Justus Addiss' ten episodes for 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' are a bit mixed. There were good ones such as "Salvage", which rescued the series after the quality briefly dipped. There were also ones that didn't quite work, such as "Nightmare in 4D". Part of me was not sure as to whether "The Night the World Ended" would appeal to me, with the premise sounding on the predictable and mean spirited side. The lead character sounded really fascinating and practical jokes worked well in Hitchcock.
"The Night the World Ended" was so much better than expected. It is a long way from a great or perfect episode, but it was not as unappealing as the plot synopsis made out, it is much more interesting and it is a long way from being one of the worst 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' episodes (despite being one of the lowest rated). Addiss did better outings in the series but he also did worse, the biggest examples on both counts have been mentioned already. This is somewhere in the middle for him.
It is definitely not an episode for everybody. The story does stretch credibility a lot and to beyond breaking point, some of it also being quite predictable. Did think that the behaviour of the characters was rather too cruel, even for behaviour intended to be.
Maybe the dialogue could have been tighter in places as well as the pace early on.
However, "The Night the World Ended" is very well acted. Russell Collins has a very difficult role here, namely on a psychological level, and he is excellent. Succeeding in creating a character that never comes over as a caricature and one that is easy to feel pity for, in fact the psychological complexity of his character is what makes the episode interesting and made it less far fetched than it could have been. Addiss directs with assurance and amps up the tension very well, of which there is quite a sizeable amount in the second half where the momentum speeds up.
As well as the tension, there is an almost surreal quality tonally that is akin to something like 'The Twilight Zone'. And parts that have emotional impact, such as with the homeless children which is very moving. The ending is enormously satisfying and the kind of ending that is rooted for early on. The writing on the whole has the right amount of edge. Hitchcock's contribution is typically ironic, while the episode looks slick. The theme music is wonderfully macabre and always was an inspired choice of music.
Concluding, a lot better than expected even if it is very easy to see why it won't click with some. 7/10.