A Question of Fear/The Devil Is Not Mocked

'A Question of Fear'. Scripted by Theodore J. Flicker, based on a story by Bryan Lewis. Leslie Nielsen stars as Colonel Dennis Malloy, a veteran mercenary who prides himself on never feeling fear. Not putting any stock in superstition, he accepts a bet from a man named Dr. Mazi (Fritz Weaver): spend one night alone in a supposedly haunted house, earn $10,000. Malloy figures it'll be money in the bank. Well, he does experience some general weirdness, but he doesn't suspect what actually lies in store for him. This segment is a pleasant surprise, given that it marks a directorial effort for series producer Jack Laird; Laird was usually responsible for the forgettable comic interludes on the series. While never actually scary (and that's not really the point of the segment, anyway), it does have an appealing "lost in the funhouse" vibe - until the big twist is dumped into Malloy's lap. We then see how suggestible he really is. Taking up almost 80% of the total episode run time, 'A Question of Fear' is very engaging entertainment, with fun performances by Nielsen and Weaver. 11 years later, they were both in the anthology feature film "Creepshow", although they appeared in different segments there.

'The Devil Is Not Mocked'. Scripted by Gene R. Kearney (who also directs), based on a short story by Manly Wade Wellman. Host Rod Serling explains the effectiveness of the basic premise beforehand: what if one villain is faced with a different, even more insidious evil? Top Nazi von Grunn (Helmut Dantine) and his troops enter the Balkan castle of an unnamed Count (the well cast Francis Lederer), intending to expose the Count as the leader of a resistance. But von Grunn is going to get a nasty surprise from the Count. Again, we are treated to some great acting from the principals, with an officious Dantine and an amiable Lederer commanding our attention. The viewer might get the twist ending spoiled for them elsewhere, but yours truly will leave it to you to see for yourselves.

Familiar faces in bits include Jack Bannon and Martin Kosleck.

Seven out of 10.

"A Question of Fear" is a very good episode. Neilsen and Weaver go hand in glove. The ending is a bit weak and could have been left ambiguous. Watching it first run had me going.

'A Question Of Fear' - Leslie Nielsen plays a mercenary who accepts the bet made by a man(played by Fritz Weaver) who challenges him to spend the night in a haunted house for money. The mercenary scoffs at the cheap horror tricks on display in the house, but a hidden agenda comes into play, as the mercenary is faced with another horror entirely unexpected... Memorable tale is equal parts fun and menacing, with surprises and a nifty double twist ending.

'The Devil Is Not Mocked' - Francis Lederer plays a Transylvanian count who finds his castle invaded by the Nazis during World War II, but it then becomes a fight of who are the worst monsters... Most satisfying tale with an unbeatable premise of real vs. "unreal" monsters. Lederer's casting is most clever, having played this role before in "The Return Of Dracula".

This epi certainly poses a good question: what happens when evil collides with evil, as Serling himself puts it. I grant you that I was sort of bothered by some nitpicky details-- the uniforms the SS were shown wearing were wrong for the period and the Halftrack was an (obviously) American one. However, the use of the small staff car and the Mercedes-Benz six-wheeler were very good touches.

Francis Lederer was a man totally devoted to his craft, still teaching Acting until the end of his very long life, and I was amused by the fact that Dantine was himself a former concentration camp inmate!

All in all, this is one fine episode, thanks primarily to the acting that is on display here.

"A Question of Fear" is one of those bets that take place when a group of men have to exhibit their testosterone levels. Leslie Nielsen, normally a comedic actor, plays a soldier of fortune who is appalled by another man's (Fritz Weaver's) description of being utterly beset by fear attempting to stay in a haunted house.. Nielsen claims he has never been afraid and bets Weaver 10,000 dollars that he will not die of fright staying in the same house overnight. The game is afoot and Nielsen bids adieu to his rival. There is a great deal of techno-fear engendered by Nielsen is expecting this kind of stuff, and rejects it. Of course, we know that something more sophisticated and more cerebral is coming, so we wait it out. It's interesting. Throughout the entire episode I was pulling for the "bad" guy. I wanted him to have the wherewithal to succeed. This must have been a relatively expensive episode to produce.

I ran across "The Devil Is Not Mocked" a summer or so ago, so I knew how things would transpire. It tells the tale of a battalion of Nazis approaching a castle where they suspect an underground movement is being initiated. Rather than being repelled, they are met at the door by a gregarious, dignified man in a cape. He invites them in. Even their armor is allowed to enter the courtyard. The servants see to their needs. The host is unflappable. He continues to insist they will not find anything but are welcome to continue to search. The Nazi captain is convinced that there are escape routes but that no one will escape. This one can be figured out easily about a third of the way through. Still, it's a good deal of fun.