‘Tales from the Darkside’ Retro Recap: ‘Parlour Floor Front’

 Written by John Edward Betancourt

There was a time, when our cities looked vastly different than they do now. For once you left the downtown area, you often found yourself in neighborhoods and boroughs that were distinctly cultural in nature. For so many areas were settled by folks from various ethnicities, and that was truly… the melting pot of America that we heard so much about. Since kids and families from other neighborhoods and areas, could easily meet new people from other walks of life and hang out and learn. Plus, everyone in those areas were able to just, live life in a healthy manner thanks to decent wages and a cost of living that didn’t put stress on the table instead of food.
 
But somewhere along the line, that all changed. Suddenly, those familiar neighborhoods began to transform, and those families and their rich culture began to disappear from those areas. Instead replaced by stores and restaurants. Not to mention, the people that called that area home for generations, left those areas, simply because it was no longer feasible or affordable to live there, thanks to rising rental costs and stagnant wages. Making our cities look less like the melting pot we were promised in school and more like a billboard for corporate America and the almighty dollar. Which leaves us wondering… how did we get here? A critical question that oddly enough, the next episode of Tales from the Darkside explores in a uniquely terrifying manner.  
 
For ‘Parlour Floor Front’ is a story that introduces us to an ambitious, well-to-do, Caucasian couple named Doug and Linda, who are in quite the upbeat place when we meet them. For they have just purchased a lovely apartment building, one that they plan on cleaning up and repairing and of course, renting out to different clientele. In fact, they’re so keen on changing tenants, they’re upset over the fact they cannot evict their last remaining tenant. A kind man named Mars Gillis, who cannot be moved because of the rent control laws in this town. Which means they have to play nice for now, but the discovery that Mars dabbles in voodoo, pushes Linda to try harder to make his life uncomfortable so he will leave, a move she will soon regret when she pushes Mars too far and prompts him… to visit a voodoo curse upon her. 

---

​Which is a plot that speaks to two key elements that have changed the landscape of our cities, gentrification, and cultural ignorance. Because what happened in this story, happens in everyday life. Where well-to-do folks buy up culturally rich property to modernize it as they see fit, driving everyone out. Giving rise to neighborhoods that are just boring. But while that is educational in nature and demands that we as citizens be vigilant about developments in our town to prevent this, the show’s commentary on cultural ignorance is where this episode truly shines. Because it really does hammer home how little credence people give regarding tradition and culture when they move into new areas, especially rich Caucasian folks like Doug and Linda, and how wrong that is. Because we have so much to learn from one another and thinking that a culture is beneath a different one is just sad. But that’s what happens here and that is… what leads to the horror elements in the story.
 
Because Mars visits a ridiculously powerful curse upon this couple. One that really adds a genuine sense of danger to the overall story. Since just like that, there’s death in this household, through the passing of Doug and Linda’s cat and the shocking twist that miscarriage takes place. Not to mention, the couple suffers emotionally from that and that leads to one dark story. One that really does leave you wondering if anyone is getting out of this alive and it also impresses with its ending. Since we simply don’t see the twist coming in the slightest. One that leads to some powerful dread and one shocking finale, the kind that leaves you silent over its intensity and the darkness of it overall, and those elements, along with that commentary… offers up one fine episode and a return to form for the series.
 
Since these early season two episodes leaned heavy into experimental storytelling. So, to see the show slip back into its roots is welcome and enjoyable for certain and boy they did not mess around in doing so. Because this one really does leave you with a lot of think about, and it is also prophetic in nature. Since this is an episode from 1985, well before the world was talking about gentrification and cultural indifference, and hopefully… this is also a story that we learn from and make use of. So that this kind of mistreatment of individuals, and the utter transformation of culturally rich neighborhoods into a shopping center, can be slowed or stopped. So that America continues to look as it was intended, with the people making up the rich tapestry of this land for you and me, instead of another coffee shop chain. Until next time, try to enjoy the daylight.   

---