The Sins of the Fathers/You Can't Get Help Like That Anymore

The first episode, "The Sins of the Father," takes place in a plague infested world where people are dropping like flies. Apparently, an unpopular occupation is that of a "Sin Eater." Even with rampant starvation at hand the mourners at the funeral of an unfortunate person there is all manner of food surrounding the body. This is for the sin eater to consume and by doing so, take the sins of the deceased unto himself, sending himself to eternal damnation but saving the other guy. A group of people are holed up at a wake where none are to eat. A little person, played by Michael Dunn, is dispatched to find the aforementioned "expert." There are so many deaths that finding anyone is nearly impossible. He finally settles on a boy played by Richard Thomas. His mother talks him into doing the deed but she implores him not to ingest the food, but rather steal it for them. He is so hungry and wails about it over and over (this is one part that is hard to take because it overwhelms the senses). He makes his way to the house of the dead man and tries to pull off his mothers wishes. What happens next is something you'll not forget soon.

The second offering is about an agency that sells androids (they call them robots). They are attractive physically but there have been complaints about them. Some people abuse them because they have no defenses and Cloris Leachman and Broderick Crawford are the worst. They have completely destroyed one model and have insisted on another one. The thing is that the robots have started developing defense mechanisms and the quality of telling the truth. Leachman and Crawford are great as absolute rich scum. I have to admit I was with this one till the end but left it confused. See what you think.

This was supposed to be a story about the 13th century medieval times when the black death roamed. They had a practice for the dead to eat food and this young mans father was sick so he needed the reefer badly and when he asked the people to leave so he could eat HE STARTS ACTING LIKE HE HAD A HUGE BONG HIT OF GOD BUD AND STARTS YELLING AND SCREAMING LIKE A B WORD and that's exactly how I sound after doing a BIG hit of the reefer for that reason this episode gets a FULL 10 out of 10.

The reviews of Sins of the Fathers fall into two categories: the "one of the most horrifying things I've ever seen" category and the "I don't see what's so scary about this" category. The difference here, I think, boils down to the difference between terror and horror. This episode (typical of Night Gallery in general) is about horror, not terror.

Terror is the start you feel when somebody jumps out from behind a bush and lunges at you. It's a simplistic emotion that almost everyone has as an instinctive response to danger. It requires no empathy. In Sins of the Fathers there are no monsters jumping out of shadows. It is not terrifying.

Horror is the revulsion you feel when you witness something deeply disturbing. I'm guessing that it requires some level of empathy to fully experience horror, and a fair segment of the population is probably immune to it. To fully appreciate the horror of Sins of the Fathers requires the ability to put yourself in the position of the main character. If you have the capacity to do that...then this episode is freaking HORRIFYING and you will never forget it.

I only saw the show once when it was 1st aired.. My husband and I both remember it well. It was so well done and so creepy at the same time. Anything that has that much effect on viewers deserves of 10.

Not only was this teleplay one of the most chilling and relentless of the series, but the casting was superb: Michael Dunn, Barbara Steele, and Geraldine Paige, OMG, in a single TV episode. But considering Rod Serling's reputation, perhaps that's not surprising.

Unlike modern shocker films, this episode of Night Gallery relies on no special effects other than a fog-generating machine. Yet the suspense and horror build so steadily that by the conclusion, you the viewer are thoroughly wrung out. I haven't seen this one for decades, yet I remember it quite vividly -- yet I try not to think of it just before bedtime....