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Study 049 - It's a Good Life (Patreon)

Published:
2023-07-06 15:14:04
Edited:
2023-07-06 15:14:12
Imported:
2026-06
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Content

We're gathering evil kid stories this month, starting with It's a Good Life by Jerome Bixby - a story made famous by The Twilight Zone!

Special thanks to reader Albert Lackey! Check out his YouTube page.

Piano music in this episode is adapted from Sevilla by Isaac Albéniz.

Comments

Mandy Reznor (She/It)

I *love* this tale. I've loved it since I saw The Twilight Zone on the Syfy channel as a girl, I loved it when I read the original story in my teens. I've also always wanted to crib it for a Ravenloft one-shot or the like, but I've never gotten around to it. One odd thing about the Twilight Zone episode now is, since I've watched Babylon 5, I can't un-see Lenier's face in little Anthony. C'est la vie. Oh, and hearing Chris call "You Are My Sunshine" something a serial killer would sing was...something. It's the song I can use to make my boyfriend cry on command—I guess this whole time it was because he was afraid of being skinned alive?

Sweatin' to the Great Oldies

A joy to hear Albert work his way through some horror. (I'm not sure that came out right.) I imagine there's an alien abduction/impregnation angle on this that would work for a modern version. Perhaps not necessary, but it would be fun.

Rick Hound

Speaking of Stephen King, there’s a book that’s likely influenced by this story it’s name is “The Regulators” and its mirror sequel. The story takes place in an Ohio town where the inhabitants is terrorized by the omniscient power of a being possessing a neural divergent child. I can’t say this is my favorite of King’s works but at least I found the predecessor to it.

Ross Clark

Great episode as always! I know Chad and Chris are comic book fans, I'm wondering if they are aware of the Justice League cartoon episode that riffs pretty heavily on this story. The two parter "Legends" (ep 16-17) treads a lot of the same ground as Bixby's tale, and has the League trying to uncover the source of strange occurrences within a seemingly perfect town. I won't go into more detail to avoid spoiling anything, but it's a great mystery with a pretty dark reveal. Highly recommended to anyone that liked It's A Good Life!

No, Remake This!

I did a video on Jerome Bixby and this story a few months ago, and I came to some very different conclusions about the biggest changes and what really resonates about the story. Here's a link, I time stamped it to skip the story synopsis and background on Bixby (a lot of which overlaps with what Chad and Chris say anyway) https://youtu.be/QCfo9m32pb8?t=508

Beanz

Apologies for my ADHD's Tangent Train(TM) but this story triggered 2 memories. Chad's question about removing headaches by removing heads *immediately* made me think of Amelia Bedelia. That woman is one of those magical creatures that grants wishes with a huge caveat, but packaged in a housekeeper. She's a Chaos Queen. The cruelty of this child pulled on a childhood memory of horror films with my grandmother. "The Pit" from 1981 involves a terrible child feeding his mean neighbors to creatures in a pit. This movie is probably not super similar but the cruelty and lack of empathy, for some instant gratification, was uncomfortable af.

Beanz

Also, Chris, of all the stories to have your child read for us... how do you sleep at night now?

Its Mr Bat Man To You

There's a story with a different take on the concept, "Oddy and Id" by the tremendous Alfred Bester (you've covered his "Fondly Fahrenheit"). The conceit is that "Oddy" has similar powers to Anthony but he doesn't know it, he's just very, very lucky. I've always thought the "Domino" character from Marvel might have been influenced by the story. Of course with Bester, you know it's going to take a bad turn. Also, I watched the episode as a child where he takes away his sister's mouth. I'm nearly 50 now and I'm not sure I've ever gotten over it.

Randolph Pickman Carter

There is a story from the 80s with a good example of psychic static I forget the title , the protagonists are challenged by some kind of elder god to think of their own destruction and must empty their minds of all thought, however one can’t do it and the city is nearly destroyed by the stay-puft marshmallow man. “What did you do Ray”

Akeel1701

While listening to you guys talking in this episode a stray thought hit me... Charlie Evans from the classic Trek episode 'Charlie X' was kind of an Anthony-like figure - a wee bit older, but still uncontrolled and subject to his own whims - e.g. he doesnae like someone laughing so he erases a woman's face, etc...

