hellraiser7
I always love horror anthologies because they give writers more creative freedom to do whatever they want. But also the reader and viewer the power of choice to choose which stories to try out but also which one they like and don't like.This show is one of my favorite horror anthology shows that I think is under the radar and slightly forgotten. This show is also another childhood relic of mine, I've seen this when I was 12 it was one of the first horror anthologies I saw. I bumped into this show one day and gave it a go and I'll admit I was pleasantly surprised, this is the kind to show that I feel is almost made for fans of the horror genre.There really isn't a whole lot I can say, it's a horror anthology what can you really say. But this is one of my of my favorites along with "Night Galary", "Are You Afraid of the Dark", "Twilght Zone" (both the old and 80's version) and plenty others.The production value was on a modest to low budget but I personally feel it was used wises and well, also it was network television show what do you expect. But they did the best they could with what they had to create the effect they were going for and I felt they succeeded.I really love that theme song which to me is one of my personal favorite theme song. Its a very eerie and creepy tone that can send chills as you see the music correlate with the title sequence we see some random enviorments in the daylight but then suddenly they start to seem unsettling as we see some shadows overlapping them and daylight fading a bit, they suddenly the friendly enviorments begin to seem dangerous as if there could be something lurking in those shadows. Down to the narrators voice and what he says which sent chills and have stuck with me ever since.And most of the stories are memorable and creative, most of them are straight forward horror, though some others are black comedies, or even fun fantasy tales which is alright with me, I always like a little something different to keep an anthology fresh. Some of them were even by a lot of well known writers like Clive Barker, Steven King, Robert Bloch, and several others. As well as some episodes were director by a few well known people like George Romaro and Tom Savani. These facts to me are really cool because it shows this show has actually had some talent involved which to me helps gives this anthology some heart. It would be awesome if someone ever makes another horror anthology show and to have both old and new generation talent involved, it should be considered because we seriously need another horror anthology show right now.Some of my favorites are "Anavercery Dinner" which in a way is a modern day Brothers Grimm like tale, "Last Car" where a girl is taking a train home only she's not going home, "Word Processor of the Gods" a fun wishforfillment story let alone cool concept, "Biglows Last Smoke" which is uncannily similar to the Steven King short story let alone the title alone in a way that story is more of a black comedy but also a good metaphor on addiction and it's destructive nature, "Levetation" which was a fable on the danger of ambition gone awry and tempting fate, the ending I'll admit left a cold chill in me. Yeah, there are plenty more but I displayed enough of them, just check them out for yourself or simply make your own list So, until next time try to enjoy the daylight.Rating: 4 stars
Aaron1375
This was one of my favorite horror shows as it was very watchable and enjoyable. There were many shows of this type during the time it ran and one can say it was probably the inspiration for a couple of the other ones that came on during this time such as "Monsters" and ever the one that Freddy Krueger had as the stories from those two shows I sometimes think came from this one. However, this one was around first and it is the best of the bunch. Granted, the episodes on Tales from the Crypt got a little darker and you could sometimes get lucky and see some nudity this one had by far the better stories. It also had one of the coolest openings of the bunch as well, for it may have been simple it was also effective in telling the viewer that they were on a trip to the darkside. Many good episodes are to be found, one of my favorite involved a woman renting a room in a place or something and there is a hole in the wall and something seems to be living there. I also remember one about some old lady who treated her father horribly and was good at making cookies, but she gets what is coming to her in the end. All in all one of the best horror shows out there.
dokter_hew
As a teenager growing up in the 80's, I thought Tales from the Darkside was one of the scariest things on TV. Hell, even the opening scared me with its creepy music and its even creepier narration. Now, 20 some years later I've finally watched them again, thanks to the Sci-Fi channel, and I must say that it has not aged very well. There are a few gems (Trick or Treat, Halloween Candy, The Circus, The Cutty Black Sow), but for the most part, most of these stories come across as being just plain silly. And the low budget doesn't help matters either. It looks like some people at a local TV station decided to make an anthology series. Overall, it just doesn't pack the wallop that it did 20 years ago, but the opening is still creepy as hell. On the plus side, Darkside is way better than Showtime's crapfest Masters of Horror.
