Outer Limits: Demon With Glass Hand (1963) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Simply put, the best Outer Limits episode ever made. This because of, not in spite of, the bugetary limitations imposed on the second season.
Robert Culp playes Trent, a man without memory being chased by the insidious Kyban. Outworlders who conquored the Earth 1,000 years in the future, but have gone back in time to capture Trent to find out just where the 70 Billion earthlings have dissapeared to. The secret lies within Trent's glass hand. A computer that knows all the answers IF Trent can capture the three "memory lobes" or fingers the Kyban possess. Almost all the action takes place inside the Dixon Building where Trent finds Consuela Byros, a poor clothsmaker who eventually falls in love with Trent.
This one packs real tension as Trent scurries through hallways and up staircases to find the Kyban Time Mirror. Robert Culp is superb in what may be his finest performance. His cat-like moves through the building, the budding romance between him and the hapless girl, and the incredable music are highlights. Complete with a bombshell of an ending that's brilliantly hinted at throughout the episode, but whose revalation is still a shock.
Of course, no review would be complete without little nitpicks. The Kyban are nothing more than humans with bad eyeshadow and shower caps. While Trent's glass hand is a marvelous creation, the way it raises and lowers on the screen is not well executed. And this episode continues the Outer Limits tradition of NOT GUARDING ANYBODY, NO MATTER WHAT. Allowing the hero or villan to escape. Still, these are very minor nits and certainly doesn't detract from what is the finest episode in the Outer Limits original series.
The odd thing is, if this episode had been given a proper budget, I don't think it would have pulled it off as well. A lesson for producers and directors everywhere who think more money will solve the problem.

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