If you're any kind of follower of The Twilight Zone, whether from back in the day or a present day fan watching for the first time, there's a pretty good chance you'll figure this one out pretty early. If you've never seen an episode before, this one will have you duly intrigued and guessing at every step. Either way, it's a suspenseful story that can be viewed on a couple of different levels. On one hand, it might seem to be delving in the supernatural with a ghostly incarnation from the past. Yet on another more clinical level, one can readily connect with the psychological aspects of Helen Foley's (Janice Rule) trauma over her mother's murder when she was a child. With a little more thought and some better writing, I think the story wouldn't have had to make the character of Peter Selden (Shepperd Strudwick) so obvious with his evil designs on Helen. He probably could have remained anonymous forever to Helen, and even if she did eventually remember, wouldn't necessarily have the means or wherewithal to ever seek him out for retribution. But it's tough to explore all those angles in only twenty five minutes, so those gaps in reasoning are generally bridged over capably enough to provide an adequate ending in the TZ universe. Not much of a twist here for sure, but not all together necessary for an absorbing story.
Review of Nightmare as a Child
