The Gatekeeper is the main antagonist of "The Hunt", the 19th episode of the 3rd season of The Twilight Zone, airing in 1962. He is truly the Devil himself, who watches over the gates of Hell, where he attempts to trick unsuspecting souls into eternal damnation. Externally, the gatekeeper takes the form of an overweight human man in clothing typical of the mid-20th century.
The gatekeeper was portrayed by the late Robert Foulk.
Biography[]
The gatekeeper, truly known as Satan, would personally guard the gates of Hell, which resided on 'Eternity Road,' an interdimensional plane between Earth and the afterlife. There, the gatekeeper took the form a friendly human, which he would use to talk to wandering souls, claiming to be Saint Peter. Using that, he would make the souls believe he was guarding the gates to Heaven, tricking them into entering, where he would trap them. However, the souls of dogs who passed at the same time as their masters were able to sniff out the fire and brimstone, and would alert their masters' souls to the truth. Due to this, the gatekeeper would try to stop souls from entering with their dogs, as to prevent them discovering the truth before he could trap them.
In the mid-20th century, Hyder Simpson, an elderly coon hunter who lived deep in the wilderness of the United States, died on a coon hunt. His coon dog, Rip, died with him, and both their souls wandered the landscape for a short time, unheard and unseen by anyone. However, as Hyder and Rip followed their own funeral procession, they both ran into a fence that wasn't there in the land of the living, as it was truly the barrier between Earth and the afterlife. Following the fence, Hyder and Rip came across the gatekeeper's both, where the gatekeeper informed Hyde he was dead and that he had reached Heaven. Hyder, believing the gatekeeper was Saint Peter, was excited to enter, but noticed the smoke coming from the path behind the gatekeeper's booth, which led to Hell. The gatekeeper claimed that the smoke was just the fog of the Elysian Fields, and that once he passed through it, he would hear his favorite hymn, or other musical equivalent.
However, Hyder then attempted to enter with Rip, making the gatekeeper stop him and claim that dogs could not go to Heaven with him, for this was 'people Heaven,' claiming that there was a 'dog Heaven' further down the road, insisting that Hyder leave Rip behind so that Rip could be taken to said 'dog Heaven.' It is unclear what he truly intended to do with Rip, but it is possible he would destroy Rip's soul or leave him in eternal limbo. However, Hyder was angered by the gatekeeper's words, wondering what sort of Heaven wouldn't allow his dog in. He then stormed off with Rip, saying he wanted to see the conditions of 'dog Heaven' for himself, although the gatekeeper attempted to protest that Hyder wouldn't be let in there. After wandering down Eternity Road for a while, Hyder and Rip met an angel, who took him to the real gates of Heaven, where Rip was welcome, and finally revealed to Hyder that the gatekeeper was none other than the Devil, also explaining the gatekeeper's schemes to lure in the undeserving. Fortunately, the Devil could not fool a dog, which saved Hyder's soul.
Hyder's wife, Rachel, would later die and enter the road, and the angel promised Hyder that he'd make sure she wasn't tricked by the gatekeeper. Despite failing to capture Hyder or Rachel, the gatekeeper presumably remained in his position, continuing his attempts to damn whoever comes by.
