisonous plant in the drink and give it to Andre. He dies shortly after drinking it, but has a weird grin on his face when he does. Once dead, the girls load his body into the trunk of the car and drive off. After a rainstorm, the girls try to check on the body, but it is gone. Now thoroughly afraid, they run to a nearby house, where a blind man (Cedric Hardwicke) answers the door. He is apparently the servant of a "Mr. Hobart", who will be home shortly. Hobart explains how he is working on a machine in a secret room of his house that can bring people back from the dead by sliding the past into the present, or vice versa. He shows one of the girls his invention, which is basically Andre's corpse in the middle of a huge amount of clocks all ticking at once, with each one connected to his body by a string. Later on, it's shown that Hobart himself died but was resurrected when placed on the machine. After Andre is resurrected and still wants to blackmail Leonora's father, he drives off with Kassia and crashes his car, dying a second time. Finally, Hobart asks Leonora to destroy his time machine for him after he is sent back to the past, where he is dead. Leonora shuts herself in the room with the machine, but Hobart opens the door and disappears into the past anyway. This is one of my favorite Outer Limits episodes. I always liked things that involve rain, since it gives you a creepy and foreboding feel when watching it. Throughout most of the episode, it is raining. The time machine that Hobart built is also one of the most original ideas I've seen, and it makes you wonder how the makers of the show got all those clocks together. Believe it or not, this episode also had an alternate ending that involves Kassia using a gun to kill Hobart as he tries to step into the time machine. It also makes changes to the earlier story, saying how there was no poisonous plant so Andre wasn't even dead. This episode is also the last acting role of Cedric Hardwicke, who would die a few months after this. In all, this is a strange episode even by Outer Limits standards, but the concept is very unique.

Alternate ending

[jwlube · 7/10 · 21 July 2012]

The "alternate ending" that is reported as possibly filmed WAS as far as I can vouch for. I saw this as a child. Whether it was shown as an episode of Outer Limits, or just a special broadcast I don't know. When I saw this episode years later on syndication and got to the ending my first impression was "this is not how it ended!" There was no time machine,the time tilter did not work, and Andre was not dead. This was the version that I saw as a child, and I found out many years later that there were actually two endings filmed for this in anticipation of a series. It would be interesting to find out if there is a copy of the alternate ending episode. It did exist and was broadcast at least once as this was the version that I saw.

The acting sinks this one to mediocrity.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 7 July 2012]

This episode of "The Outer Limits" seems like a variation on the classic French film "Les Diaboliques"--mixed with the ancient Greek character, Lachesis. It pretty much starts off like "Les Diaboliques". Two women hate a blackmailer, so they kill him. However, soon it becomes obvious that one of them (Barbara Rush) does not have the stomach for murder--and she spends MUCH of the show screaming and acting scared--so much so that it was a bit of a hindrance to the viewer's enjoyment. The two ladies shove the dead guy in their car trunk and drive off--and soon are stuck in a rain storm. It's so bad, they get stuck and are forced to take refuge at a blind man's (Cederic Hardwicke) home. There they meet a weirdo inventor (David McCallum) whose experiment causes great havoc--bringing the dead guy back to life by manipulating the strings of time! When McCallum meets the once-dead man, however, he regrets bringing him back to life. What's next? See the show if you dare (or not).

While doing a variation on "Les Diaboliques" might have worked, the acting sink this one. Not only does Rush's character overact, but so does McCallum. He behaves like a weirdo--and isn't particularly believable...just weird. Had these folks acted at least halfway believably, it would have worked. As it is, it just looks like a show that was too hastily assembled and should have had a few scenes re-shot. And, perhaps, re-written.

By the way, this is one of the distinguished British actor Cederic Hardwicke's last roles. He was just fine in the show and, as always, added an air of sophistication and grace.

"Why didn't you stay dead?"

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 4 June 2022]

This seemed to be an oddly misplaced episode for The Outer Limits, as it has a weird horror, soap opera feel to it with a couple of women (Vera Miles, Barbara Rush) who plan the murder of a man who intends to blackmail the father of Leonora Edmond (Rush). The poisoning murder of Andre (Scott Marlowe) comes off without a hitch, but then things go off the rails for the women who get caught in a rainstorm and seek shelter in a home owned by a blind man (Cedric Hardwicke) who appears more like the mansion's butler. An enigmatic Tone Hobart (David McCallum) seems to have the run of the place with Colus (Hardwicke) virtually subservient to him. Neat camera tricks and use of shadow give the story an almost Gothic, ethereal feel, combined with a bizarre story line of 'tilting time' and bringing dead Andre back to life. Which by itself was puzzling enough until Tone Hobart decided to visit the great beyond himself by revisiting his dead past. By definition this story qualifies for one that explores the Outer Limits, but without the all too frequent introduction of aliens and monsters.

Tilted Time

[AaronCapenBanner · 3/10 · 14 March 2016]

Vera Miles and Barbara Rush star as Kasha Paine and Leonora Edmond, two women at the mercy of a sadistic blackmailer named Andre(played by Scott Marlowe) who decide one day at a lake to poison him, which does kill him, and they put his body in the car trunk. Unfortunately, they later seek shelter at the home of an eccentric inventor named Tone Hobart(played by David McCallum) who has invented a means to tilt time, which has the effect of reversing Andre's death, bringing him back to life to torment them all. Will Hobart be able to put things right again? Cedric Hardwicke costars. Bizarre episode is a dud, with a preposterous and excessively contrived plot wallowing in mind-numbing tedium. Good cast can't save it.

