Review for Tales From The Darkside: Season 2 Box Set

I've always loved horror and thriller anthologies, whether TV series (Karloff's 'Thriller', 'Night Gallery') or movies gluing together a trio of tales (Creepshow, Tales from the Crypt), there's something really attractive about the short, sharp shock of bite sized horror. 'Tales from the Darkside' really turns this short-form into something of an art with each episode running up a mere 22 minutes. When you add to that clear budget constraints that meant the bulk of these episodes take place in a single room with a cast of two to four, you're into a realm where imaginative story-telling is absolutely key.


Attributing points out of ten to the series is nigh on impossible as episodes vary from deserving no more than a 2 up to an almost perfect 9. (The 9 reserved for Romero's superbly penned episode, 'The Devil's Advocate' which features just one actor as a radio shock-jock slowly turning into Beelzebub. Excellent stuff!)



The series exudes 'eighties-ness' by the bucket-load, filmed on video with the period penchant for big hair, soft key lighting and masses of back-light, though in many respects this merely adds to its period charm. It certainly boasts one of the worst title sequences of any series ever with a few video shots of babbling brooks and open fields with a darkly poetic voice-over preceding an ancient 'ADO' move to a door-effect transition to the title. It may have looked almost professional in the day though looks frighteningly amateurish today. Which is not to say it all looks bad. Many episodes look rather good, if a little lacking in tone and contrast, and many have been directed with a feature film-making sensibility completely at odds with the video look and feel.


I didn't see this when it aired in the mid-eighties, but for anyone growing up then who loved this at the time, it's one of those series that probably lives up to the fond memories. Originally it was slated as a TV spin-off for Romero's successful tribute to EC comics, 'Creepshow' and 'Creepshow 2' though it couldn't use the Creepshow tag for legal reasons. It ran for four seasons from 1984 to 1988.


In common with the Creepshow movies, and Romero's shtick in general, it combined genuine horror and spookiness with humour. Possibly because of its studio based, budget constrained approach, it often feels cold and other worldly, often surreal in a Lynch kind of a way, or just plain mind-bending like 'The Twilight Zone' or 'The Outer Limits'.


Whatever critics of the series throw at it, lacking imagination or being formulaic just doesn't hold. Imagination and creativity abound and you really are never quite sure what dish you might get served up with next. There are nods to every cult and sci-fi show out there. You get a poor man's 'The Excorcist' with Phyllis Diller in a leading role to add just the right soupcon of humour. 'Fear of Floating' is pure David Lynch with echoes of Eraserhead, Twin Peaks and 'Blue Velvet' leaking through. 'The Impressionist' reminded me of 'Earth: Final Conflict' both in construction and more literally in the way that alien behaviours are articulated, in this case by an old show-biz impressionist. 'Monsters in My Room' is 'Home Alone' Romero style, and there's even the toy as devil angle in 'Ursa Minor'. Add to this tales more preposterous than Alice in Wonderland ('The Dream Girl' and 'Comet Watch' where a lady literally falls through a man's telescope into his observatory, quickly followed by Halley of 'Halley's Comet' fame).


All episodes are presented in their original full-screen aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and its typically high grain, low contrast video - a style popular in the day as video (and VHS in particular) quickly degenerated through generations at the edit stage, making saturated colours like bright reds bleed in all the wrong ways. So don't expect anything that's going to come close to watching the last 'Harry Potter' on Blu-Ray. This is straight back to the 80's baby!

Audio is fine throughout and includes some period synthesizer music that adds to the nostalgic feel.


The set is light on special features with really only a five minute commentary from George Romero in featurette form to shout about. He discusses Darkside in general and 'The Devil's Advocate' in particular - a natural highlight from the series and one he is clearly proud to have been involved with.


I haven't seen Season 1 of this series though have ordered that on the strength of this. There are four seasons in total to enjoy so I am thoroughly looking forward to watching the latter two seasons too.


Recommended to fans of eighties cheese, 'Creepshow' and George Romero. Oh - and to anyone else who, like me, enjoys a bite-sized series like this one to sandwich inbetween main courses. Great stuff!