One Step Beyond

"The amazing drama you are about to see is a matter of human record. You may believe it or not. But the real people who lived this story, they believe it. They know. They took that one step beyond." One Step Beyond debuted in 1959, a year before The Twilight Zone, but this anthology series was markedly different. John Newland directs every episode and serves as host (our “tour guide into world of the unknown”), introducing audiences to real-life ghost stories, urban myths, psychic phenomenon, tales of possession and reincarnation, and other tales defying reason that were purportedly true. Think of it as the original Unsolved Mysteries, only as a half-hour anthology drama featuring guest stars such as Christopher Lee, William Shatner, Elizabeth Montgomery, Cloris Leachman, Warren Beatty, and Suzanne Pleshette. Newland, who directs with a seriousness that makes the episodes more like psychological dramas than scary stories, lacks the dramatic flair of Twilight Zone's Rod Serling (either as creator or narrator), and the low-key series would remain in the shadow of Serling's iconic series for its entire run, but it holds a special place in TV history for its early interest in supernatural phenomena. One Step Beyond aired for three seasons (1959-61), amassing almost 100 episodes. This set, the most complete released on DVD, features 70 episodes. The first season (previously released by Paramount) looks very good (mastered from original elements), although there is a noticeable drop in quality in subsequent seasons. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)