Night Visions (TV series)

Night Visions is an American television horror anthology series, with each episode comprising two half-hour stories dealing with themes of the supernatural or simply the dark side of human nature. It was produced by Warner Bros. Television for the Fox network, originally airing from 2001 to 2002. Musician Henry Rollins was the uncredited host of the show.

Night Visions
Genre	Anthology Horror Science fiction
Created by	Dan Angel Billy Brown
Presented by	Henry Rollins
Starring	Various
Theme music composer	George S. Clinton
Composers	George S. Clinton Frank Macchia
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	13 episodes (with 26 segments) (list of episodes)
Production
Production locations	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Running time	43 min.
Production companies	Angel/Brown Productions Warner Bros. Television
Release
Original network	Fox Sci Fi Channel
Picture format	4:3
Original release	July 12, 2001 – September 24, 2002

Production

Filming for the show began during July 2000 in Vancouver, Canada.[1][2] Veteran punk and metal singer Henry Rollins got hired as host after discussions with Fox executives, who initially wanted him to play a recurring role on their popular sci-fi series The X-Files.[3] In a 2001 interview, Rollins remarked "It's kind of a Twilight Zone-thing and I'm the Rod Serling. It's awesome. I got the job last year, and I'm working on it now and again up in Vancouver. Really nice people, really good material. That's the best part of it, really. If it's bad material it doesn't matter how much money they're throwing at you, it's not worth it."[4]

Originally, Night Visions was not going to feature a host. Co-creator Billy Brown (a former writer of the 1990s Goosebumps TV series) stated, "I never wanted a host. There should have been an introductory voice-over, a la Outer Limits. But the network said 'No host, no show'. So we started looking, and actually got a commitment from Gary Oldman. Having played Dracula, and being a fantastic actor, he would have been a real presence. The network said no. They wanted Henry Rollins. I didn't get it, nor did anyone else on the show's staff. It seemed like someone's desperate idea to make the show hip".[5] Regarding Fox's involvement in the creative process, Brown said "They [Fox] said many conflicting things. We had a chance to option an incredible Dean Koontz short story that was just terrifying, and they nixed that because it was too scary. And yet they complained that other stories weren't scary enough."[5]

The show's directors included some best known for feature films, including Tobe Hooper and Joe Dante, and others, such as Brian Dennehy, JoBeth Williams, and Bill Pullman, known primarily as actors.

Broadcast history

The show was scheduled to debut during October 2000 at 8:00 p.m. on Fridays, but this never eventuated, with reality show Police Chase and Freakylinks airing in its place. It eventually aired on Fox from July 12 to September 6, 2001 as a summer filler. Billy Brown reflected "There was a changing of the guard at Fox between the time we filmed the pilot and the time the network was ready to order the series. The new regime wasn't convinced an anthology would work, yet everyone agreed that the pilot was good. I had the feeling the network didn't think the show was hip enough."[5]

It was later picked up by the Sci Fi Channel, which reran the series beginning June 14, 2002.[6] During September 2002, Sci Fi broadcast the final three remaining episodes that never aired on Fox. One of these, "Cargo/Switch", ran as part of the Night Visions series,[7] while the two other episodes' segments ("Patterns", "The Maze", "Harmony" and "Voices") were edited into the Sci Fi Channel film Shadow Realm, minus the Rollins introductions and the Night Visions name. Reruns of the series also aired on the Nine Network in Australia and on cable channel Chiller.

The show has never been released on DVD or streaming.

Reception

The Washington Post labelled Night Visions a "creepy relief from reality".[8] Michael Speier of Variety praised the show in his 2001 review, commenting "[It] is too good to get lost in the land of summer reruns. Show was bumped from the network’s fall schedule last year, proving once again that execs have zero tolerance for anthology series. What a mistake — it’s one of the most genuinely edgy shows on television, and it could find an audience with the right promotional push."[9] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had a more negative review, criticizing "laughable narration from meathead rocker Henry Rollins and an overreliance on violent plot twists".[10]

Night Visions has since been favorably compared to other horror/sci-fi anthology shows, particularly The Twilight Zone,[11][8][12] although The Washington Post claimed at the time that it was "far more graphic and scary."[8] In 2018, Bloody Disgusting labelled it a "damn good horror anthology series",[13] while HorrorNews.net reflected in 2020 that the show was "unceremoniously dumped by Fox without a fair chance to find an audience".[14]

Episodes

13 color episodes in 43-minute format (not counting commercials):

