The Hunters (The Twilight Zone)

"The Hunters" is the thirty-ninth episode and the fourth episode of the third season (1988–89) of the television series The Twilight Zone.

Opening narration[]

A beautiful summer day full of adventure for a young boy. On the surface, a field, like any other, soon to be covered with neatly arranged family homes. But today, this curious boy is about to discover a terrifying secret that can only be shared within the confines...of the Twilight Zone.

Plot[]

A young boy scout named Steve makes his way through a field that is about to be developed into a housing community. Halfway through, Steve falls into a hole and into a rough cave. Interested in what he's found, he begins scanning his surroundings with his flashlight but is frightened away by a noise. He leaves to retrieve the sheriff and they both enter the cave, discovering primitive drawings on the walls.

A week later, an archaeological group from a local university led by a Dr. Klein begins studying the cave. She becomes upset when it seems that some vandals are leaving dead animal carcasses near the mouth of the cave. She believes the vandalism is caused by the man funding the new housing community which is now on hold thanks to the discovery of the cave.

After her group goes home for the weekend and she decides to stay, Dr. Klein becomes swept up in her studies of the cave. Meanwhile, the sheriff starts looking into the dead animal carcasses and finds that many local farmers are losing some of their animal stock. Later, the sheriff comes back to the cave to find a dead animal being cooked and Dr. Klein acting strangely. She claims the drawings have been changing. The photos taken earlier show that the drawings on the wall are different from when the photos were taken. She plans to spend the night in the cave because whatever happens in the cave happens at night. The sheriff tries to talk her out of it but her mind is set. The sheriff decides to spend the night in his truck outside the cave.

Dr. Klein is awakened by the sound of footsteps and animal growls. She looks over the drawings and the figures (the people) are gone. Suddenly, she sees people running back and forth inside the cave and tries to make contact. Outside, the sheriff hears Dr. Klein scream. Rushing into the cave, he finds her face down with a spear in her back. She is dead. The sheriff begins to explore the cave but returns to the hole only to find Dr. Klein's body has vanished. He looks at the drawing to see a figure moving pulling a dead figure with a spear in it. Then the other side of the drawing shows many figures with spears moving toward the other figure. He grabs some water and begins scrubbing the figures off the wall. As he is doing this, a primitive hunter appears behind him and begins to throw his spear. When the sheriff scrubs the figures off the wall the primitive hunter disappears before the spear can hit him. After cleaning off the cave painting, the sheriff then heads to his truck and leaves.

Closing narration[]

Time is the invincible enemy of mortal flesh; or so modern man believes. But somewhere in the dark past, a few of our distant ancestors discovered a way to bridge the millennia. It's a secret that was buried 12,000 years ago, and rediscovered for a brief moment...in the Twilight Zone.

External links[]

• "The Hunters" at IMDb