Ravewolf

I first read this story as a young kid, and what I found most disturbing about it both then and now is the cosmically awful description of the child-thing's origins near the end of the tale. That suddenly a goblin child could be born somewhere, something so basically wrong that the doctor at the birth immediately tries to kill it, and there would be nothing in this universe to stop it is disturbing enough. But at least up until the revelation of the child-thing's origins, one could rationalize the events as the product of a still sane, if cruelly indifferent, universe. But then one learns of how just plain wrong the thing was perceived as being from the start, and it seems like this may hint at something like perhaps even a cosmic malice with an ugly sense of humor existing. And somehow, that's an even more frightening prospect than the usual cosmic horror of a vast and uncaring universe.

Alan Ricks

So… Roddenberry totally didn’t read this story for Charlie X.

Grahm Eberhardt

Billy Mumy is half of the novelty band Barnes & Barnes (best known for Fish Heads). Their song Blithering references and samples the Twilight Zone episode. https://youtu.be/OYLNEpz4AN4

Carter Stepper

The nature of the village gives me two ideas from elsewhere: one is that it’s a Philip k dick type situation, where the outside world exists but the kid is maintaining an illusion so the townspeople can’t perceive it. The other is Dark City (which might be a cool bonus content!) which I won’t spoil in case you haven’t seen it, needless to say the ending could be similar to this. I need to read this story, sounds even better than the TZ episode, which is saying something:

It's a Ghost.

I think the idea of Anthony simply looking like a child is creepier, but maybe the reason he doesn’t mind being called a nice goblin is because he is a goblin, and this was obvious to the doctor when Anthony "crept" out of his mother’s womb. Also, this story definitely has some things in common with the 1960 movie Village of the Damned, with its psychic kids of unknown origin and characters trying to block their minds from being read or controlled. There certainly still are movies and stories being made about demonic or psychic kids, but the similarities between "Village" and this story make me wonder if it says something about what Americans and Brits were thinking about or scared of in the 50s and early 60s.

Christian Huffman

I was thinking about the title to this story and how close it is to Ice Cube’s “Today was a good day” could Ice Cube have written a sequel to this story where he pretends to be the child as an adult? “No barking from the dog (wished into the cornfield), no smog, and momma cooked a breakfast with no hog(she knows what happens when she doesn’t)”. Also “Didn’t even get no static from the cowards (people trapped in my world) cause yesterday them fools tried to blast me (and I turned them into unnameable creatures, then zip cornfield)”. Lastly “I didn’t even have to use my A.K. (Awesome teleKinesis, correct my acronym I date you)”

Derek Scott

What a good story. Having read read so many stories within the purview of Horror/Supernatural/Weird/Science Fiction that are fantastic, nothing beats the almost giddy rush of arriving at a story that exhilarates and terrifies and hits that certain spot that makes even the most ardent and jaded readers go, “Wow…” This was one of those. “The Lake” by Mr. Bradbury and “Who Goes There?” “Wet Season” by Dennis Etchison were three others I can recall off the top of my head. Even in this tightest of economies, there are few voluntary expenditures I feel are required, and SSoSS is one of them. Keep up the good works Gents and for God’s sake, read some Dennis Etchison! It’s good for you!

William Tank

Great coverage. The purple gaze made me think of The Purple Man in Marvel comics. The Purple Man can also control people by only his mind. Great job by the reader. Thanks Guys.

Derek Scott

I’m not usually a two comment in a row guy but as I thought about the story again after reading it and listening to the episode again, I was struck by something I’ve been thinking on for some time: The concept of the implicit vs. explicit in horror (movies, books, etc.). Poll most any casual horror fan and they will say that “scary” is probably some demonic nun jumping you in the hallway of a suitably dark and gothic mansion. In fact the jump scare has supplanted most everything else as “scary” for the average person. This is horror at its most explicit but I wouldn’t want to give the idea this is all bad. Being explicit in the genre is required and delightful at times. Lord knows HP, King, Straub and Etchison, four of my favorites, often do this so well it’s dazzling. But the implicit horror, the horror in which there are blanks to be filled in, is the most insidious and wonderful. After all, our minds are the great unheralded horror writers, and who has not gone into a tailspin as we contemplate the nature of existence or our place in the universe. This story and some of the others I noted above work so well in the realm of the implicit.

Jeremy Impson

Yes, I actually hate this story and the episode of Twilight Zone that is based on it, and it's definitely because of how terrifying I found the concept, especially as a kid.

Jason Thompson

Thank you for covering this awesome story!!!

