1960's "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" was written by Rod Serling and covered one of his favorite themes: mob psychology. A peaceful summer day on Maple Street in a quiet suburban town is shattered when the residents believe they're under some type of bizarre alien invasion. Nearly all of their technology (i.e. lights, autos, appliances etc.) begins to malfunction and panic sets into the neighborhood. Instead of trying to find the true cause of this disaster, however, the residents take the path to least resistance and start to accuse each other of being the "monster." Soon they're turning on their own neighbors and a vicious riot ensues. There truly are some aliens in the mix, but they're basically unobtrusive observers to the chaos. Their strategy is simply one of "divide and conquer" and the distrustful people of Maple Street are the perfect guinea pigs for their first experiment.
"The Monsters..." shows Serling's most biting and cynical side. There were many Twilight Zone episodes that dealt with mob rule as their subject matter, but this one is the best of all and a true classic in the series. Even the aliens quite smugly agree with Serling's view of human nature. "They've found the enemy, and it is themselves." The excellent cast is headed by Claude Akins. Initially he's the "voice of reason" of Maple Street but winds up in a dither like everyone else. Jack Weston is also around, pointing his finger from one suspect to the next, until it's his turn to be chased around the block. The story was remade for the new "Twilight Zone" series hosted by Forrest Whitaker and starred Andrew McCarthy.
"The Monsters..." shows Serling's most biting and cynical side. There were many Twilight Zone episodes that dealt with mob rule as their subject matter, but this one is the best of all and a true classic in the series. Even the aliens quite smugly agree with Serling's view of human nature. "They've found the enemy, and it is themselves." The excellent cast is headed by Claude Akins. Initially he's the "voice of reason" of Maple Street but winds up in a dither like everyone else. Jack Weston is also around, pointing his finger from one suspect to the next, until it's his turn to be chased around the block. The story was remade for the new "Twilight Zone" series hosted by Forrest Whitaker and starred Andrew McCarthy.