Personal Demons (The Twilight Zone)
"Personal Demons" is the second segment of the eighteenth episode from the first season (1985–86) of the television series The Twilight Zone. Martin Balsam plays the character Rockne O'Bannon in this episode. Rockne S. O'Bannon is a real screenwriter, who also wrote this episode.
| "Personal Demons" | |
|---|---|
| The Twilight Zone (1985 series) episode | |
 Scene from Personal Demons | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 18b |
| Directed by | Peter Medak |
| Written by | Rockne S. O'Bannon |
| Original air date | February 14, 1986 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
Martin Balsam: Rockne O'Bannon | |
Plot
Rockne O'Bannon is a famous script writer but few people know the truth: he has writer's block and has not had an original idea in twenty years. When he complains to his neighbor about this, he is advised to retire, but Rockne cannot bring himself to do that until he writes one last story. Unfortunately, he has no idea what to write about - until he begins seeing mysterious, hooded creatures in his neighborhood.
He is able to escape the creatures at first, which only he can see, but then one night they finally catch up to him. They destroy his car and break into his apartment. After surrounding him, Rockne asks what they want and the creatures request to be the center of his last story. If Rockne will write a story about them they will leave him alone and never return. Presented with the story idea he had been so desperately seeking, Rockne begins writing, and as he puts words on paper the creatures begin to vanish - one by one.