Young Cathy Osborne (a pleasingly sultry portrayal by the fetching Therese Pare) and her lover Michael (a solid turn by Nick Benedict) try to scare Cathy's wealthy husband Edward (an excellent performance by always reliable veteran Stuart Whitman) to death by bringing him to a secret room that they claim no one has ever stayed the night in and survived to tell the tale. But things don't exactly go according to plan. Director John Hayes, working from a neat and crafty script by Thomas Epperson, relates the engrossing story at a steady pace, creates and sustains a good deal of tension and spooky atmosphere, and maintains a strong air of mystery throughout. The inclusion of such conventional horror tropes as an Ouija board and a dark and stormy night gives this episode a quaint old school traditional charm while the cool double twist ending ties things up well at the very end. A worthy show.
8 Reviews
One of the better episodes of the series, due to it's spooky and creepy setting to go along with a wicked twisted end!
blanbrn30 March 2009
This "TFTD" episode titled "Madness Room" is one of the series best especially from season one as it has all the elements of suspense, drama, and the setting is creepy and strange and to top it off the episode takes a surprise twist ending. It features an old rich man who has heart trouble who lives in a mansion with his wife, they are visited by a young man named Michael and the wife starts to bring both Michael and her husband into playing a strange game on a Ouija board! As they play the game she claims she can communicate with the last dead owner of the house by moving her hands across the board. Then the message is sent that behind the house walls their is a hidden secret room that the supposed dead man and ex house owner killed his wife. When the three find the room, the plan is now in play for the wife and Michael. It was a cruel set up for the husband only they don't know what they have gotten into as inside this room a wicked twist of fate awaits as the plan will go up in flames and smoke! Overall good episode that's with drama and suspense and the end takes a twist.
One of the better episode from season 1.
poolandrews28 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Tales from the Darkside: Madness Room (the title on screen reads just 'Madness Room' rather than 'The Madness Room' the IMDb would have you believe, not that it makes any great difference though) starts late one stormy night as Michael Fox (Nick Benedict) arrives at Edward Osborne's (Sturat Whitman), who happens to be his boss, large mansion to conclude some business. While there Edward's wife Cathy (Therese Pare) wants to play around with a Ouija board, just like you do. Edward & Michael decide to join in & they contact Ben, the local resident ghost of the house who claims there is a hidden 'madness room' that is cursed located somewhere in the house. Edward, Michael & Cathy decide to go look for it & with some directions from the friendly spirit Ben they find it. They unlock the door & enter the spooky room...
Episode 17 from season 1 this Tales from the Darkside story originally aired in the US during May 1985, directed by John Hayes after the absolute disaster that was The Tear Collector this gets the series nicely back on track with a nice horror themed episode with a satisfying double twist ending. The script by Thomas Epperson feels like it actually belongs in a horror anthology series, it's a neat enough supernatural horror story that uses that old horror film cliché of Ouija boards. It all seems a touch silly & I'm not totally convinced I'd be as willing to follow a ghost's instructions so closely as the character's in Madness Room but there you go, no-one has ever accused Tales from the Darkside of being realistic least of all me. I have to say the twist endings were a little predictable although satisfying & within the context of the actual story work very well & we get two twists for the price of one. At only 20 minutes in length it moves along at a nice pace, there's some decent dialogue here & the story has a purpose & it makes sense.
This one has a nice big spooky haunted house feel to it, this one also tries to be scary which is nice & as such it comes across as one of the better episodes from this hit and miss series. The makers policy of absolutely no blood or gore is still very evident here so most will consider this very tame by modern standards. It was nice to see notable TV star Stuart Whitman make an appearance here.
Madness Room is definitely one of the better efforts from this series, it is just a decent horror orientated story with a twist & that's all I really ask for so it's disappointing many stories so far from this show fail in even that simple task.
Episode 17 from season 1 this Tales from the Darkside story originally aired in the US during May 1985, directed by John Hayes after the absolute disaster that was The Tear Collector this gets the series nicely back on track with a nice horror themed episode with a satisfying double twist ending. The script by Thomas Epperson feels like it actually belongs in a horror anthology series, it's a neat enough supernatural horror story that uses that old horror film cliché of Ouija boards. It all seems a touch silly & I'm not totally convinced I'd be as willing to follow a ghost's instructions so closely as the character's in Madness Room but there you go, no-one has ever accused Tales from the Darkside of being realistic least of all me. I have to say the twist endings were a little predictable although satisfying & within the context of the actual story work very well & we get two twists for the price of one. At only 20 minutes in length it moves along at a nice pace, there's some decent dialogue here & the story has a purpose & it makes sense.
This one has a nice big spooky haunted house feel to it, this one also tries to be scary which is nice & as such it comes across as one of the better episodes from this hit and miss series. The makers policy of absolutely no blood or gore is still very evident here so most will consider this very tame by modern standards. It was nice to see notable TV star Stuart Whitman make an appearance here.
