PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I have just done another piece about Tales From The Darkside. It’s one of my favorite series outside of The Simpsons. I love it so much that I was probably one of the first people to buy the entire series. I waited patiently until that collection was mine. It’s a series that my Grampa and I could enjoy forever. Every time I watch this show, it reminds me of those days with him. Tales From The Darkside was a bonding experience. It was a safe place in my childhood. The simple fact that George A. Romero created it sucked me right into reruns on Sunday afternoons.
Tales From The Darkside was different for me. It was pretty spooky without all the blood and guts; even though I love guts and gore, I always have. Every episode was solid gold to me because it is a show that lies in your brain forever for nothing but a good memory. They were still great stories, from the first episode to the somewhat tiring ending. Tales From The Darkside aired their pilot episode in 1983.
The show was picked up for syndication by CBS, and the first episode aired in September 1984. Tales From The Darkside lasted four seasons, barely getting by in the final season. It was as if the creators lost interest; some jumped ship to create another anthology called Monsters. Horror was defined in the 80s. It’s when Halloween mattered, and the people weren’t worried about what side of the political war they were on.
For me, each season has contained a lot of gold entries. It was like buying an entire album just for one song. The early seasons, like the pilot episode, Trick-Or-Treat, or The Devil’s Advocate, came with energy. The first two seasons were the greatest, I would say. It was new and fun; I can only imagine the crew’s coolness. It had to be a good time, with all these faces of horror on the crew. After the final episode, the show went into a vault, never to be seen again. That is, until the Chiller channel came along. I know you remember that channel. Their afternoons were marathons of old horror TV shows. As a 20-year-old loafer, we watched these marathons before an all-nighter.
Tales From The Darkside will always be iconic in the horror genre. What started as a chance turned into a cult classic. There were so many stories that I still enjoy watching today. A bunch of directors can tell their story in a 20-minute episode. Some were legends; some were unheard of. They did not affect the show; every episode flowed together. It will always be my go-to watch to remember those Chiller channel afternoons. I hold many great memories with my friends on another coast; it’s how we bond. My best friend and I have been so without seeing each other in 20 years, we talk every single day and sometimes we go on a video call just to relive those times.
Tales From the Darkside is a safe place for me.
