Tags
Charles Beaumont, Devil, Hell, John Carradine, Lucifer, monks, original, Robin Hughes, Rod Serling, script, short story, symbolism, The Howling Man, Twilight Zone
Good luck finding a copy of Charles Beaumont’s original short story “The Howling Man”. It’s out of print, and has been for years. You might get lucky and stumble across a dog-eared copy at an old bookstore, yard sale or flea market, or pay an outrageous “collector’s” price online, but other than that? Tough beans for you. Even most libraries don’t carry a copy anymore.
And I don’t like that. Not one bit. Not only was young Beaumont a supremely gifted writer, but “The Howling Man” itself is such an incredible piece of writing. It’s a terrible shame that today’s readers are being deprived of this masterpiece.
The Twilight Zone adaptation — be sure to read the previous sister post, “The Howling Man”: The Script” — which aired on this date in 1960, stays very true to Beaumont’s original story. The only real difference is the ending. So allow me to recap that alternate ending for you now. Continue reading