Madness Room is definitely one of the better efforts from this series, it is just a decent horror orientated story with a twist & that's all I really ask for so it's disappointing many stories so far from this show fail in even that simple task.
The Madness Room
Scarecrow-8810 June 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Well, helped along by some good atmosphere and a bit of mood, "The Madness Room" is a slight bit of fun if featuring familiar tropes horror fans are accustomed to such as the Ouija Board, the supposed "hidden room", old dark house with a history, adultery and betrayal as husband-with-a-weak-heart, Edward (Stuart Whitman, a favorite of mine; The Commancheros) , has a meeting with his lawyer, Michael (Nick Benedict) over some finalizations of his will, as wife Cathy (Therese Pare) gets out a Ouija Board she has been fooling around with. It seems that Ben, who once lived in the house, is trying to communicate to them about a room called "the madness room", its key found in a bricked up hole near the fireplace. The three of them set out to locate it and satiate their curiosity regarding the mystery of this room. With hanging dolls and a decaying décor, the madness room seems quite sinister, but does it have a history or is it all a ruse? The twist didn't surprise me in the least because Michael and Cathy share a look early on that ruins any attempt at shocking the television audience. That said, this episode sees that the evil get their comeuppance in grand style as a ghostly laugh echoes with smoke from a fire slowly consuming the house. Anyone who has seen their share of soap operas or murder mysteries will easily recognize the dilemma Edward will soon face at the very moment he clutches his chest in agonizing pain
you do feel for him, though.
Great episode!
BandSAboutMovies1 October 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Directed by John Hayes (the director of Dream No Evil, Grave of the Vampire and Jailbait Babysitter!) and written by Thomas Epperson, this episode of Tales from the Darkside has Edward Osborne (Stuart Whitman!) and his much younger wife Cathy (Therese Pare, who was the lead in Hayes' previously mentioned Jailbait Babysitter) - along with employee and his wife's secret lover Michael Fox (Nick Benedict) - discovering that there is a secret room within home thanks to the use of a spirit board.
They begin speaking to Ben, the last owner of the house and now a ghost, who relates that the Madness Room hidden inside the house, but with a name like that and also the fact that it's a room filled with hanging dolls that looks straight out of a giallo, nothing good can come of this. Sure, it's a scheme by the two secret adulterers to give the weak-hearted Edward a cardiac overload, but when this has one more than one twist in its short running time.
After a few weeks of unfunny and not frightening episodes, the simple Ouija and haunted house elements in this, handled by a more than competent director, show just how good this show can be.
They begin speaking to Ben, the last owner of the house and now a ghost, who relates that the Madness Room hidden inside the house, but with a name like that and also the fact that it's a room filled with hanging dolls that looks straight out of a giallo, nothing good can come of this. Sure, it's a scheme by the two secret adulterers to give the weak-hearted Edward a cardiac overload, but when this has one more than one twist in its short running time.
After a few weeks of unfunny and not frightening episodes, the simple Ouija and haunted house elements in this, handled by a more than competent director, show just how good this show can be.
For what it is, this episode actually works.
shellytwade19 January 2022
Wow imagine a Tales from the Darkside that actually has a somewhat logical plot with some fun supernatural elements. It's so refreshing. We're not breaking any new ground here but it's a fun creepy time and deserves your attention.
Excellent Episode
claudio_carvalho12 March 2022
The wealthy Edward Osborne and his young wife Cathy live in a huge house. When his employee Michael Fox comes to his home to close some business, Cathy invites him to stay and play with her in an Ouija Board and the reluctant Michael agrees. They contact a spirit called Ben that helps them to find a hidden Madness Room in the house. They find the room and enter inside, where they find hidden secrets.
"Madness Room" is an excellent episode of "Tales from the Darkside". The supernatural tale is very well written, with a simple but great screenplay with explanation for the events. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Madness Room"
"Madness Room" is an excellent episode of "Tales from the Darkside". The supernatural tale is very well written, with a simple but great screenplay with explanation for the events. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Madness Room"
Supernatural shenanigans with an old star
Leofwine_draca14 August 2015
MADNESS ROOM is episode 17 of the first season of TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE and notable really for an intriguing director/star team. The director is John Hayes, a real B-movie veteran of the '60s and '70s, while the old-time star is an ever-weary Stuart Whitman playing the husband in the story. It's a pity the two of them didn't have better material to work with.
The narrative is a supernatural-focused threesome about a trio of investigators who begin to investigate a spooky old house after playing with a Ouija board. They soon discover a bricked-up old room that leads to the titular madness, but not before a predictable twist or two that you'll easily see coming. Sadly, memorable stuff is in short supply in what is rather a middling episode.
The narrative is a supernatural-focused threesome about a trio of investigators who begin to investigate a spooky old house after playing with a Ouija board. They soon discover a bricked-up old room that leads to the titular madness, but not before a predictable twist or two that you'll easily see coming. Sadly, memorable stuff is in short supply in what is rather a middling episode.
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