Ten weeks before Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone first appeared, One Step Beyond premiered. It was a series that presented tales of the paranormal: telepathy, possession, communication from the dead – all these and more were covered over the course of the series. One thing, however, made OSB different and guaranteed it a unique place in television history: every episode was allegedly a true story!
Hosted by the dapper John Newland [who also directed many of the show’s episodes], the series opened with an episode called The Bride Possessed – a tale of a newlywed bride who is possessed by the spirit of a woman whose death was thought to be a suicide.
Although the series was a half-hour drama, shot in black & white, its writing and performances hold up extremely well. Watch Patrick O’Neal as the baffled tourist whom everyone knows in The Return of Martin Campion – Campion seems to have been in the village before, but was in the hospital at that time. Then there’s the young Cloris Leachman as a photographer who finds a very interesting subject in The Dark Room.
Newland was an urbane host, and though he lacked the edginess and screen presence of The Twilight Zone’s Rod Serling, One Step Beyond certainly matched the other in terms of writing, direction and performance. This 50th anniversary DVD release can truthfully be described as long awaited.
Features: the extended series pilot, The Bride Possessed; The ‘90s [Syndication] Opening; The Alcoa Opening; a Promo spot, and an Archival Interview with Series Writer Don Mankiewicz.
Grade: One Step Beyond: Season One – A
Grade: Features – C
Final Grade: B+