‘Night Gallery’: The TV show that made Guillermo del Toro fall in love with fantasy
Regardless of which genre they tend to work under, many directors will point to the same kind of inspirations, whether it’s 2001: A Space Odyssey or Citizen Kane. Guillermo del Toro’s main inspiration, however, is as unconventional and unexpected as always. Obsessed with fantasy, horror and special effects, one would expect del Toro to mention classic horror films from the 1970s or the origins of the fantasy genre.
And you wouldn’t be entirely disappointed; speaking to FilmInk, del Toro discussed watching some of the most hardcore horror films as a child, “When I was a kid, I was hardcore, so I watched The Exorcist and wasn’t scared,” he said. This revelation gives a little bit of context for the director’s own wonderfully unsettling world and how he can make the audience sympathise with the most unlikely and usually slightly terrifying creatures. Although he does feel a little differently about the iconic horror film now he’s had children of his own, “As a parent, I watched it again, and I was scared shitless. My God!”
But, of course, being Guillermo del Toro, there was an even more unexpected source of inspiration that he found as a child. “Night Gallery is still the foundation of what I love. Night Gallery stays in my mind… and it forms my roots as a storyteller,” he claimed of the 1970s dark fantasy/horror anthology series.
Created and narrated by Rod Serling of The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery followed a similar set-up to the former TV show, except its focus was mainly supernatural instead of science fiction. Each episode consisted of three stories introduced by Serling and represented as three paintings in a gallery. Night Gallery presented tales of horror and macabre that usually had a surprise ending and a moral – just like its predecessor.
And just like most of del Toro’s films. Whether it’s Shape of Water or Pan’s Labyrinth, del Toro’s films usually feature a world similar to our own but with dark, fantastical storylines and supernatural creatures, which end up telling a moral tale or critiquing the real world. This was very much what Serling set out to do with both The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery, although the latter was forced down a much more commercial route due to producer Zack Laird.
Despite being the lesser-known of the two shows, Night Gallery was still incredibly influential and even launched Steven Spielberg’s career. Its pilot episode was conceived as a TV movie, in which the most famous story of the show, ‘Eyes’, was directed by the future film icon at the tender age of 22. It also famously featured Joan Crawford in her last acting role, which she nearly turned down due to Spielberg’s lack of experience.
The pilot film was so well-received that the show was commissioned and ran for three seasons between 1970 and 1973. However, Serling felt unhappy with his lack of creative control, feeling the show had moved away from his intentions as a social commentary and became too commercial. This, combined with its inconsistent quality and overshadowing of its more successful spiritual predecessor, led to the show’s cancellation after its third season.
But it clearly lasted long enough to impact the next generation of filmmakers. Not only did it launch Spielberg, but it also influenced del Toro to become one of the best horror/fantasy directors of his time.
