Marsha White (Anne Francis) is in a department store looking for a gift for her mother and is directed to the 9th floor; when she exits the elevator, she finds the floor deserted, save for one shop assistant (Elizabeth Allen), who sells her exactly what she is after (a gold thimble, the only item on display).
When Marsha is back in the lift, she discovers that the thimble is damaged and goes to the complaints department on the 3rd floor; there she is told that the shop doesn't have a 9th floor.
What The After Hours does really well is to build up a sinister atmosphere, its vast department store location, packed with mannequins, used to great effect. Once the store has closed, the customers and staff have left, and Marsha finds herself trapped there, that creepiness factor rises even more. It's a shame, then, that the episode's payoff isn't all that hard to predict; had I been kept guessing right till the end, this one would have been amongst my favourites. As it stands, it's an unsettling little tale for the most part, but one that doesn't leave the viewer quite as impressed once the twist has been revealed.
When Marsha is back in the lift, she discovers that the thimble is damaged and goes to the complaints department on the 3rd floor; there she is told that the shop doesn't have a 9th floor.
What The After Hours does really well is to build up a sinister atmosphere, its vast department store location, packed with mannequins, used to great effect. Once the store has closed, the customers and staff have left, and Marsha finds herself trapped there, that creepiness factor rises even more. It's a shame, then, that the episode's payoff isn't all that hard to predict; had I been kept guessing right till the end, this one would have been amongst my favourites. As it stands, it's an unsettling little tale for the most part, but one that doesn't leave the viewer quite as impressed once the twist has been revealed.