Hit Thriller Begonia Is the Modern Heir To The Twilight Zone

by

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Bugonia!

As a critic, I’ve always said The Twilight Zone paved the way for so much of what we see today, and Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things is a prime example. This sci-fi thriller really grabbed me with its relentless tension and, of course, that incredible twist. Honestly, the film feels like a direct descendant of the classic Twilight Zone episodes – it clearly learned from Rod Serling’s masterclass in storytelling and built something truly unique on that foundation.

Each new generation gets its own version of The Twilight Zone, but none have quite matched the feeling of the very first series.

However, Bugonia stands out as something truly special. It feels like the spiritual successor to the classic series The Twilight Zone, picking up its torch 62 years after that show ended in 1964.

Seriously, spoilers ahead for Bugonia!

“Bugonia” Is The Modern Equivalent Of Rod Serling’s “Twilight Zone,” From Its Big Twist To Its Suffocating Tension

Bugonia, Directed By Yorgos Lathimos; Starring Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, & More; Released In 2025

I just saw Bugonia, and it’s seriously one of the most unsettling films I’ve seen in a long time. They call it a black comedy, but honestly, that doesn’t even begin to capture how tense it is. The story centers around Emma Stone, who plays a CEO kidnapped by these two cousins – Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis – convinced she’s an alien trying to wipe out humanity. And the really crazy thing? The movie ultimately confirms they were right all along!

The idea of a shocking alien reveal has been a science fiction staple since the early days of pulp magazines. It really took hold in popular culture thanks to Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone. Many of the show’s most famous episodes, like “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” and “The Invaders,” center around the surprise discovery of who – or what – is actually an alien.

Bugonia is an English-language adaptation of the South Korean film Save the Green Planet! Although it’s unknown if The Twilight Zone inspired the original film, Bugonia definitely feels like a continuation of that classic TV series, especially in terms of its overall mood and atmosphere. It successfully captures the same sense of unsettling originality that made The Twilight Zone so groundbreaking.

Watching “Bugonia” Is What Seeing “The Twilight Zone” On TV Back In The Day Must Have Felt Like

A Tense Stand-Off Upended By A Huge Reveal

Episodes of The Twilight Zone are brilliant examples of how to build suspense. While today’s viewers might not immediately notice, because modern shows and movies create tension in much more extreme ways, The Twilight Zone was genuinely unsettling, dark, and frightening when it first aired. It was remarkably intense for its time.

As a lifelong fan of classic sci-fi, watching Bugonia genuinely felt like rediscovering the magic of the original Twilight Zone. Honestly, it captured that same eerie, thought-provoking vibe better than any of the later revivals – and I’ve seen them all, from the ’80s versions to the ones in the early 2000s and even the 2019 series. Plus, it builds to a twist ending that feels like something Rod Serling himself would have penned – it’s just brilliantly done.

The real strength of the film lies in the suspenseful build-up, not the twist itself – the reveal is just a finishing touch. Many recent shows inspired by The Twilight Zone miss this crucial element, but Bugonia gets it right. This makes it a film people will revisit again and again, much like the classic sci-fi anthology series.

Read More

2026-01-20 22:18