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Two of the most-loved sci-fi franchises of all time have a lot more crossover than you might think. Before starring on "Star Trek: The Original Series," several key members of the enterprise popped up in Rod Serling's seminal series "The Twilight Zone." A few decades later, the same pattern would repeat, only it would be future "Star Trek: The Next Generation" stars cutting their teeth on episodes of the '80s "Twilight Zone" reboot. Even the most recent iteration of the show, Jordan Peele's short-lived but ambitious effort that stalled out after just two seasons, has hosted some great past and future "Trek" actors.

It's worth noting that this list concerns the best "Star Trek" actors, and as such, there are no guarantees that these talented folks are actually great or even memorable in their "Twilight Zone" appearances. Some certainly are, while others have only the briefest of guest spots in mostly-forgotten episodes.

Star Trek and The Twilight Zone are remembered as two of the most iconic TV series of the 1960s, and they also featured many actors who appeared in both. The Twilight Zone began airing in 1959, and it immediately made waves with its anthology-style stories that often included surprise twist endings and strong moral lessons. Like Star Trek, The Twilight Zone was an incredibly progressive sci-fi show, and many of the lessons imparted by the episodes reflected real-world problems. Both series were groundbreaking in their own way and launched ongoing franchises that persisted through the decades including movies and additional TV series.

The anthology style of The Twilight Zone necessitated a slew of actors, and each episode featured an entirely different cast. As such, the best episodes of The Twilight Zone often included guest stars who were some of the greatest 1960s TV actors. The Twilight Zone ended in 1964 and Star Trek...

William Castle’s 13 Ghosts (1960), 13 Frightened Girls, Homicidal, and Mr. Sardonicus are coming to Blu-ray in two double features from Mill Creek Entertainment! Both double bills will be released on July 5th.

From Mill Creek Entertainment: “13 Ghosts (1960) – B&W – 85 minutes – Not Rated

Charles Herbert, Jo Morrow, Martin Milner, Rosemary DeCamp. Donald Woods, Margaret Hamilton

When an eccentric uncle wills a huge, ramshackle house to his impoverished family, they get the shock of a lifetime. Their new residence comes complete with a spooky housekeeper, plus a fortune in buried treasure and 12 horrifying ghosts.”

13 Frightened Girls (1963) – Color – 88 minutes – Not Rated

Murray Hamilton, Joyce Taylor, Hugh Marlowe, Khigh Dhiegh, Charlie Briggs, Norma Varden

The girls of a Swiss boarding school have one thing in common — they are all daughters of diplomats. One in particular finds out that she has a knack for espionage, and uncovers the murder of a Russian diplomat. Now she...

Hammer horror fans are in for a treat, as respective collections of five William Castle films and five Hammer horror movies are coming out on Blu-ray in August, and The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant has been set to come out on Blu-ray.

The William Castle and Hammer horror collections will respectively come out on DVD August 18th from Mill Creek. The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant, meanwhile, is slated for release later this year by Kino Lorber. Stay tuned to Daily Dead for further updates.

From Mill Creek: "Iconic horror director William Castle created a simple, but winning formula for his films: a little comedy, a lot of scares, a preposterous gimmick, and a clear sense that fright films should be fun. This even meant Castle would, like Alfred Hitchcock, appear in his trailers and even the movies themselves. Though his career spanned 35 years and included everything from westerns to crime thrillers, he'll...

Adjustment Bureau: The Spierig Bros. Resuscitate Heinlein’s Dime Store Sci-Fi

Though it gets off to an idle, clunky start, the Spierig Bros, an Australian directing duo, rifle through the catalogue of vintage science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein as inspiration for their third feature, Predestination. Premiering at the 2014 SXSW Film Festival, the title is unfortunately being dumped in the undesirable January period for its theatrical release, connoting that the film doesn’t have much to offer. Perhaps more ambitious than its means, it’s a film that manages to intrigue and engross with a narrative that virtually creates the odor of the musty, yellowed pages of the writing style it’s been borrowed from. While some may have a problem with the treatment of certain subject elements, dated precariously from a less enlightened period, the Spierigs, if nothing else, capture a certain nostalgic energy for this material, like an insect trapped in amber.

By Lee Pfeiffer

Sony has reissued its 2002 special edition of producer William Castle's horror exploitation film Homicidal a burn-to-order DVD, although there is no mention of the extra bonus feature on the packaging or publicity for the film. (Sony seems determined not to capitalize on special features that are especially marketable to collectors.) Castle, of course, was the proud master of exploitation films and relished his reputation as the King of Schlock. He excelled in making low-budget, "quickie" films that often capitalized on major hit movies of the day. Castle seemed to fancy himself as a low-rent version of Alfred Hitchcock, who was also not shy about promoting his own image in connection with marketing his films and TV series. Castle's films were not meant to be taken seriously by critics but he did have high standards for the genre in which he worked and it's rare to find...

Homicidal (1961)

Starring: Glenn Corbett, Patricia Breslin, Jean Arless

Writer: Robb White

Director: William Castle

Synopsis:

A vicious murder of a justice of the peace leads the police to Salvang, California, where the murderer, Emily, lives. As we delve into Emily’s life, we see her erratic relationships with her family and friends, and we learn about an inheritance worth millions.

Review:

Call William Castle a ripoff or a hack or whatever; the fact still remains that he was a genius at marketing his movies. Even the gimmicks that didn’t work were super intriguing. For House on Haunted Hill- filmed in Emergo, wire attached skeletons flew over the audience. The Tingler- filmed in Percepto, vibrating buzzers were used under the theater seats. 13 Ghosts- filmed in Illusion-o, the audience were given ghost viewer’s/removers. And that brings us to Homicidal, which contains a Fright Break- a 45 second timer...

TV star Patricia Modell has died at the age of 80.

She passed away on Wednesday after spending more than five months in hospital, according to the Associated Press.

Modell was born Patricia Breslin in New York in 1932 and landed recurring roles in a number of hit series, including The People's Choice, Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Twilight Zone, as well as U.S. soaps Peyton Place and General Hospital.

At one point in her career, the actress starred in more TV shows than any other woman in history, however, that record was broken by Lucille Ball.

She later married businessman and former owner of the Baltimore Ravens, Art Modell, and retired from showbusiness in 1969 to focus on her family and charity commitments.