Rod Serling’s Night Gallery: The Complete Collection (Blu-ray Review)

• Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
• Review Date: Jul 02, 2026
• Format: Blu-ray Disc

Director

Various

Release Date(s)

1969-1973 (January 14, 2026)

Studio(s)

Universal Television/NBC (Imprint Television/Via Vision Entertainment)

• Film/Program Grade: B+
• Video Grade: A-
• Audio Grade: B+
• Extras Grade: A+
• Overall Grade: A+

viavision.com.au

Review

While Rod Serling will forever be remembered in the eternal zeitgeist as the creator, co-writer, and host of The Twilight Zone, many of his other projects tend to be overlooked to a certain degree. Devoted fans of one of his finest follow-ups, Night Gallery, spent a number of years watching the syndicated versions of the show prior to it being restored to its original length in the late 1990s and early 2000s on both VHS and DVD. Trimmed down and expanded using alternate footage to meet those syndication standards, this macabre-focused anthology series has rarely been seen on TV in its full form since its original broadcast.

The premise revolves around Rod Serling once again performing introductory hosting duties, taking us on a journey through various paintings, each with a story attached to them. Episodes in their original broadcast length featured two to three, or even four, segments, all involving supernatural elements. Whereas The Twilight Zone was filmed and aired in black and white and had more of a science fiction bent, Night Gallery was shot in color with horror and thriller elements. In true EC Comics fashion, many of the segments revolve around characters getting their comeuppance, or having a change of heart. Vampires, ghosts, and witches are much of the show’s primary emphasis, though some episodes also manage to pull off touching stories about people down on their luck and getting a second chance.

Night Gallery is also synonymous at this point with a pre-Duel Steven Spielberg directing a couple of the episodes, but other directors of the series include the likes of Jeannot Szwarc, John Badham, Jeff Corey, Leonard Nimoy, and Don Taylor. And in front of the camera, stars of the show (at least in the first season) include Roddy McDowall, Joan Crawford, Diane Keaton, Burgess Meredith, Ossie Davis, Henry Silva, Richard Kiley, Agnes Moorehead, Tom Bosley, John Astin, Martine Beswick, and William Windom, among many others.

Fan favorite segments include Eyes, featuring Joan Crawford as a rich, conniving woman who will do anything to cure her blindness; The Cemetery, featuring Roddy McDowell as a young man who’s only too happy to see his rich uncle die and leave him an inheritance; The Little Black Bag, featuring Burgess Meredith as a disgraced doctor who finds a medical bag from the future; The Doll, featuring John Williams as a man stalked by a rather frightening-looking doll; and They’re Tearing Down Tim Riley’s Bar, featuring William Windom as a washed-up drunken salesman who wants nothing more than to live in the past, literally. (The latter episode was nominated for an Emmy in 1971.)

Night Gallery resumed after its brief six-episode first season with a whopping twenty-two episodes in its second season. Returning directors include Jeannot Szwarc, John Badham, Jeff Corey, and Don Taylor, adding in Gene Kearney, Theodore J. Flicker, and William Hale, among others. In front of the camera, a much broader range of TV and film actors were brought in, which include Vincent Price, Leslie Nielsen, Joseph Campanella, Sue Lyon, Clint Howard, Ray Milland, Orson Welles, David Carradine, Carl Reiner, Victor Buono, E.G. Marshall, Lindsay Wagner, Cesar Romero, Adam West, John Saxon, Mark Hamill, Cameron Mitchell, David McCallum, Sandra Dee, Steve Lawrence, Rene Auberjonois, Cloris Leachman, Edward G. Robinson, Yaphet Kotto, and Barbara Steele, among many, many others.

