Caution: This article contains discussions on suicide, which may be triggering and uncomfortable for some individuals.
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Truly one of the biggest reasons that horror remains one of the most popular genres out there, is the sheer fact… that audiences can take something special away from every horror story they encounter. For stories within this genre are often heavily layered so that people looking for deeper meaning can find that within the framework of the scares, while others who simply want to be terrified or just enjoy buckets of gore can find that too. Which really is quite amazing when you think about it, since most stories out there work hard to stick to a singular message or concept, and it makes sense as to why this is such a beloved aspect of the genre.
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Because it means that multiple viewings can uncover wonders untold for the audience. Since they can find the message or messages within the story if they decide to look past the gore and terror and on the flip side of that… one doesn’t always have to think when they want dive into a horror story. They can just enjoy it for what it is and dig deeper into the heavy stuff later. If anything, this particularly wonderful aspect of horror is top of mind today, simply because the next episode of Tales from the Darkside, features a story that offers up that exact type of tale. For ‘Answer Me’ is a story that can be seen as a powerful parable regarding suicide and what might motivate someone to take their life, or it can be viewed as a good old fashioned ghost story… one that leans hard into the scares.

A feat that this story accomplishes, courtesy of its unique and intimate plot. For we are introduced to an actor named Joan Matlin in this tale, and she just so happens to be subletting a relative’s apartment in New York to use as a place to decompress and prepare for upcoming roles. But there is quite the problem with this apartment. In that, the neighbor, or neighbors next door, let their phone ring off of the hook day and night and the thin walls make that ringing nothing short of torture. But when Joan takes matters into her own hands to try and end this madness… she makes a terrifying set of discoveries. In that, it appears the troublesome apartment in question was host to a horrible end to the former tenant and whatever motivated that end… is still within its walls and is waiting for someone to step in and investigate so it can feed again.

Which really is a story that seems completely and utterly grounded in horror through and through. Because there’s an evil spirit that apparently loves to claim lives next door, and it knows how to press buttons and bait people… and obviously its plans work. Since Joan is quick to step inside that apartment to find the source of the madness and pays the price dearly. For her actions accelerate the plans of this entity to claim her life. Plus, the constant ringing and banging coming from that apartment, alongside the eerie vibe that accompanies her exploration of it, really does deliver a straightforward horror story that speaks to a spirit that loves to inflict suffering before it claims the life of its victim.
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But at the same time, Joan’s intense monologues and soliloquies speak to a character that is in quite the tough place. Since she is constantly down upon herself and her situation and she even speaks often to how the person in the other apartment died in great detail. And when you carefully examine Joan’s panic and self-loathing and how that seemingly relates to the intensity of the activity from the other apartment… one begins to wonder if there’s something personal at work here. As though we are spending time with a person that has lost all hope and is in a supremely low and depressed place because of their life standing and career failures and believes that perhaps… the only way out is to harm themselves, and that the only way to go through with it, is via an elaborate plan and scenario that somehow justifies their end in their minds.

Which is… a very dark and difficult place for a story to go, but those elements are there and cannot be ignored and need to be applauded. Because this was a taboo topic in 1985 and is still taboo now and even a rudimentary exploration of such matters, in this manner, is more than people get on screen these days. But at the same time, this is a scary story as well, lending credence to the reality that this is one of those perfect horror stories. One that truly offers dual concepts for the audience to feast upon and well… that’s quite amazing. Since the audience can decide in their mind which concept is the real focus of this story, and that truly reinforces the wonder of this genre and the brilliance of this show. Since this level of depth and layering requires some tender care through and through. Until next time, try to enjoy the daylight.

Scott's Review
Seeing things from our nightmares may be one of the scariest things we could ever experience. With nobody really knowing what scares us, we keep these fears hidden away as our dreams are our own. Even though we may remember bits and pieces of what has happened during our dreams and wake up in cold sweats from our nightmares, we can only remember a small fraction of what has happened while we were sleeping. It is sad, but for the most part, I don’t think we really want to know what our subconscious is trying to tell us, especially if it does not come with good vibes.

David Drayton is working on his new piece of art for a movie poster as a storm starts moving through town. As he does not expect anything too bad to come from it, he leaves all of his art in his drawing room and follows his wife and son, to protect them from the threat. Waking up in the morning, David finds that the storm has knocked his grandfather’s tree through his window, causing all of his work to be damaged beyond repair. When his son Billy comes running from the back yard, David finds he has another storm brewing that he will have to battle as his neighbor’s old dead tree has flattened his boathouse. Knowing that it is nobody's fault but the storm's, David plans a trip into town to get supplies to fix up his home, but he will add another member to his trip as his neighbor needs a ride into town.

