The Shelter

This is a really unnerving entry, probably because it hits so close to home for not just Cold War 1961, but even now. Nonetheless, 1961 was a time when a Hot War could break out at any moment, which the 30-minutes capitalizes on. Note how the opening shows our typical suburban community in joyous abandon. That sets up the tragedy that follows, when reports of atomic missiles striking are broadcast. Immediately, the boisterous good feeling collapses into panic as family survival suddenly becomes uppermost. The problem is that only one of the families has followed Civil Defense instructions to construct a bomb shelter. Thus the Stocktons rush to their shelter, while the others frantically mill about. Having nowhere obvious to go, the panicked, folks plead with the Stocktons to share their shelter. But the confines are too small, so Dad Stockton refuses. But what will happen now that suburban comity has collapsed into sheer clamor for survival.

As I recall, this was a 'water cooler' episode that attracted considerable attention, as folks wondered what they would do in similar circumstances. However, the underlying subtext could apply to any calamitous situation, and what a person or family would do once ordinary bonds are shattered. Thus, the theme has much broader application than Cold War 1961.

The acting here is first-rate, making us feel the desperate fright. Given the alarming relevancy to the time, I expect the producers were especially concerned how the results would be popularly taken. After all, the topic was not really about another time or another place far away. All in all, it's a riveting, if unsettling, 30-minutes.

This episode of The Twilight Zone is somewhat different to most of the rest; as instead of being a bizarre tale; it's based more on human morals, and is also something that could very easily happen. "The Shelter" follows a street, where only one person has a bomb shelter. After nuclear war is threatened; the street is thrown into disarray, as everyone wants a piece of the shelter. This story might not have as big an impact nowadays as it did when it was first aired in 1961. In the middle of the Cold War, the nuclear threat was very real; and knowing that the events of this show could be just round the corner must have been terrifying. The tale is very well written, and the exercise in morality is very well felt. Unlike the rest of The Twilight Zone, this story takes place in our world, and has a very realistic feel throughout. The final words on morality and civilisation sums it all up perfectly, and while it might not be what you'd expect from The Twilight Zone, this is still an ingenious little tale and it still makes you think. Another episode that comes highly recommended!

Larry Gates plays Dr. Stockton, an amiable small town physician who is having a dinner party one night with his friends and neighbors. Things are fine until a surprise radio announcement is made that a mysterious unidentified object is on its way to the U.S., and residents should take shelter. The good doctor does have a bomb shelter ready for himself, his wife and son, but no one else, which doesn't sit well with his panicking neighbors, who have no shelter, and in fact want Stockton's, even if they have to bash down the door to get in... Chilling and all-too believable account of human beings under pressure, and how quickly they came become uncivilized is an underrated gem, with a final character summation that says it all...

For The Shelter, Rod Serling exploits his viewers' very real fear of nuclear annihilation during the cold war. The titular construction has been built by Dr. Bill Stockton (Larry Gates) for use in the event of a missile attack, and it is designed for his family of three, which causes problems when, after a possible strike is announced on the radio, his friends come calling hoping to also take refuge in the shelter.

Like William Golding's Lord of the Flies, The Shelter reveals what a superficial layer so-called civilisation actually is, people quickly reverting to an animalistic state when it comes to survival. Stockton's friends don't take long to show their true colours when the doctor refuses them entry to his shelter, turning on each other in their desperation, and resorting to violence. The twist in the tale is the attack is revealed to be a false alarm, leaving the people embarrassed and ashamed of what they have become in the face of imminent death.

A gripping, thought-provoking tale about human nature, and one of Serling's more disturbing stories - a resounding success, although that bomb shelter door didn't put up much resistance to a makeshift battering ram... can't see that it would have held up too well against a nuclear blast.

7.5/10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

This episode perfectly illustrates why "The Twilight Zone" is the greatest show that ever aired on television. It's not a typical TZ-tale, mind you, since it doesn't feature any supernatural or mystery elements, but it's disturbing, contemporarily accurate, thought-provoking, intelligent and indescribably tense. What a true genius you were, Mr. Rod Serling! Throughout a total of five seasons and 150+ episodes, we've seen stories with a wide variety of greatly horrific subjects (aliens, parallel dimensions, dystopian futures, post-nuclear landscapes, ...) but, in "The Shelter", Serling establishes once and for all that the biggest menace for the survival of our species is, in fact, man itself. The story opens in the living room of the respectable Dr. Stockton, where he and his family are cozily enjoying a diner party with the closest neighbors and friends. Moments after the neighbors jokingly mocked the good doctor for being the sole resident in the area with a bomb shelter in his basements, the party is rudely interrupted by a government announcement. A nuclear attack is imminent and seemingly unavoidable. Suddenly, the idea of being prepared with bomb-proof shelter isn't so funny anymore.

What happens next is jaw-dropping, because it's simultaneously disturbing and realistic. Everybody thinks they are entitled to seek refuge in Dr. Stockton's shelter. Lifelong friends turn into selfish enemies, neighbors who were enjoying a drink together before the news bulletin are now turning violent on each other, and literally everybody feels that his/her life is more valuable than that of another. And, of course, during all this you can't help thinking: "How would I react?". It's easy to assume we are more civilized than this, but ... are we really? Only great cinema/television can evoke these kinds of thoughts, and "The Twilight Zone" is great television! The events and circumstances obviously look dated in 2020, but can you imagine what impact this must have had upon its release in the fall of 1961, at the height of the Cold War paranoia? In fact, I wouldn't even be too surprised if this TV-episode was single-handedly responsible for the sudden construction of hundreds of domestic bomb shelters all across the United States. I have yet to see and review quite a large number of "Twilight Zone" episodes, but I'm already quite sure that "The Shelter" will eventually pop up in my personal top 10.