As a child I used to watch this excellent sci-fi thriller with my father (video recorders being the new big thing at the time) and I rediscovered the episode a few years ago. It tells the story of a man who finds himself on the streets of a US city, not knowing who he is or where he came from. He has a transparent-computer fake-hand attached to his left wrist. The computer advises him in combating a race of humanoid aliens who are tracking him down. I don’t want to spoil the plot so I’ll just mention that the epicly imaginative, award-winning story involves time travel, interplanetary warfare, historical warrior mythology, fist fights, gun battles and the possible extinction of the human race … all crammed into less than an hour and told in a moody film noir style, accompanied by the superb orchestral themes of the Outer Limits. This is a gem.
Many modern classics such as Bladerunner, Terminator and The Matrix owe a great deal to the influence of this made for TV episode – most of the episode occurs in the same building location used as J.F. Sebastian’s home in Bladerunner.
Demon With A Glass Hand is absolutely begging for the big budget remake treatment with a good director attached. Having recently enjoyed The Walking Dead, I think Frank Darabond could be the right guy to remake this.
I very much recommend the boxsets of 1960’s Outer Limits episodes, but for all you freeloaders Demon With A Glass Hand is currently available on Youtube. Here’s a link to part one.
Demon With A Glass Hand – pt 1