Nº	Title	Directed by:	Original air date
1a	"The Passenger List"	Yves Simoneau	July 12, 2001
A transportation safety official investigating the crash of an airplane begins to fear that his daughter was on board the plane when it crashed; he begins to experience increasing events of déjà vu as the unexplained romantic attraction to a woman who lost her family in the crash also increases. Starring Aidan Quinn, Kelly Rutherford, Paul Guilfoyle
1b	"The Bokor"	Keith Gordon	July 12, 2001
A medical student identifies a cadaver as a voodoo priest and hesitates to autopsy the body. Starring Keith Gordon
2a	"Dead Air"	Jefery Levy	July 12, 2001
A late-night radio show DJ begins to get strange calls, as events through the night convince him that the caller is up to more than a mere prank. Starring Lou Diamond Phillips, Malcolm Scott, Meghan Black, Ryan Taylor
2b	"Renovation"	Brian Dennehy	July 12, 2001
A man experiences flashbacks to his new home's past as he starts a new life with his wife and baby. Starring Gil Bellows, Kirsten Robek, Jon Cuthbert, Merrilyn Gann, Katharine Tobin
3a	"A View Through the Window"^[note1]	Bill Pullman	July 19, 2001
A military scientist is compelled to investigate the strange appearance of a lush farm in the middle of a desert. Starring Bill Pullman, Carl Lumbly, Don Wallace, Emily Holmes, Carin Moffat, Todd Talbot, Sean Campbell
3b	"Quiet Please"	Joe Dante	July 19, 2001
A man tries to escape the din of a city under the threat of a serial killer, only to be harassed in the woods by a strange old man and his dog. Starring Cary Elwes, Brian Dennehy, Gus Lynch
4a	"Now He's Coming Up the Stairs"	Nick Gomez	July 26, 2001
A psychiatrist with the ability to absorb the illnesses of his patients comes upon a situation that may be more than he can handle. Starring Luke Perry, Allison Hossack, Sam MacMillan, Donna Yamamoto, Hrothgar Mathews, Shauna Kain, Mark Schooley, Nancy Sivak, Bryce Hodgson
4b	"Used Car"	Michael W. Watkins	July 26, 2001
A woman receives a new car as a gift from her husband, only to find that the car and its previous owner have a history, and a vendetta. Starring Sherilyn Fenn, Hart Bochner, Steve Makaj, Jenn Bird, Jacqueline Samuda
5a	"Rest Stop"	Yves Simoneau	August 2, 2001
A couple picks up a hitchhiker on a quiet country road, and discover that the local rest area is more than meets the eye. Starring Jerry O'Connell, Amy Jo Johnson, Catherine Barroll, David Kopp, Jo Ann Mac Donald, Katharine Isabelle, Mark Hildreth
5b	"After Life"	Jefery Levy	August 2, 2001
A man returns to life in the middle of his funeral, and attempts to adjust to his newly reincarnated existence. Starring Randy Quaid, Susan Gibney, Terence Kelly, Eric Schneider, Andy Thompson, Meghan Black
6a	"If a Tree Falls..."	Po-Chih Leong	August 9, 2001
Three college students apparently die in a freak car accident, but in order to stay alive they must keep the accident a secret. Starring Natasha Lyonne, Art Kitching, Jonathan Jackson, Ed Evanko, Scott Nicholson
6b	"The Occupant"	Joe Dante	August 9, 2001
A divorcee becomes increasingly distraught as she notices things in her house are being moved around while she is not home. Starring Bridget Fonda, Anthony Harrison, Dion Luther, Johannah Newmarch
7a	"Reunion"	Thomas J. Wright	August 16, 2001
On the 10th anniversary of a battle in the first Gulf War, a veteran experiencing flashbacks and hallucinations reunites with the members of his company. Starring M. Emmet Walsh, Jay Mohr, Ron Canada, Jane Sowerby, Chuma Hunter-Gault, Kavan Smith, Aaron Pearl, Zoran, Bryan Leslie
7b	"Neighborhood Watch"	Bryan Spicer	August 16, 2001
After a community is notified that a sexual predator has been released in their neighborhood, the residents' suburban eden is threatened. Starring David Paymer, Valerie Mahaffey, Peter Kent, Lauren Diewold, Britt McKillip, Don Thompson, David Millbern, Malcolm Stewart, Ray Galletti
8a	"Bitter Harvest"	Philip Sgriccia	August 23, 2001
A farm boy's mistake costs his neighbor both arms, and when he is forced to work for the man a game of cat and mouse ensues. Starring Jack Palance, Brendan Fletcher, Mark Houghton, Jane Perry, Chris Lovick, Ryan McDonald
8b	"My So-Called Life and Death"^[note2]	Ernest Dickerson	August 23, 2001
A young girl develops a crush on a handyman working near her family's summer home but when she finds that he can't see or hear her, she begins to suspect that he's a ghost. Starring Marla Sokoloff, Wanda Cannon, Steve Bacic, William Pavey, Kurt Max Runte
9a	"The Doghouse"	JoBeth Williams	August 30, 2001
A man seeking shelter from a loan shark out to get him finds that there are more dangerous things in this world. Starring Bill Croft, Stephen Baldwin, Jane Adams
9b	"Still Life"	Ernest Dickerson	August 30, 2001
A day in the life of a woman becomes the setting for a far more horrific reality. Starring Mare Winningham, Peter Wingfield, Kirsten Prout, Taras Kostyuk, Brian Jensen, Anaya Farrell, Deryl Hayes, Michelle Hart
10a	"Hate Puppet"	Thomas J. Wright	September 6, 2001
A man investigates the reason why everyone around him seems to instantly respond to him with hatred and anger. Starring Chad Lowe, William Atherton, Helene Joy, Torquil Campbell, Monica Hamburg, Michael Kopsa, Kim Kondrashoff, Kwesi Ameyaw
10b	"Darkness"	Ian Toynton	September 6, 2001
A man inherits a house from his rich uncle, not realizing all that comes with it. Starring Michael Rapaport, Ken Pogue, Marilyn Norry, Lindsay Clague, Arthur Corber, Anthony Ulc, David Mackay, Francis Boyle
11a	"The Maze"	Tobe Hooper	September 19, 2002
A young college student wanders into a hedge maze and comes out in an apparently deserted version of her campus. Starring Amanda Plummer, Luke Edwards, Thora Birch, Chiara Zanni
11b	"Harmony"	Paul Shapiro	September 19, 2002
In a town where music is outlawed, a stranger appears and attempts to convince the townsfolk they have nothing to fear. Starring Timothy Olyphant, Tracy Middendorf, Shirley Knight, Chilton Crane, Michael Hogan, James Kirk, Mitchell Kosterman, Justin Chatwin
12a	"Cargo"	Tobe Hooper	September 23, 2002
A cargo officer on a freighter discovers that the cargo on board contains more than mere crates and packages. Starring Jamie Kennedy, Philip Baker Hall, Jon Cuthbert, Micah Gardener, Asja Pavlovic, Vladimir Moskovshenko, Joanna Pacula
12b	"Switch"	Jefery Levy	September 23, 2002
A psychiatrist attempts to help a young woman synergize the multiple personalities she suffers from. Starring Pam Grier, James Hutson, Cameron Gilley, Allie Mickelson, Shylo Sharity, Brent Glenen, Kyle Labine, Justin Stillwell, Natasha Gregson Wagner
13a	"Patterns"	Keith Gordon	September 24, 2002
An obsessive-compulsive man confronts a therapist with a stunning claim—his behaviors keep the fabric of reality together. Starring Malcolm McDowell, Miguel Ferrer, John B. Lowe, Anna Hagan, John Dadey, Matthew Munn, Giacomo Baessato, Terry Howson
13b	"Voices"	Ian Toynton	September 24, 2002
A deaf woman undergoes experimental surgery to restore her hearing, only to find that she can hear more than merely what people are saying. Starring Lombardo Boyar, Terrylene, John Finn Gillian Barber, Lorena Gale, Cory Dagg, Jerry Walliser, Sam Boniface, Don House, John Moore, Cameron Bright