Fan favorite segments include The Caterpillar, which features Laurence Harvey as a man who plots to kill his romantic rival; The Messiah on Mott Street, which features Edward G. Robinson as poor man on the brink of his death who hopes to stay alive for his grandson; Cool Air, which features Barbara Rush as a young lady who falls in love with a man who must remain in a cold state; The Painted Mirror, which features Arthur O’Connell as an antique dealer who uses a magic mirror to get rid of his business partner (Zsa Zsa Gabor); A Question of Fear, which features Leslie Nielsen as a mercenary who’s paid a large sum of money to spend the night in a haunted house; You Can’t Get Help like That Anymore, which features Cloris Leachman and Broderick Crawford as a couple whose robot servant goes a bit out of control, and many other great segments. There’s too many to choose from this time around as the show’s second season is truly the cream of the crop.

The show returned for its third and final season with only fifteen episodes. Sadly, they were only a half an hour in length and featured only one story per episode, with two exceptions. Returning directors include Jeannot Szwarc, John Badham, Jeff Corey, and Gene Kearney, adding in Leonard Nimoy and Jack Laird, among others. In front of the camera, another range of TV and film actors were brought in, which include Vincent Price, Bill Bixby, James Farentino, John Astin, Mickey Rooney, Sandra Dee, Ozzie Nelson, Harriet Nelson, Michael Lerner, Lindsay Wagner, Burl Ives, Jeff Corey, Stuart Whitman, Alan Napier, Burgess Meredith, Cameron Mitchell, Leonard Nimoy, Lorraine Gary, Joan Van Ark, Chuck Connors, Geraldine Page, Leif Erickson, Brooke Bundy, Dean Stockwell, Sally Field, and Susan Strasberg, among many others.

Fan favorite segments include You Can Come Up Now, Mrs. Millikan, which features an inventor (Ozzie Nelson) trying out his latest experiment with immortality on his wife (Harriet Nelson); The Girl With the Hungry Eyes, which features James Farentino as a photographer whose latest subject (Joanna Pettet) has glowing eyes; Something in the Woodwork, which features Geraldine Page as an alcoholic who asks a ghost for help in offing her ex-husband (Leif Erikson); Death on a Barge, which features a lonely woman (Lesley Ann Warren) who lives on an anchored boat and falls in love with a local guy, who doesn’t know that she’s a vampire; Rare Objects, which features Mickey Rooney as a marked man who’s on the run and taken in by a mysterious doctor (Raymond Massey), offering him a way out, but at a cost; The Ring With the Red Velvet Ropes, which features a boxing champion (Gary Lockwood) who winds up in a mysterious hotel where he must fight an unbeatable opponent; Fright Night, which features Stuart Whitman and Barbara Anderson as a couple who move into an old house filled with terror; and Whisper, which features Sally Field as a spirit-inhabited medium who’s having difficulty with those taking control of her as her husband (Dean Stockwell) grows more and more concerned.

Like all anthology shows, the quality of each segment and the preference point of the viewer is the determining factor in the success of Night Gallery’s entertainment value. The show can be rather compelling for the most part with excellent writing and memorable performances, and the majority of the segments are very satisfying. Some of those segments are more enjoyable and effective than others, but more importantly, there’s plenty of variety to be had.

Night Gallery was shot by various cinematographers on 35mm film, finished photochemically, and presented on television in the aspect ratio of 1.33:1. Imprint Television brings the show to Blu-ray for a second time worldwide utilizing the same high definition masters that were included with Kino Lorber Studio Classics’ individual season sets, all derived from 2K scans of interpositives. Because of the nature of the surviving elements, the quality of the presentations range from good to very good. Grain, speckling, delineation, and minor crush fluctuate from segment to segment and season to season, but for the most part, each offers an improved picture over their standard definition counterparts. The color palette is often rich, even vibrant, with good contrast. Shadow detail isn’t always potent, but again, one must chalk that up to the elements and their existing conditions. The encodes are similar if not exactly the same as the Kino Blu-ray releases, so nothing is lost or gained in transit. By and large, the show looks terrific in hi def with mostly pleasing results, and with those healthy encodes, it gets the most out of them.

Audio for the show is presented in English 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio with optional English subtitles. It’s a little more evenly-tempered with good support for dialogue and score, even with minor sibilance and distortion from time to time. It’s relatively narrow, but clean and problem-free.