DR

Great creepy story. The age of the kid and the tantrums make it worse as there’s no reasoning with him. It reminds me of once where my two year old niece thought ice in drinks was amazing but got confused when it melted and couldn’t understand where it went and would just say” Gone” and her father said jokingly “who stole it” and her accusingly angry face just looked at us and yelled “you” I’m sure if she could have wished us to the cornfield she would have and I can easily see this scenario play out in the town. Every adaption of this story is so weird and interesting.

Jim Cannon

Familiar with this story from The Twilight Zone, I read it as soon as I discovered it was an actual short story first, somewhere around 20 years ago. I've never had to reread it. This is one that stays with you.

Richard Horsman

Great job, Albert! I’d forgotten that last line about the snow and the crops and it hit me as hard as the first time I read this. Great stuff.

KateSherrod

1. Albert knocked it out of the park, and has a very mature-sounding delivery style. I'm glad Chris mentioned that he's only 11 because I remember when his parents got engaged and I didn't think that was 20 years ago already! 2. I'm wondering now if this story could have inspired Doris Lessing. Her THE FIFTH CHILD has a similar tone and feel though a slightly more mundane premise. And just as I type this, I think WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN owes a bit to this as well. 3. Billy Mumy also grew up to play Lenier on Babylon 5, so I kept imagining Anthony in full Minbari headbone makeup and it totally worked! 4. There is no number 4. Anthony says so.

Forrest Rush

Albert was great. Very nice reading voice. This is such a classic ep based on such a good story. While I was happy to see Cloris and Billy back in the 2000 sequel and while it has its moments, it just doesn't live up to the original. The 80's movies was the weakest of all takes on this story and the weakest of the stories in a rather weak movie. In my opinion, only the opening bit with Aykroyd and Brooks is worth the watch. Everything in that movie as well as the "sequel" seek to distract from the all out horror that is the original Zone ep and the short story. God is a mad child in all the meanings of the word mad can't be sanitized or sent off with a Professor X wanna be nanny. There is no escape from this horror and any attempt to do so should just be sent to the cornfield.

Jason of the K

Great story. I wonder how much of Anthony's behavior was because the first thing he was exposed to out of the womb was hate, fear, and murder from the doctor and that forever altered his perception, certainly about the value of life. However, as a parent myself I definitely get the sense that if kids could radically alter their world based on an emotional whim then they would certainly do so :p

Joe Beck

Another creepy-kid story appearing in the SFHoFV1 anthology you cited is Richard Matheson's "Born of Man and Woman". It's a short-short, probably too short to feature on the show, but unforgettably creepy, and has more than a little in common with Bixby's story (predating it by a few years). The same anthology includes "That Only a Mother" by Judith Merrill, which may not hold up quite as well but is very entertaining.

Jason of the K

"Man from Earth" is a pretty cool little film. Definitely puts in perspective similar concepts like The Highlander where eternal life isn't as cool as one might think if you can't behead folks every now and again. Poul Andersens "Boat of a Million Years" is a more in depth treatment of the idea.

Ben Gilbert

Other stories with scary children are Mistress Sary by William Tenn, Born of Man and Woman by Richard Matheson, Zero Hour and Small Assassin both by Ray Bradbury.

Doug McCool

There should definitely be more sequel Twilight Zone episodes.... William Shatner could return 60 years later... he's an old grizzled Capt Ahab type who has taken to being a pilot... flying countless hours seeking the gremlins for his revenge.

Dan Pratt

Chris: “This story’s great—I highly recommend you tracking it down!” Chad: “Yeah, it’s my favorite kind of short story! Albert, glaring at them from the corner of Chris’s room: “…” (Well done, Albie!)

Haylen Brenagh

Albert Lackey did a fantastic job reading this story!

Eric - Speaker in Digressions

Speaking of Bixby's "Mirror, Mirror," the "Star Trek Continues" web series did a sequel episode called "Fairest of Them All" in which Beardo Spock leads a mutiny against Mirror Kirk. It's not bad, although events seem a bit rushed, maybe. And like the other STC episodes, it gets the look and lighting right, and they even found an eerie lookalike actress to play Marlena Moreau (the "Captain's woman"). (There's another "Moreau" reference for you.) (My girlfriend and I have been watching this series this summer along with "New Voyages" ever since visiting the former "New Voyages" sets in Ticonderoga, New York, which is a must for any Star Trek fan who can get to northeastern New York.)