These Twilight Zone Episodes Will Have You Hooked In No Time

We are now entering a national holiday. Not one of sight and sound, but of mind. That’s right: Today, May 11, is National Twilight Zone Day. And before there was Black Mirror, there was The Twilight Zone.

If you’re not a sci-fi nerd like me, your mind might be glazing over by now, thinking of all the other (more colorful) shows you could be watching instead. But that would be a mistake. While TV has progressed in terms of technology, there’s never been a show about ideas as poignant and haunting as The Twilight Zone.

My sister and I discovered The Twilight Zone during SyFy’s July 4 marathon many years ago. We sat rapt in front of the TV, watching creepy story after creepy story. Constructing far-out premises, each episode compells the audience to confront some truth about themselves, or the human condition.

Netflix is the key to unlocking The Twilight Zone. But before you get put off by the anthology show's hundreds of episodes, these are the essentials any newbie should start with.