The Shadow Man
"The Shadow Man" is the first segment of the tenth episode from the first season (1985–86) of the television series The Twilight Zone.
| "The Shadow Man" | |
|---|---|
| The Twilight Zone episode | |
 scene from The Shadow Man | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 10a |
| Directed by | Joe Dante |
| Written by | Rockne S. O'Bannon |
| Original air date | November 29, 1985 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
Heather Haase: Lianna Ames | |
Opening narration
When you're thirteen years old, you're supposed to be beyond those childhood fears of things that go bump in the night. Supposed to be. But for Danny Hayes, those fears are about to rear up before him, from the shadows...of the Twilight Zone.
Plot
Danny Hayes is an awkward child who is afraid of the dark and who is the regular target of a local bully named Eric. Eric teases him about his interest in Lianna, a pretty girl who is a student at their school. At home, Danny's mother chastises him for sleeping with the lights on. Later that night a mysterious entity emerges from under his bed, proclaiming "I am the Shadow Man, and I will never harm the person under whose bed I live." The Shadow Man leaves the house.
The next day, Danny tries to tell his friend Peter about the Shadow Man but Peter dismisses it. At school, Danny hears about a series of attacks on children; witnesses describe the attacker as a shadowy man. That night, the Shadow Man again emerges, reiterates his promise, and departs. Danny unsuccessfully tries to take a picture of him.
The next day, Danny tries again to tell Peter but Peter continues to dismiss it. Danny overhears that Lianna needs help in algebra, and he volunteers to tutor her. She is impressed that he would risk an attack by the Shadow Man just to help her. Danny's "bravery" becomes the talk of the school and he attracts a number of false friends.
Peter, believing that Danny's story of the Shadow Man under his bed might be true, confronts him about it. Danny reacts dismissively toward Peter, and later challenges Eric to a fight in an area where the Shadow Man has been most often sighted. At the appointed time, the Shadow Man arrives as expected, frightening Eric away. He then begins to choke Danny, who demands to know why the Shadow Man is reneging on his promise of never harming him. The Shadow Man acknowledges the promise to never harm the person under whose bed he lives, only to reveal "But I am a Shadow Man...from under someone else's bed!"