Tales from the Darkside
1984
📺 4 Seasons
🎬 89 Episodes
📅 Ended
🌐 EN
⏱️ 20 min/episode
DramaSci-Fi & Fantasy
Tales from the Darkside is an anthology horror TV series created by George A. Romero, each episode was an individual short story that ended with a plot twist. The series' episodes spanned the genres of horror, science fiction, and fantasy, and some episodes featured elements of black comedy or more lighthearted themes.
Seasons
Season 1
A recovering alcoholic is disturbed to find a young boy who shows up at his office claiming to be his son Jerry. The man is further angered when the boy shows up at his house. While the other family members carry on as if Jerry is a regular member of the family, the man insists that he has never seen the boy before in his life. The man's wife assumes that he has begun drinking again and is harboring delusions brought on by his inebriated state. The family, disgusted by the father's unwillingness to acknowledge Jerry as his son, ultimately leaves him. Driven back to drinking by the ordeal, the previously sober father ends up in a state of emotional ruin. In the final scene, Jerry visits another man, claiming to be HIS son, as the nightmarish pattern continues.
Season 2
An impressionist, "Mr. Personalities," is brought in by the government to try to help them communicate with an alien. Mr. Personalities is at first stumped but finally makes "contact." The alien departs and Mr. Personalities is depressed...until the alien returns for him.
Season 3
A skeptical journalist travels on assignment to a sideshow. Seated in a small theatre, he is greeted by a perverse caretaker/M.C. who promises (in seemingly generic fashion) to unearth strange, horrible, and presumably fake creatures. The journalist nevertheless feels disgusted when he sees a demonic vampire devour an actual lamb. He chastizes the caretaker for endorsing such horrific "entertainment". However, when fully realizing that these are actual CREATURES, the startled journalist attempts to flee the circus and unknowingly retreats into the arms of the vampire. The caretaker subsequently transforms him into a new exhibit, currently on display for the faithful flock of sideshow attendants who DELIGHT in being frightened.
Season 4
An Egyptologist working on a sarcophogus ignores a curse and meets a horrific fate when he ignores it.
User Reviews
Yeah, I do like the Anthology thing, I like the flexibility that it gives and the fact that, when you sit down, you really don't know what kind of episode you are going to get and what characters you are going to meet.
But, honestly, it was never really as good as Tales From the Crypt of the Hitch Hiker was it? But than that could come down to the channels they were on and the money the producers decided not to spend on it.
I think the movie came across a little better visually and a lot worse story wise, but what The Outer Limits and the Twilight Zone revivals did, Tales from the Darkside did with a more horrific note. It was made to be scary, it was made to be frightening... but the special effects got in the way and left you with a Halloween: Season of the Witch feeling to it.
But, who cares, the stories were great.
January 11, 2023
Crew
Producer
George A. Romero
Network
Syndication
Production
JayGee Productions, Laurel Productions, Tribune Entertainment
Keywords
anthologyhorror anthology