Tales from the Darkside: The First Season

Tales from the Darkside: The First Season

Category: (DVD)

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Editorial Reviews


Genre: Television: Series
Rating: TV14
Release Date: 10-FEB-2009
Media Type: DVD

A longtime favorite among fans of small-screen terror, the first season of the syndicated anthology series Tales from the Darkside (1983-1988) finally arrives on DVD to bring a new generation of viewers into its murky domain. The brainchild of producing partners George Romero (Night of the Living Dead) and Richard Rubinstein (Dawn of the Dead '78 and '04), Darkside's stories hewed closer to such straight-ahead fright fare as Night Gallery than the speculative fiction of The Twilight Zone or Amazing Stories (Darkside's chief competitor for viewers in its early season). Episodes revolved around deals with the Devil ("I'll Give You a Million," "Pain Killer"), paranormal phenomena and black magic ("Levitation," "Snip, Snip"), the unquiet dead (Robert Bloch's "A Case of the Stubborns," starring a young Christian Slater) and monsters both human ("The Anniversary") and otherwise ("In the Closet," directed by effects legend Tom Savini). Budgetary restraints blunted some of the show's special effects, and while those haven't improved with time, the best of the first-season episodes--"Closet," "Stubborns," and the Romero-penned pilot "Trick or Treat"--still retain the power to raise hairs in their brief running time. Other technical aspects remain solid, with scripts written by or based on stories by Stephen King, Harlan Ellison and Michael McDowell and stars like Danny Aiello, Victor Garber and Justine Bateman. The entire first season is compiled edit-free on the three-disc set; Romero's commentary on "Trick or Treat" covers the show's conception and his influences. --Paul Gaita

Customer Reviews

I give this show a C Grade Rating.

Reviewed by Jacob, 2010-02-04

As a child this show did scare me, especially with its haunting eerie theme song, along side Paul Sparrer's voice-over on the opening and closing credits. I just bought Tales from the Darkside: The Movie since I haven't seen that one in a while. It's a shame from all the reviews on here about the dramatic changes in the show's musical score cues. I'd like to point out that because of this, according to wikipedia's article it explains this quote, "Paramount has replaced music before with the release of The Fugitive on DVD. Fan outcry for that set was so great that Paramount issued free replacement DVDs". So until then I will not buy this series, I'll just record the show on the SyFy Network with my DVD Recorder. I find these shows more interesting because back then, in the 1980's, Horror in general was heavily monitored by censor boards, even Horror Films which were banned and had lots or some gore cut out, a-la "Friday The 13th (1980)" and "The Burning (1981)", which finally saw release on dvd in 2008 fully uncut, after being banned for several years. I used to watch this show every Saturday Night around 11pm along with others like Freddy's Nightmares: No More Mr Nice Guy [VHS] which I own the only 5 VHS Tapes of that series that were ever released by Warner Bros Studios. "War Of The Worlds" & "Monsters" as well as "The Twilight Zone". These all came on every Saturday Night on the local FOX Channel back in 1988. I can't believe since by today's standards i.e. films like SAW which have a ton of gore, that it took them forever to re-release Friday The 13th (1980) last year, with the extra gore intact on dvd and blu-ray, which also got criticism from longtime fans of that Film on the poor re-production of the framing being too zoomed in. Anyway, thanks everyone on your reviews about this release here, I'm glad I read them before buying this series. Hence my C Rating. I'd give this show a B-Rating if it weren't for the modified changes on this release.

Confused so i'm turning to you

Reviewed by Bloody Demons, 2009-12-27

Ok i haven't watched the tales from the darkside season 1 and 2 dvds yet infact they are still in the plastic unopened...but i am a true fan of the classics that aired on tv years back....so my question is....the music taking out is it a real big factor in enjoying these dvds? cause if so i'm returning them and getting my money back...i see that syfy channel are now airing this show i will just record them myself to dvdr...i remember buying the married with children seasons awhile back and i think after season 1 or 2 for some odd retarded reason they changed the theme song...i didn't understand that at cause the theme song is what i remembered most when thinking of that great tv show

80's horror

Reviewed by M. Williams, 2009-08-28

Like horror? This is classis at it's best. Thisitem came to me in perfec condition.


Thank you

not bad

Reviewed by Matt Kratz, 2009-07-15

This was a macabre and somewhat dark and dreary version of the Twilight Zone. Emphasis on DARK. It was eerie, though it did have its comical moments, and I liked the episodes where Stephen King contributed. You can also catch some old '80s sitcom actors in it. I liked most of the episodes, and the eerie opening theme song and narrator's voice sets the tone. You will like this collection, I guarantee.

Poor treatment on dvd, but the show is still a classic

Reviewed by Jay, 2009-07-11

As a kid I simply thought this show was the best. Every week I would watch Monsters followed by Tales from the Darkside in an hour block of creepy goodness. It's funny how scary I thought these shorts were back then as opposed to how I view them now. Despite that fact the show brings back so many memories and is just great to watch. Unfortunately the conversion to dvd wasn't a good one in most fans eyes. There are tons of complaints in regards to the butchering of the show and the points are valid. It should have been so much better. However the show is still great and that's what my review is for. 5 stars for the show and 1 star for Paramount and their poor execution of the show on dvd.

Among the first season my favorite episodes are;

Trick or Treat (The Pilot Episode): In which a stubborn miser gets his comeuppance on Halloween

Inside the closet: Where a young girl rents out a room to find a horrific secret dwelling in the closet

A Case of the Stubborns: Starring a young Christian Slater who has a grandfather that won't admit to the fact that he passed away

Anniversary Dinner: Where a girl becomes more then just a guest at an elderly couple's home

& Levitation: Where a magician gives a heckler the ultimate trick

Just a classic show that still provides so much enjoyment. As far as shorts stories go Tales from the Darkside will always be one of my favorites up there with The Twilight Zone & Tales from the Crypt. It just provides a great nostalgic feeling making me feel like a kid again.