Rod Serling's Night Gallery: The Art of Darkness

Rod Serling's Night Gallery

by Scott Skelton, Jim Benson, Anne Serling (Foreword)

2020 RONDO AWARD WINNER, BEST HORROR ART BOOK Half a century ago, NBC-TV premiered the pilot that gave birth to the supernatural series Rod Serling’s Night Gallery. Millions of viewers were riveted. Though the quality of the episodes were hotly debated among fans from Stephen King to Guillermo del Toro, virtually all agreed that the most memorable elements were the paintings and sculptures showcased. Chillingly introduced by Serling, these macabre masterpieces were the works of artists Thomas J. Wright, Jaroslav Gebr and Phil Vanderlei, and have remained the stuff of dreams and nightmares for generations. Twenty-five years ago, co-authors Scott Skelton and Jim Benson wrote Rod Serling’s Night An After Hours Tour, which provided the definitive history of the show—but sadly went to print without illustrations. Taylor L. White, publisher and proprietor of Creature Features, joined the search to bring the paintings and sculptures to light. For two and a half decades, this trio followed a trail around the world to discover the whereabouts of the paintings. The search grew to include fellow aficionados, collectors, and historians, who painstakingly tracked down the whereabouts of each artifact, most presumed lost to the ages. Creature Features is proud to present the ROD SERLING'S NIGHT THE ART OF DARKNESS, a deluxe art book measuring 11 x 11,” comprising 316 pages with more than 300 illustrations, including every painting ever shown in the Night Gallery. This includes in-depth commentary and background from the artists themselves, plus never-before-seen concept art and memorabilia. Finding and licensing the artwork has been a painstaking and expensive process. Academy Award–winning writer-director Guillermo del Toro has joined the cause with an introduction to the book and access to the original paintings from his own personal collection. The foreword has been penned by Rod's daughter Anne Serling.

316 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I've waited for over 40 years to appear. For fans of the show, this is a must-have; for fans of art, it's a great curio. This covers all the art that was produced for "Night Gallery", from Jaroslav Gebr's work for the pilot and Thomas Wright's pieces for all three seasons of the show, and also the sculptures by Phil Vanderlei. You get a condensed history of the show, how the artists got involved, how they worked - Wright provides some commentary on every piece produced - plus concepts/thumbnails for paintings and some paintings for episodes that didn't get filmed. Also featured are Gebr's paintings for THE SIXTH SENSE episodes that were added to bulk out NG for syndication.
It's a gorgeous presentation, whether you opt for the hardback or paperback edition.

[whit · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is a relatively subtle tip-off but this beautiful coffee table book dedicates two pages to every painting that accompanied each story of the Night Gallery series. Tom Wright's strange and eerie artwork is the centerpiece of the book but Jaroslav Gebr, who did the artwork of the pilot episode of the series is also featured. There's also a section of the book dedicated to the sculptures of Phil Vanderlei, a nice introduction about the series, and information about the publisher and the authors search for where the paintings went after the show was over.

Even though the paintings are the focus here, there is plenty to read. This is a nice companion to have if you are a fan or are seriously digging into the show.

[Rick Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic, throughly researched, and in-depth book about everything about the sculptures, paintings, and such from this television series that was a big part of my childhood.
This lavish volume is a must for everyone who is a fan of the show. Some of the contents within have not been shown in 50 years, and a few have never been released anywhere. A treasure to read time and again.