References

1. "Omni Films producers go to series without gov't. $$".
2. "Rollins Band Video Wins Award". MTV News.
3. "Henry Rollins and 'Night Vision': He can see it - chronicle.augusta.com". Augusta Chronicle. Georgia. Scripps Howard News Service. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
4. "COME IN AND BURN > > > An Unofficial Henry Rollins & Rollins Band Website". www.comeinandburn.com.
5. Garcia, Frank; Phillips, Mark. Science Fiction Television Series, 1990-2004: Histories, Casts and Credits for 58 Shows.
6. "SCI FI Airs Night Visions". Sci Fi Wire, (Sci Fi Channel). June 7, 2002. Archived from the original on May 2, 2002.
7. "Night Visions". Official site (Sci Fi Channel). Archived from the original on March 5, 2005.
8. "'Night Visions': Creepy Relief From Reality". Washington Post. 12 July 2001.
9. Speier, Michael; Speier, Michael (July 10, 2001). "Night Visions".
10. "Tune In: Fox's 'Night Visions' creepy but pretty dim". webcache.googleusercontent.com.
11. "10 Cerebral Horror Anthology Series To Watch If You Miss Channel Zero". ScreenRant. March 31, 2020.
12. Cook, James (July 6, 2001). "Fox counters summer heat with chilling Night Visions". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
13. Jr, Felix Vasquez (June 21, 2018). "[TV Terrors] The Henry Rollins-Hosted "Night Visions" Was a Damn Good Horror Anthology Series".
14. "10 Vintage Horror Anthologies You Can Watch Online". June 26, 2020.

Notes

1. ^{^} Based on the short story Window by Bob Leman (credited as Robert Leman).

2. ^{^} Although this is the title as given in the story's introduction, it is alternatively listed in the credits as "My So Called Life & Death".

External links

• Night Visions at IMDb
• Night Visions at TV.com