Although David and his neighbor Mr. Norton have never been friends, this kind of cooperation is a big step forward in their relationship and they start to talk to each other as people, not rivals. The local grocery store is packed with people preparing for the worst since the power is out, and everyone is just trying to get home and be with their families when a strange mist comes rolling into the parking lot. Nobody knows what it is, but when a local comes running in from it, yelling to shut and lock the doors, all of the shoppers start to wonder what it was that he saw. When David and his friends in the store get together, they decide to do a little bit of recon around the store and find out that the exhaust port for the store's generator is blocked and they need to clear it before the gas fumes get too strong in the building. 

Opening the back-delivery door to allow one of the bag boys to become a hero will change the small group's lives forever as a group of tentacles come reaching in through the opening and try to grab anything that has a heartbeat. Losing one of the group to this ‘thing’ that is outside, the group tries to reason with the rest of the shoppers in the store and tell them exactly what they are dealing with, but not being able to win everyone over leaves the store divided. With some people wanting to leave and get back home with their loved ones, along with one woman that turns to her savior for answers, the customers all start to choose their own paths of finding a way to escape the terror that is outside of the doors. David tries to keep his cool, but with his son’s life in danger as well, he knows that whatever he does, he will not allow himself to leave his boy fatherless. 

This is one of my favorite horror movies of all time and it is not because of the monsters that roam the unknown, it is the people and how they react to the situation they have been placed in that makes this film so great. This is one of the only films that I have found myself actually hating a character and the only reason why is that the actress played her so well. I don’t find that in many films these days and it is kind of reminds me why I like this film so much. With a great, strong cast and a fantastic script, this movie captured lightning in a bottle in my opinion and will always be on my horror shelf, ready to watch when I need something to break me out of any funk. Stay Scared.

John's Review
There is a great battle that still rages on in film; the book versus the movie. It's a valid struggle, as since we have all sat down and enjoyed an incredible novel one time or another, only to have it play out in horrible fashion on the big screen.  As the years progress, it seems the growing opinion is that the book will always win out, with its unique ability to capture our imagination in ways that film simply cannot. 

For one such author, Stephen King, it has been a mixed bag of results when it comes to movie adaptations of his work since there have been about as many winners as there have been losers. For every Graveyard Shift there is a Misery. Or for every Thinner there is an It. It seems that King's work on film will either be an utter disaster or a critical and box office darling.   

But out of all of Stephen King's work, only one director has actually managed to bring about quality and spot on adaptations of his stories. That man, is Frank Darabont and his gorgeous adaptations of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile garnered him a well-deserved reputation in the film industry. But Darabont is a student of horror, having cut his teeth as the screenwriter of the 1988 remake of The Blob, and it seems only fitting that he felt the need to take on a lesser known scary Stephen King short story; The Mist.

Simply put, Darabont absolutely strikes gold with this film. It is intense, gory and unmercifully brutal. The creatures truly look other-wordly, thanks to the fine work of KNB EFX studios and they make you squirm in your seat when they appear on screen. The acting shines with excellent performances from Thomas Jane, Andre Braugher and Marcia Gay Harden. In fact, you'll even find some Walking Dead alumni in Jeffrey DeMunn, Laurie Holden and Melissa McBride peppered throughout the film. But while we are treated to a fine ensemble cast, the true wonder of this film is the sheer horror that it portrays on screen. Every frame of this film from the moment the mist arrives in front of the store, boils with intensity. At no point are you left comfortable again. From the things that roam outside to the evil building within, this is a movie that not only takes you on an emotional roller coaster, it also leaves you deeply disturbed with the decisions the characters make. At times you may see it coming, but that doesn't prepare you for the raw disgust you will feel at witnessing good people turn into something so despicable.  

Take all of that and throw in a devastating ending and you leave the theater or turn off your Blu-ray player feeling utterly defeated and wondering what you need to do to raise your spirits up if only for a moment. So, why praise such a dismal and bleak film?  Because this is unadulterated horror. The genre has never been about the monster or the shadows in the night, it has always been about who we are and what some of us truly are deep down. If anything, the tagline for this film said it best; 'Fear Changes Everything' and after watching The Mist, I completely agree.