Submitted for your approval: Rod Serling famously opened several episodes of his iconic late 1950s-early 1960s television program with an introduction that most assuredly doubled as a promise.

“There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man,†he said. “It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge.â€

“This is the dimension of imagination,†he said. And he called it The Twilight Zone.

In 1982, four visionary directors – John Landis, Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, and George Miller – gathered to create Twilight Zone: The Movie, influenced by their own generation growing up watching tales of limitless terror, wonder, and humor, likely creating in them a thirst to seek out Hollywood and tell their own magical stories.

What about the idea of the Twilight Zone, though? How well does it serve storytelling? Does it truncate the universe merely to teach a lesson? Are the segments of Twilight Zone: The Movie frustrating due to their limited scope? How well do those segments honor – or insult – the memory of The Twilight Zone show, and how often does it get it wrong?

This week, Block Bluster! airs a special double-length episode in preparation for the upcoming Tidewater Comicon, and welcomes the man behind it all, avowed fan of comics, music, TV – and The Twilight Zone – Mike Federali to discuss Twilight Zone: The Movie and Imagination!

Tidewater Comicon happens Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Virginia Beach Convention Center, located at 1000 19th Street Virginia Beach, VA. Doors open at 9 a.m. VIP admission is $15; general admission is only $10! Both Tobias and Ivey from Block Bluster! will be there live and in-person, along with all the other kind folks from the Mind Of The Geek Radio Network!

Remember to subscribe Block Bluster! on iTunes and listen to us on the Mind Of The Geek Radio Network on Stitcher. Like us on Facebook, and follow Block Bluster! on Twitter @blockblusterpod. Follow Tobias Ellis @callmetobias and Ivey West @Dorv.

(Image @1983 Warner Bros. Pictures)