Rod Serling’s originalThe Twilight Zoneseries yieldedsome of pop culture’s most iconic sci-fi and horror twist endings, which still influence stories in hit TV shows over 60 years later. AmongThe Twilight Zone’s most influential twist endings include the cannibal shocker in “To Serve Man,” the glasses twist in “Time Enough to Last,” and thedeath reveal in “The Hitch-Hiker,” which have gone on to inspire similar twists and parodies in other media. That includes Ryan Murphy’s anthology spinoff toAmerican Horror Story, which, more similar toThe Twilight Zone, tackles a new horror tale in each episode.
WithAmerican Horror Storiestackling a moreTwilight Zone-like anthology approach, it’s not too surprising that the show ended up borrowing some modernized twists for some of its episodes. That notably happened to be the case forAmerican Horror Stories’ season 2 episode, “Facelift,”starring Judith Light andSeverance’s Britt Lower, which contains themes and twists that hark back to one ofThe Twilight Zone’s best twists. Of course,American Horror Storyput another dark spin on its version of the terrifying tale to differentiate it fromThe Twilight Zone’s season 2 classic.
The Twilight Zone’s “Eye Of The Beholder” Twist Was Borrowed For American Horror Stories' “Facelift” Episode
The Anthology Horror Show Borrowed The Twilight Zone’s Shocking Twist
Often ranked highly amongThe Twilight Zone’s best episodes,“Eye of the Beholder” focuses on a young woman who undergoes multiple surgeries in an attempt to look “normal,”with her face being entirely hidden by bandages. Janet’s face is referred to as a “pitiful twisted lump of flesh,” with one doctor even questioning why society should judge Janet’s outer beauty so harshly. Before assessing that her treatment failed, Janet convinces the staff to take off her bandages early, markingthe twist reveal that she’s actually a beautiful woman by modern societal standards.
The Twilight Zone’s episode remains one of the most famous takes on the “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” proverb.
Meanwhile,the doctors and nurses are revealed to have more shocking appearances, with noses resembling pig snouts, enlarged and twisted lips, drooping facial features, and sunken eyes that don’t reflect more conventional contemporary standards of beauty. In the end, Janet agrees to join a village with people of “her kind,” full of conventionally attractive people whom the society’s government deems ugly. With its story having been returned to on various occasions in the time since its 1960 debut,The Twilight Zone’s episode remains one of the most famous takes on the “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” proverb.
The “Eye of the Beholder” episode was also remade inThe Twilight Zone’s 2002-2003 revival series.
The Twilight Zone’s unique commentary on beauty standards, cosmetic surgical enhancements, and shocking reveals of pig-like facial features were returned to forAmerican Horror Stories’ “Facelift” characters62 years later. In “Facelift,” an aging woman agrees to undergo a surgical procedure to make her look more youthful while fearing that she’s hideous. Before surgery, the doctor reminds her that beauty starts on the inside, with the eventualunwrapping of her bandages revealing that she’s been given a pig-like appearance similar to the doctors in “Eye of the Beholder.”
In theAmerican Horror Storiesepisode, however,the woman given the pig-like facial appearance is used as a sacrifice by a cult of “beautiful ones.”Their sacrifice of the “ugly swine” helps keep the “beautiful ones” eternally attractive, with “Facelift”’s ritual ending in her stepdaughter being embraced in the “beautiful ones” clan and developing a surge of self-confidence.American Horror Stories’ “Facelift” twist endinggives the “beautiful” community a more villainous turn, while still emphasizingThe Twilight Zoneepisode’s complex themes about internal and external beauty.
Why “Eye Of The Beholder” Still Has One Of The Twilight Zone’s Greatest Ending Twists
The Themes Of Arbitrary Beauty Standards Remain Relevant Today
With “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” still being an applicable proverb today, the themes ofThe Twilight Zone’s season 2 “Eye of the Beholder” episodeprovide perennial significance as well. The twist of the “ugly” patient actually conforming to societal beauty standards allows audiences to reflect on our own constructs of beauty, and whether they’ve been internally, naturally formed or taught to us in society. Ultimately,the end of “Eye of the Beholder” reflects the arbitrary nature of beauty standards and how they differ between societiesand the various concepts of “otherness” in physical appearances.
InAmerican Horror Stories, that concept is taken to the next level by suggesting the most “beautiful” people in contemporary societal standards must brutally sacrifice the “ugly” in order to obtain their attractiveness. The episode also emphasizesThe Twilight Zoneouting’s themes of one’s own “beauty” and attractiveness coming from internal influences, as the stepdaughter embraces her beauty and confidence once finally being accepted into a community that uplifts her.These themes are just as relevant today as they were in 1960, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see more TV shows return toThe Twilight Zoneepisode’s twists again.
The Twilight Zone
Cast
The Twilight Zone is an anthology series that debuted in 1959, featuring a collection of standalone episodes encompassing drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, and horror. Known for its macabre or unexpected twists, each story is distinct, exploring various speculative themes and human experiences.
American Horror Stories
The creators of American Horror Story reunite to launch American Horror Stories, a horror anthology series created for FX and Hulu. Centering on a new, unique horror story each episode, AHS follows various new characters through each episode as they experience their own terrifying tales, often including the supernatural.