Style Over Substance

[StuOz · 11 July 2014]

A time machine in an oddball house (with a man-from-uncle inside) create terror.

This is one of my top five episodes of the whole series. It was a pilot for a never made series, and as we all know pilots are made with twice the money and twice the filming time of a regular TV episode...it shows here!

The care and attention that went into filming this hour will blow your mind. The direction, camera angles, lighting, photography, acting and musical score are of motion picture standard all the way.

There is a lot of style over substance going on here, I can't really say the basic story is the best you will see in the whole Outer Limits series, but you just get sucked into the general look of it and the sound of it. I return to this episode every couple of years with repeat viewings.

The past time sliding over the present time by a time-device a Shakespearian offering!!

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 2 February 2024]

A bleak atmospheric episode on noirish style nestled in a rainy night on the dark woodland, it summed up about two women, the scary maiden Barbara Bush and a cold blood lady Vera Miles in dire straits after poisoned a menacing guy Scott Marlowe, when the body simply disappears from the car's trunk, they find out a mansion nearest, there were received by a blind old man Cedric Hardwicke and a young weird guy David McCallum who had built a time-device whereby transport the dead body of Marlowe back to life.

Actually McCallum had designed the device aiming for bring back the beloved ones that had gone afterlife, such device should be relief the hard mourning, instead now he brings back suffering on threatening mad guy Scott Marlowe over two afraid girls, on regret McCallum ought fix up his mistake trying be back the dangerous guy towards his time-device in order transport him to death again, nonetheless it proves useless, moreover the women are in upmost jeopardy again.

A sort of Shakespearian offering mainly by stronger presence of the legendary British actor Sir Cedric Hardwicke as the owner of the mansion, the highlight is up by a unusual moving camera and stunning photography, for those human eager of sexy, worthwhile a look on wet dressing Vera Miles's sculptural sexy body perfectly outlined, what breathtaking vision of the paradise (forgive me Gordon Scott by nasty comment, I can't resist), without forget the score music is the same that will appears as main song of THE INVADERS series later.

Thanks for reading.

Resume:

First watch: 2024 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5.

Men and women truly are from different worlds.

[fedor8 · 12 September 2021]

Don't be mislead by the title. It has nothing to do with the story. They could have literally slapped this title to almost any other TOL episode, because it's so vague.

One of the most eccentric episodes, not mainstream at all, experimental even to some extent. Starts off very weird, as if in an alternate world, but gradually lands down on Earth and this is when the flaws start showing up.

There is a stark discrepancy between the two male antagonists and the two female protagonists. The men are badly cast, especially McCallum who is one of the blandest, dullest nepotists in the history of TV and cinema. His role is far too unusual to be played by such a non-descript delta male. The role of Andre is also filled by an actor of questionable ability, who'd already failed to impress in another TOL episode. Even worse, neither character make much sense. McCallum brings Andre back to life for no reason whatsoever - despite knowing that Andre is a danger to the two beautiful women who had just entered the house he's in. The hell...?

Andre himself makes even less sense, almost no sense at all. He might as well be an alien from another dimension. Starting from his absurd reckless driving in the opening scene, and all the way to his DISINTEREST in the "scientist" who brought him back to life, nothing Andre does is realistic, none of it makes sense on any psychological level. He is an egomaniac and a psychopath, and as such his natural reaction should be to immediately kill the women who poisoned him, or to at least threaten them with violence, or abduct them. Instead, he almost ignores one woman, while continuing his affair with the other - as if nothing had happened! Andre snickers all the time as if on Bolivian mushrooms, and it gets old quickly, because what's he got to snicker about? Because he got duped by the women? Never get a character to laugh all the time, it always comes off as annoying and stupid, not to mention when the character is as badly conceived as this.

Essentially, we are given to understand that Andre neither cares that he was killed nor cares that someone just discovered a method to bring him back from the dead. He is just plain disinterested, very chill about everything; far too disconnected from reality to make him a relatable i.e. Real character.

McCallum goes back to the house, points a gun at Andre, promises to kill him - then turn his back to him. And of course Andre - being so utterly relaxed and insane - doesn't even try to disarm him. He doesn't even appear angry. He disarms him later, but because McCallum is also irrational and illogical in every way, he doesn't even try to stop Andre. McCallum was intended as some sort of a mad scientist or something, but comes off as a random moron instead. It isn't clear whether he is a scientist or just some shluck who lucked out with the time-warp discovery. (As Ed Wood might say: "he STUMBLED upon this ingenious invention".)

On the other hand we have the women, cast wonderfully with two beauties, especially Vera Miles chews up the scenery with her poise and elegance, kind of like a (much) more intelligent-looking version of Grace Kelly. Both women are far more logical and consistent characters, to boot. Their behaviour is much more grounded in reality, which happens to be absurd in this story. In fact, they are normal which is too much of a stark contrast to the men who seem to be in an entirely different movie, in another dimension.

The story starts very well, with great style, mood and intrigue but unfortunately dissolves into too much nonsense. It's as if Stefano had tried to make the story too weird for its own sake. (If you go weird then go full-on weird, don't compromise too much.) The scene when Miles jumps out of the car and then Andre crashes into a tree is simply ludicrous, an example of almost random writing.