Imprint Television’s Limited Edition 10-Disc Blu-ray release of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery: The Complete Collection is presented in three blue Amaray cases for the individual seasons alongside a 104-page softcover episode guide booklet and a 108-page hardcover booklet that showcases all of Tom Wright’s and Jaroslav Gebr’s paintings, as well as paintings that were never used. All of this material is housed in fliptop hardbox packaging, limited to 1,500 units. The following episodes and extras are included on each disc:

DISC ONE (SEASON ONE – PILOT + EPISODES 1-2)

• Pilot: The Cemetery / Eyes / Escape Route (98:08)
  • Audio Commentary with Gary Gerani
  • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton and Jim Benson

1. The Dead Man / The Housekeeper (50:28)
   • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
2. Room With a View / The Little Black Bag / The Nature of the Enemy (50:25)
   • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton and Jim Benson

DISC TWO (SEASON ONE – EPISODES 3-6)

3. The House / Certain Shadows on the Wall (50:32)
   • Audio Commentary with Tim Lucas
   • Audio Commentary with Amanda Reyes
4. Make Me Laugh / Clean Kills and Other Trophies (50:27)
   • Audio Commentary with Constantine Nasr and Taylor L. White
5. Pamela’s Voice / Lone Survivor / The Doll (50:27)
   • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
   • Audio Commentary with Kim Newman and Stephen Jones
6. They’re Tearing Down Tim Riley’s Bar / The Last Laurel (50:26)
   • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
   • Audio Commentary with Craig Beam

• The Syndication Conundrum: Night Gallery’s Horrific Second Life in Reruns (HD – 58:03)

DISC THREE (SEASON TWO – EPISODES 1-5)

1. The Boy Who Predicted Earthquakes / Miss Lovecraft Sent Me / The Hand of Borgus Weems / Phantom of What Opera? (50:55)
   • Audio Commentary with Craig Beam
   • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
2. Death in the Family / The Merciful / Class of ’99 / Satisfaction Guaranteed (50:53)
   • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
   • Audio Commentary with Dr. Reba Wissner
3. Since Aunt Ada Came to Stay / With Apologies to Mr. Hyde / The Flip-Side of Satan (50:55)
   • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
   • Audio Commentary with Dr. Reba Wissner
4. A Fear of Spiders / Junior / Marmalade Wine / The Academy (50:55)
   • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
5. The Phantom Farmhouse / Silent Snow, Secret Snow (50:48)
   • Audio Commentary with Guillermo del Toro
   • Audio Commentary with Gary Gerani

• TV Spots (HD – 4 in all – 4:26)

DISC FOUR (SEASON TWO – EPISODES 6-10)

6. A Question of Fear / The Devil Is Not Mocked (50:54)
   • Audio Commentary with Kim Newman and Stephen Jones
   • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
7. Midnight Never Ends / Brenda (50:54)
   • Audio Commentary with Jim Benson and Laurie Prange
   • Audio Commentary with Amanda Reyes
8. The Diary / A Matter of Semantics / Big Surprise / Professor Peabody’s Last Lecture (50:57)
   • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
9. House – With Ghost / A Midnight Visit to the Neighborhood Blood Bank / Dr. Stringfellow’s Rejuvenator / Hell’s Bells (50:55)
   • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
10. The Dark Boy / Keep in Touch – We’ll Think of Something (50:58)
    • Audio Commentary with Amanda Reyes

• TV Spots (HD – 5 in all – 5:22)

DISC FIVE (SEASON TWO – EPISODES 11-15)

11. Pickman’s Model / The Dear Departed / An Act of Chivalry (50:56)
    • Audio Commentary with Louise Sorel, Scott Skelton, and Jim Benson
    • Audio Commentary with Gary Gerani
12. Cool Air / Camera Obscura / Quoth the Raven (50:45)
    • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
    • Audio Commentary with Mark Dawidziak, John Badham, and Gary Gerani
    • Audio Commentary with Kim Newman and Stephen Jones
13. The Messiah on Mott Street / The Painted Mirror (50:55)
    • Audio Commentary with Guillermo del Toro
    • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
14. The Different Ones / Tell David... / Logoda’s Heads (50:55)
    • Audio Commentary with Craig Beam
15. Green Fingers / The Funeral / The Tune in Dan’s Cafe (51:14)
    • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton and Jim Benson

