The Phantom Farmhouse/Silent Snow, Secret Snow

'The Phantom Farmhouse' - David McCallum plays a psychiatrist in a country sanitarium treating his patients(like David Carradine) while a mysterious murder occurs that seems to connect with one of them, who has a pentagram on his hand. A phantom farmhouse with a beautiful woman and her parents also comes into play, as things are not as pleasant as they seem... Effective story adapted from Seabury Quinn has a nice atmosphere, with equal parts of melancholy and menace.

'Silent Snow, Secret Snow' - Orson Welles narrates this spellbinder about a young boy(likely on the autistic spectrum) who loses interest in his everyday reality, retreating into a more comfortable place of snow and privacy, much to the alarm of his baffled parents. Masterpiece is the jewel in the crown of this series, an exquisite story that works on multiple levels.

"Silent snow, secret snow" really ranks up there with the best episodes of this series or Serlings masterpiece "The Twilight Zone" In this story, a young boy becomes enchanted with dark and cool snow, so much so that he withdraws from the real world and inhabits a fantasy world completely detached from his parents and reality. As good as the episode is, it is completely won over by the amazing narration of the late great Orson Welles. Without seeing this, it's tough to describe why this episode is so good. I think it has to do with the feel it generates. I read somewhere that is describes a boy's descent into madness and I think that is the truly creepy aspect of this show, that a young boy could go so completely insane. Very creepy and thoughtful episode.

Phantom farmhouse was everything you could think it to be except the ending was really spiritual and unlike the show to appeal to religious beliefs. The beautiful blonde is the werewolf and she has eaten many men but when she meets a straight arrow the audience wonders if she has to succumb to eating a man that she likes or will he escape in time? The series is a horror show but the episode is of a different nature and that is love. Could a werewolf in love find a way out of eating her mate? From the standpoint of the viewer there is no way for her to overcome and if he is to survive he has to escape her right? It's like two trains running at the same time and you expect them to run into each other interesting. I would give the entire episode a 10 out of 10 but the short episode of the boy thinking its snowing was best as a commercial not an episode there really is no time for any character development and the entire short felt like a flop but since the phantom farmhouse was there to carry the entire show it worked in the end.

Since season two of "Night Gallery" is not available yet. I find that I must rely on my memory. From what I remember this is one of the most beautifully disturbing programs that I have ever seen. A young boy's decent into autism. Or maybe not. As narrated by Orson Wells, this become some of the most captivating television ever shown. Season Two of "Night Gallery" was Television at it's finest in the early 70's. Why isn't season two available on DVD yet? Let's hope that when it is released that they take a little more care in the transfers. How season one was presented was a joke. How can we convince the powers that be at NBC, that we the people want and need this? Thank you.

This "Night Gallery" episode from 1971 is well done and good as the first one features the legendary Orson Wells as a narrator in a tale about a boy going away to a different kind of place and different kind of school. And then a tale that features a man in hell where nothing is to appear or what it seems to be. Then to finish out the last tale with David Carradine as a man housed on a prison like farm who all of a sudden has a little secret a house that is around only this house has a history a curse it turns out that it's a land of werewolves! Really a pretty good entry from the series one to watch for it's suspense and imagination and drama like twist.