The Hidden Gremlin: Nick Cravat’s Shadow Role in Twilight Zone
In Twilight Zone's 'Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,' the gremlin was played by Nick Cravat in a fur-covered suit (uncredited on screen); Shatner has said the filming left him anxious about the horror veering into comedy, and the episode is widely viewed as a metaphor for fear of flying. Cravat didn’t reprise the role in Twilight Zone: The Movie; the 1983 remake with John Lithgow drew praise from writer Richard Matheson for Lithgow’s tense performance, though Matheson felt Shatner’s version was more visceral.