Horror and science fiction have always been a part of the television canvas, and constant attempts have been made over the years to produce classic entertainment. Some have fallen by the wayside, while others became mainstream phenomena. With “TV Terrors,” we take a look back at the many genre efforts from the 80’s, 90’s, and 00’s, exploring some shows that became cult classics, and others that sank into obscurity.
This month we head back to Halloween 1983 to revisit “Tales from the Darkside.”
- Aired from 1983 – 1988
- Aired in Syndication
“Man lives in the sunlit world of what he believes to be reality. But…there is, unseen by most, an underworld, a place that is just as real, but not as brightly lit…a dark side.”
“Tales from the Darkside” is one of the banner anthology series of the 1980s, delivering various tales of horror, fantasy, the occult, and science fiction every week In the tradition of EC Comics stories. Every episode always involved a big plot twist or morality lesson that the viewer would take with them, all while being scared out of their wits. In a decade filled with great anthologies, “Tales from the Darkside” managed to stand out, and often stand alone in its ability to deliver some truly ghoulish and creepy episodes for the viewers.
“Tales from the Darkside” was produced by George A. Romero and aspired to take much of the aesthetic from Romero and Stephen King’s “Creepshow” and transplant it to the small screen. Initially the plans were for to take the successful “Creepshow” and turn it in to a weekly anthology series. Allegedly Romero, who worked with Laurel Entertainment, couldn’t acquire certain intellectual properties from Warner Bros. So instead what they did was build a series in the same vein and novelty as “Creepshow”; and with the same amount of dread and occasional camp.
As an aside, I must tell you that as a child I was absolutely terrified of the opening credits and theme song to “Tales from the Darkside.” When I say terrified, I mean running for cover and hysterically crying whenever the credits opened. There was just something so simple but absolutely horrifying about the theme from Donald Rubinstein and Erica Lindsay that remains tough to pin down to this day. Damn you, [narrator] Paul Sparer.
Appropriately premiering on October 29th, 1983, “Tales from the Darkside” debuted with arguably the best episode of the series, “Trick or Treat.” Directed by Bob Balaban and written by George Romero, Barnard Hughes plays Gideon Hackles, a rich old miser who keeps his town in constant debt. Every Halloween he offers the town folks a chance to win money and relieve their debts if they can make it through his haunted house. Convinced he’s won another year of taking advantage of the town’s folk, the tables turn when a decrepit old witch appears at his door. What he’s convinced is a prankster turns out to be the manifestation of karma and comeuppance on Halloween night.
An absolutely wonderful episode, “Trick or Treat” set the stage for a series filled with excellent weekly installments. “Tales from the Darkside” offered a large gallery of iconic genre heavyweights, many of whom adapted short stories and their own source material. Stephen King‘s works were included as well as works by Harlan Ellison and Clive Barker, respectively. Co-creator George Romero scripted many of the episodes as well.
Despite the modestly budgeted production, the series offers an embarrassment of riches with many stellar episodes that have become consistently discussed and debated by horror fanatics.
Some of the stand outs include “Anniversary Dinner,” about an elderly couple that take in two travelers as they prepare their very unique 25th anniversary feast, and the Tom Savini directed “Inside The Closet,” about a monster living in a small locked closet of a girl’s bedroom. There’s also the brilliant second Halloween episode that Tom Savini directed, titled “Halloween Candy.” Centered on a bitter old man who hates trick or treaters, he finds himself being terrorized by dwarves and evil ogres intent on entering his house. While this episode sounds similar to “Trick or Treat,” the climax opens up a slew of questions about elder abuse, neglect, and what role the supernatural had to play.
My favorite episode, though, is the Stephen King adapted “Sorry Right Number,” about a house wife who receives a distressed late night call to check up on her loved ones. It’s an eerie tale, with a shocking twist finale that’s managed to linger with me for years.
Amassing almost a hundred episodes total, “Tales from the Darkside” was cancelled in 1988 but managed to live on in syndication, becoming a fixture of late night television for years before jumping on to cable. But despite being adapted into a cult classic anthology movie known as “Tales from the Darkside: The Movie” in 1990 (with a screenplay by Romero), the series itself languished in obscurity for a few years before re-emerging once more and it’s now continuously celebrated by fans to this day. The series even received its own official merchandise in 2020, and the spinoff movie was given a deluxe edition release by Scream Factory.
“Tales from the Darkside” holds a special place in the hearts of fans as one of the earliest memories of anthology horror for many, including yours truly. It’s a gem of a genre series that is destined to win over new generations of horror buffs for decades to come.
Is It On DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming? Thankfully, “Tales from the Darkside” is not hard to find, as the complete series has been on DVD since 2006, and often pops up on various streaming services and in syndication (currently the Horror Channel in the UK). Uncut episodes can also be found on YouTube and Vimeo. For vintage collectors, VHS volumes of the series run for fairly cheap prices.