"Tales from the Darkside" (1984)TV series 1984-1988

Directors:

Richard Blackburn
Allen Coulter

Writers:

Franco Amurri (writer) (episode)
Mark Patrick Carducci (writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

30 September 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Fantasy

Plot:

Each episode of this TV series depicts a short, strange tale...with a twist! With eerie stories vaguely...

Plot Keywords:

Anthology

Awards:

2 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. July 21	1:00 AM	SCIFI	Love Hungry	#4.11
Mon. July 21	1:30 AM	SCIFI	Sorry, Right Number	#4.9

Cast

Paul Sparer	...	Narrator (9 episodes, 1984-1988)
Catherine Battistone	...	Telephone Voice / ... (8 episodes, 1984-1988)
John Marzilli	...	Gad / ... (4 episodes, 1985-1987)

Runtime:

30 min (92 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-14 | Iceland:16 | UK:15 (some episodes) | UK:PG (some episodes)

Company:

Laurel Entertainment Inc.

Trivia:

Famed horror writer Stephen King contributed two stories to the series: "Word Processor of the Gods" and "Sorry, Right Number." Both have subsequently been reprinted in the author's anthology works.

Quotes:

[closing narration]
Narrator: The Darkside is always there waiting for us to enter; waiting to enter us. Until next time, try to enjoy the daylight.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Operation Double 007 (#6.8)" (1993)

Welcome... to the "Darkside"!

One of the more sinister television series ever to air, "Darkside" was actually passed up by the networks who thought a series of that caliber would be too dark for the demographics. Big mistake. The first two seasons of "Tales From The Darkside" had a sense of realness to them... suspending disbelief, viewers could actually believe these situations would happen. Case in point: An episode ("I'll Give You A Million") dealt with two elder businessmen. One offers the other one million dollars in exchange for the rights to his eternal soul. They agree, but the seller begins to regret his decision, especially after learning he has liver cancer. The buyer refuses to break the deal, until he learns that the seller will give him two million for the contract and his soul back. Only problem: The seller dies and a third party enters the fray. Needless to say, the buyer dies and the third party (The Devil, played perfectly by the underrated Brad Fisher) collects both souls. Many actors (unknowns and former big names) displayed great performances on "Darkside". The series was so successful that CBS revived "Twilight Zone" to capitalize on "Darkside". The show was dark, frightening, and had a sense of bizarre justice. Truly one of the best series ever to air.