Nightmare

"Nightmare" is an episode of "The Outer Limits" that would be easy to dismiss. After all, the sets are minimalistic and the show, like the rest of the series, features aliens which look a bit silly today. But don't give up on this one--it's very good and well written.

The show begins with a group of soldiers from Earth traveling by rocket to fight in a war across the galaxy. The ship is captured and they awaken to a hellish prison run by a scary looking alien who seems almost godlike with his powers. He torments them by blinding one and making another mute. He restores these powers later but seems like an incredibly nasty alien bent on breaking their wills and making them betray their planet. But naturally, there is a BIG twist.

Clever writing and a nice twist makes this one worth seeing. It also gives you a chance to see a young Martin Sheen in a rather emotionally-charged role.

In the future, Earth is attacked by the planet Ebon and now is in war. A group of human soldiers travel to Ebon to fight the Ebonites but their rocket is shot down. They are taken as POW and sent to a work camp. Soon they learn that the Ebonites are capable of controlling the human senses and they will be interrogated by the enemy that wants to know details of the next attack from Earth. The first to go is the mentally unstable private Arthur Dix, who was deprived of speaking by the Ebonites and returns speaking again after the interrogation. One by one, the earthlings are interrogated by the Ebonites also increasing the mistrust on each other. Soon the interrogator discloses secret information and the military suspect there is a traitor in the group. What is the secret of the Ebonites?

"Nightmare" is a tense and thought-provoking episode of "The Outer Limits" and certainly one of the best of the series. The idea of an experiment to analyze people under stress is a great theme explored in few films and in 2001 it was produced the excellent "Das Experiment", a masterpiece of the genre. "Nightmare" is certainly one of the first movies to explore this theme in a sci-fi genre in a period of great tension of the Cold War and it is worthwhile watching. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Pesadelo" ("The Nightmare")

One of the most creative plot ever made on The Outer Limits series, which is one my favorite, due this has a science fiction background, on a near future the Earth has an unique army Unified Earth, which was raided by the Ebonites from the distant Planet Ebon, After sent several missions to fight at Ebon, somehow the last spacecraft was attained and all crew are arrested in sort of POW, each one has been forced by Ebonites to confess where they planned to strike on their planet, a strange device discharge a sort of laser, wounded the soldiers on many ways, clearly an anti-war episode, due they quote Korean war, suggesting that the soldiers at POW under the worst psychological distress, they confess even the undisclosable, smart screenplay letting us to think about a true nightmare that war offers, and remarkable and unexpected final!!

Resume:

First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 8.5

US soldiers are sent to an alien planet as POWs.

First viewed in the 1980s when I was very young, I was turned off by the "stage show" feel of this hour but always liked Time Tunnel's Whit Bissell appearing as a General...again.

Viewed again this year when I am older...now I love it. I love everything about it! The sets, the aliens costumes, the tone, Martin Sheen, Whit Bissell, the beginning/closing narration and the well matched music score.

The IMDb has revealed that a third season classic Star Trek got some ideas from this hour. I will need to re-watch that Trek!

During an interplanetary war, a UE (Unified Earth) crew of human men is taken as prisoners of war on the enemy planet Ebon. Elected leader Ed Nelson (as Luke Stone) demands to be the first interrogated, but the aliens choose mentally unstable Martin Sheen (as Arthur Dix) instead. Ironically, Mr. Sheen has just been relieved of his ability to speak. One by one, the Ebonites use sensory powers on their prisoners. They want to know some details about an impending attack from Earth. As the aliens acquire information, the men begin to suspect a traitor among themselves. Beautifully written by "Outer Limits" producer Joseph Stefano, "Nightmare" is an excellent and thought-provoking episode of the acclaimed series.

******** Nightmare (12/2/63) John Erman ~ Ed Nelson, James Shigeta, Martin Sheen, Bill Gunn