: Similar to other episodes like "The Long Morrow" or "Long Live Walter Jameson," this story posits that eternal life often comes at a gruesome moral cost.
: Played by Ann Blyth , a real-life Golden Age Hollywood star. Jordan Herrick : Played by Richard Todd.
: Written by Charles Beaumont, though ghostwritten by Jerry Sohl due to Beaumont's illness at the time. [S2E4] Queen of the Nile
: Directed by John Brahm, who directed several classic Twilight Zone episodes. Themes and Analysis
: The use of the scarab beetle ties the narrative to ancient Egyptian mythology, where the insect was a symbol of transformation and rebirth. Production Factoids : Similar to other episodes like "The Long
Skeptical of her claims, Herrick begins investigating her past. He discovers that she has used various names over many years and that she possesses a collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts. The climax reveals that Morris is actually thousands of years old; she maintains her youthful appearance through an ancient, parasitic ritual involving a specialized scarab beetle that drains the life force from her victims.
: This episode is often cited as one of the more "classic" horror-leaning entries of the later seasons, moving away from the sci-fi moralism of earlier years. : Written by Charles Beaumont, though ghostwritten by
The story follows a cynical journalist, Jordan Herrick, who is assigned to interview the reclusive and world-famous film actress . Despite being in the industry for decades, Morris appears to be no older than twenty-five, a phenomenon she publicly attributes to "clean living" and good genes.