• TV Spots (HD – 3 in all – 3:24)

DISC SIX (SEASON TWO – EPISODES 16-20)

16. Lindemann’s Catch / The Late Mr. Peddington / A Feast of Blood (50:55)
    • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
17. The Miracle at Camafeo / The Ghost of Sorworth Place (50:56)
    • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
18. The Waiting Room / Last Rites for a Dead Druid (50:53)
    • Audio Commentary with David J. Schow
19. Deliveries in the Rear / Stop Killing Me / Dead Weight (50:56)
    • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
20. I’ll Never Leave You—Ever / There Aren’t Any More MacBanes (50:56)
    • Audio Commentary with David J. Schow

• TV Spots (HD – 5 in all – 5:22)

DISC SEVEN (SEASON TWO – EPISODES 21-22 & LOST TALES FROM SEASON 2)

21. The Sins of the Fathers / You Can’t Get Help Like That Anymore (50:57)
    • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
    • Audio Commentary with Tim Lucas
22. The Caterpillar / Little Girl Lost (50:58)
    • Audio Commentary with Guillermo del Toro

• Lost Tales from Season 2: Die Now, Pay Later / Room for One Less / Witches’ Feast / Little Girl Lost (42:52)
  • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
• TV Spots (HD – 2 in all – 2:10)
• The Syndication Conundrum: Night Gallery’s Horrific Second Life in Reruns Part Two (HD – 66:33)
• Revisiting the Gallery: A Look Back (SD – 29:57)
• Art Gallery: The Paintings (SD – 3:27)

DISC EIGHT (SEASON THREE – EPISODES 1-8)

1. The Return of the Sorcerer (25:55)
   • Audio Commentary with Kim Newman and Stephen Jones
   • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
2. The Girl With the Hungry Eyes (25:57)
   • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton
   • Audio Commentary with David J. Schow
3. Rare Objects (25:52)
   • Audio Commentary with Jim Benson, Guillermo del Toro, Rod Serling, Jeannot Szwarc, Tom Wright, Mickey Rooney, and Raymond Massey
   • Audio Commentary with Craig Beam
4. Spectre in Tap-Shoes (25:53)
   • Audio Commentary with Amanda Reyes
5. You Can Come Up Now, Mrs. Millikan / Smile, Please (25:57)
   • Audio Commentary with Jim Benson, Ozzie Nelson, Lindsay Wagner, Michael Lerner, Roger David, John Badham, and Tom Wright
   • Audio Commentary with Tim Lucas
6. The Other Way Out (25:56)
   • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton
7. Fright Night (25:56)
   • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton
   • Audio Commentary with Amanda Reyes
8. Finnegan’s Flight (25:56)
   • Audio Commentary with Jim Benson, Rod Serling, Guillermo del Toro, Burgess Meredith, Cameron Mitchell, Jenny Sullivan, Leonard Engleman, and Tom Wright
   • Audio Commentary with Dr. Reba Wissner

DISC NINE (SEASON THREE – EPISODES 9-15)

9. She’ll Be Company for You (25:57)
   • Audio Commentary with Amanda Reyes
   • Audio Commentary with Craig Beam
10. The Ring With the Red Velvet Ropes (25:57)
    • Audio Commentary with Jim Benson, Rod Serling, Jeannot Szwarc, Joan Van Ark, Gary Lockwood, Leonard Engleman, and Tom Wright
    • Audio Commentary with Dr. Reba Wissner
11. Something in the Woodwork (25:56)
    • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton
    • Audio Commentary with Kim Newman and Stephen Jones
12. Death on a Barge (25:55)
    • Audio Commentary with Scott Skelton
    • Audio Commentary with Tim Lucas
13. Whisper (25:54)
    • Audio Commentary with Jim Benson, Guillermo del Toro, Jeannot Szwarc, David Rayfiel, Gerald Perry Finnerman, Burt Astor, Tom Wright, Sally Field, and Dean Stockwell
14. The Doll of Death (25:54)
    • Audio Commentary with Kim Newman and Stephen Jones
15. Hatred Unto Death / How to Cure the Common Vampire (25:54)
    • Audio Commentary with Gary Gerani

