Something in the Walls

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"Something in the Walls" is the fifty-fourth episode (the nineteenth episode of the third season (1988–89) of the television series The Twilight Zone. The episode is a variation of the 1892 short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

Opening narration[]

We direct your attention to the man with the sleek, black briefcase. His name: Dr. Mallory Craig. Occupation: psychologist, newly employed by the Crest Ridge Sanitarium. For the last two weeks, he has been visualizing his first day, looking forward to it with eager anticipation. But there's a terror behind those cold institutional walls that nothing in his education has prepared him for.

Plot[]

A taxi arrives at Crest Ridge Sanitarium and Dr. Mallory Craig steps out of the car. He is a psychologist and new member of the staff. He enters his office and soon is joined and introduced to head nurse Becky Robb. She provides him with the files of the patients he is to be overseeing and after looking into his files he questions Becky about one Sharon Miles, who committed herself. Becky tells him of her proclivities regarding her room's color (white), that she only wears solid colors, and will not leave her room except to eat and to attend her counseling sessions. When he asks about her attitude, Nurse Robb responds with one word—frightened.

Dr. Craig attempts to coerce her into attending counseling sessions again, since she has not been to one in over two months and she tells him that she will when she has something to talk about. After leaving her room and discussing the matter with Becky Robb, a scream is heard from Sharon's room. One of the orderlies brought her a blanket with a pattern on it and Sharon panics. Dr. Craig calms the situation but is still puzzled by her behavior. The next day, Sharon apologizes for her outburst and Dr. Craig wants to know more about what is frightening her. She tries to explain why patterns bother her and talks about seeing faces in the patterns. Not just an optical illusion, but she sees real faces.

In the next few sessions, Sharon discloses that she is certain the faces are trying to hurt or kill her. She only feels safe when there are no patterns and she comes close to telling him what happened that convinced her of the faces' evil intent, but she claims it's too much for her to handle. In her dreams, she remembers the horrible faces emerging from the wall, and she feared for her son, attempting to protect him. She was horrified when a message came out of the wall, presumably from the faces. The message was: "Tell no one." Later that night, Sharon calls Dr. Craig and tells him that she will tell him everything tomorrow and if something should happen to her, to find a way to protect her son.

When he meets with her again, she is wearing plain clothing and speaks in a dreamy state, telling him that it was silly to give into irrational fears and is checking out of the asylum. Dr. Craig notices that there is a leak that formed a pattern in her room from the storm that occurred the night before, but Sharon dismisses it and he leaves. Alone, Sharon peers at the ceiling and hears the real Sharon's voice coming from the now patterned section. She is begging to be released but the new Sharon only smiles and leaves the room.

Closing narration[]

Next time you're alone, look quickly at the wallpaper, and the ceiling, and the cracks on the sidewalk. Look for the patterns and lines and faces on the wall. Look, if you can, for Sharon Miles, visible only out of the corner of your eye or...in the Twilight Zone.

External links[]

• "Something in the Walls" at IMDb