Nerds That Geek Movie Review – ‘Tales from the Darkside: The Movie’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

​It's tradition if you will, to see our favorite television shows grow and progress in both quality of storytelling and production values during their multiyear run, and to become something more long after the series has left the airwaves, often times becoming a movie when all is said and done.

We've seen it time and time again, our favorite characters reunited on the big screen for an adventure unlike any other. Sometimes the end result is good, sometimes the end result is...not so good, but one way or another, the adventures live on and as it turns out, horror is not exempt from this evolutionary rule since even Tales from the Darkside garnered its own silver screen in outing in 1990, after leaving the airwaves in 1988.

This big screen iteration of the show, brings forth four lovely tales of terror to send chills down our spine and well, it's almost as if the show didn't miss a beat transitioning to film. The big plus here, is that an R rating allows for the stories to push the envelope gore wise, and it pays off in spades since the blood and guts are used for maximum effect and the splatter actually services the story rather than being used as a gimmick. But the true joy in seeing this film comes from one particular element...it manages to capture the wonder of the show through and through.

There's something for every fan of the series to be found here. 'Lot 249' and the Wraparound Story play to the black humor that permeated so many episodes of the show, while 'Cat from Hell' throws in elements of supernatural mystery fused with outright horror. But the crowning jewel of the film for me, is the disturbing and powerful 'Lover's Vow'. This is a tale that is outright terrifying at times, while touching at other points and it truly embodies everything the series stood for by giving us a grand and sweeping tragedy filled with guts, gore, and monsters galore in a short period of time. Granted that doesn't mean we should discount the other stories, since they too are entertaining to watch, but this one...well it's one that simply needs to be experienced.  

But what I enjoy about this film the most, is the fact that it is completely accessible to any horror fan out there. Sure, those of us who love the series to death will find all the magic and mayhem we loved to watch on a Friday or Saturday night, but to the uninitiated, this this nothing more than a top-notch horror anthology that will entertain you from beginning to end. If anything, this is one of my favorite horror anthologies of all time, simply because of the fact that it gets everything right and it always reminds me of watching the show in the dark late on a Saturday night and feeling the goosebumps as the narrator reminded us to 'try and enjoy the daylight.'

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