• The Syndication Conundrum: Night Gallery’s Horrific Second Life in Reruns Part Three (HD – 55:41)

DISC TEN (BONUS DISC)

• Night Gallery: Season Three Paintings (HD – 9:24)
• Night Gallery: Season One Paintings (HD – 6:48)
• Night Gallery: Season Two Paintings (HD – 36:24)
• Suspending Space and Time: Rod Serling’s Night Gallery (HD – 6:30)

The majority of this bonus material is carried over from the original DVD releases and Kino Lorber’s Blu-ray releases of the individual seasons, though eight new commentaries have been added, all featuring Scott Skelton and Jim Benson. The rest of the commentaries feature the likes of film critics and authors Tim Lucas, Amanda Reyes, Kim Newman, Stephen Jones, David J. Schow, and special guests like Guillermo del Toro. They’re all jam-packed with information about each episode, the show overall, and its creators, and all are worth your time.

Lost Tales from Season 2 is a treasure trove as it features segments that didn’t quite make it to the original broadcast. Little Girl Lost is an extended version of the same segment that actually aired, but with several minutes put back in that were trimmed for time. All of these segments appear to be sourced mostly from the original camera negative as they’re surprisingly high quality. They’re also grouped together like a lost episode of the show, featuring introductions by Rod Serling, and integrating a commercial bumper in between each.

The three-part The Syndication Conundrum by Craig Beam is perhaps the most fascinating extra of the lot. It not only details the fate of the show when it was cut up and re-purposed for syndication (which still airs to this day), but also shows a full side-by-side comparison of the episodes They’re Tearing Down Tim Riley’s Bar and A Question of Fear, as well as the 25 re-edited introductions by Rod Serling, giving viewers a crystal clear idea of just how much damage was done to the quality of the show and the performances. Interesting also is the fact that those syndicated versions used footage from the original Frankenstein film and the short-lived science fiction show The Sixth Sense, which Craig correctly points out is unavailable on home video.

Next are several sets of TV spots for the show; Revisiting the Gallery, which speaks to a number of people who worked on the show; and Art Gallery, which features artist Tom Wright discussing his paintings. Newly-included with this release are a series of three videos showcasing all of the paintings created for the show by artists Jaroslav Gebr and Tom Wright, with the original artists providing commentary over each one. Though listed in order by season on the main menu, the selections have been mixed up: Season One is Season Three, Season Two is Season One, and Season Three is Season Two (I hope that wasn’t too confusing). Another nice bonus is the exclusive featurette Suspending Space and Time, courtesy of Ballyhoo Motion Pictures, which briefly speaks to wife Rod Serling’s wife Carol Serling and his daughter Jodi Serling.

Not carried over from the Kino Lorber releases are a pair of standard definition NBC promos for the show and a DVD-era Easter egg, which offers a brief outtake from Rod Serling’s intros, as well as a couple of raw opening credits opticals. Also not included from the Region 2 DVD release from Elephant Films in France is the featurette Night Gallery: The New Dimension of Rod Serling.

Imprint’s new boxed set certainly showcases Night Gallery in the best available quality armed with a bevy of bonus materials in fine packaging. Whether you purchase this or already own the individual Blu-ray release from Kino, it’s wonderful just to have the original broadcast versions of each and every episode in such high quality. No matter which one you prefer, it all comes highly recommended.

- Tim Salmons

(You can follow Tim on social media at these links: Twitter, Facebook, BlueSky, and Letterboxd. And be sure to subscribe to his YouTube channel here.)