The Twilight Zone often had twist endings, and though some of them have now been overused in movies and TV, one of its episodes has the best use of the “they were dead the whole time” twist. Created (and hosted) by Rod Serling, The Twilight Zone premiered on CBS in 1959, ending in 1964 after five successful seasons. Each episode of The Twilight Zone told a standalone story, with its characters usually going through unusual and disturbing events, most of which had a horror and/or sci-fi tone.

The Twilight Zone stood out for its combination of horror, fantasy, and sci-fi, as well as for having twist endings with a moral, though some episodes opted for a more light-hearted tone. Many episodes of The Twilight Zone used tropes and twists that have now become tiresome and even predictable in movies and TV shows, but in many cases, The Twilight Zone used them wisely. Such is the case with the episode “The Hitch-Hiker”, which is also one of the show’s best episodes.

"The Hitch-Hiker" Has A Fantastic Early Use Of The "They Were Dead The Whole Time" Twist Trope

“The Hitch-Hiker” Is The 16th Episode Of Season 1

The Twilight Zone season 1 is home to the episode “The Hitch-Hiker”, directed by Alvin Ganzer. “The Hitch-Hiker” tells the story of Nan (Inger Stevens), a 27-year-old buyer on vacation, who goes on a cross-country road trip from New York City to Los Angeles. Nan gets a flat tire on U.S. Route 11 in Pennsylvania, which leads her to lose control of the car. Nan survives and gets a new tire, but on her way to the service station, she sees a shabby hitchhiker.

Nan is the only one who sees him, and she grows more and more frightened and paranoid.

This is just the beginning of many more mysterious encounters with the strange-looking hitchhiker, as he appears at different points of Nan’s journey, always ahead of her. To make it even weirder, Nan is the only one who sees him, and she grows more and more frightened and paranoid. After unintentionally scaring a sailor away when trying to run over the hitchhiker (which he can’t see), Nan stops in Arizona to call her mother, and that’s when she makes a shocking discovery.

Nan is told that her mother is in the hospital after a nervous breakdown caused by Nan’s death six days earlier. Nan didn’t survive the accident with the flat tire, and the hitchhiker is actually the personification of death, meaning that Nan has been dead for most of the episode.

The Twilight Zone used it brilliantly and in a way that was not only shocking but also heartbreaking.

“The Hitch-Hiker” makes the audience feel like Nan might be in danger, and the reveal of her death is even more heartbreaking as both Nan and the audience learn how it has affected her mother. The “they were dead the whole time” twist has now become predictable and even laughable and sometimes frustrating ( Lost?), but The Twilight Zone used it brilliantly and in a way that was not only shocking but also heartbreaking.

"The Hitch-Hiker" Is One Of The Twilight Zone's Best Episodes Ever

“The Hitch-Hiker” Ranks High Among The Twilight Zone’s Best Episodes

“The Hitch-Hiker” is often found on lists of The Twilight Zone’s best episodes, next to other classics like season 3’s “The Midnight Sun” and season 2’s "Eye of the Beholder." What makes “The Hitch-Hiker” so good is how it plays with the very real fear of hitchhikers and strangers, others not believing what you’re seeing and feeling, and the concept of the dead not knowing they’re no longer alive. The hitchhiker himself is also creepy without doing anything, just standing there, staring at Nan.

The big twist is also delivered very subtly, but it’s still very impactful, with Nan in total disbelief but soon accepting her fate, so much so that she describes how free she now feels. “The Hitch-Hiker” is a good mix of subtle horror with layers of drama, very fitting with the brand of The Twilight Zone.

The Twilight Zone's "The Hitch-Hiker" Episode Is Based On A 1941 Play

The Hitch-Hiker Was Written By Lucille Fletcher

“The Hitch-Hiker” isn’t an original story, and it was based on a radio play written by Lucille Fletcher. The play was first presented in The Orson Welles Show on CBS Radio in 1941, and The Twilight Zone made a couple of changes to the story. In Fletcher’s play, the protagonist is Ronald Adams, a young man on a cross-country drive from his mother’s home in Brooklyn to California. While driving on the Brooklyn Bridge, Ronald comes across a hitchhiker and swerves to avoid hitting him. Just like in the Twilight Zone episode, the hitchhiker continues to appear to Ronald at different points in his journey.

Like Nan, Ronald learns of his own death when he calls his mother and an unknown woman tells him she has been in the hospital due to a nervous breakdown after learning of her son’s death. The Hitch-Hiker has gotten other adaptations, but the most famous one is thanks to The Twilight Zone.