‘Tales from the Darkside’ Retro Recap: ‘The New Man’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

One thing that we can all agree upon, is that the horror genre is filled to the brim with horrifying monsters. The kind that sends shivers down our spines with their hideous appearance and disturbing desires. After all, there is something utterly disgusting about the vampire’s need to seduce people and feed upon their blood, and the raw anger that the werewolf exhibits is equally as unsettling. As is the zombie’s eternal motion and undying hunger for human flesh. But while casual and horror fans flock to the theaters or their favorite streaming service to watch a zombie feed or see a slasher make people bleed, in an effort to celebrate the wonder of the mainstream monster… it is important to remember that what truly makes the genre worth savoring… is the sheer fact that puts every monster imaginable on display.
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That includes, the more intimate ones. The kind that we don’t like to talk about all that often because they’re in our neighbors’ homes, or our own for that matter as well. But those are the horror stories that are truly the most impactful since they force us to face some powerful fears for certain, in some capacity, and it just so happens that the next episode of Tales from the Darkside puts quite the intimate monster on display… in the most unique manner imaginable. For ‘The New Man’ is a story that at first, appears to be grounded in some supremely traditional horror elements. After all, we’re introduced to an every man named Alan Coombs who is finally on the road to recovery, now that he’s quit drinking for good, and when we catch up with him, here… something strange is happening to him.

In that, some random kid named Jerry, that he’s never met, comes to his office one day and claims that he is Alan’s son. But Alan doesn’t believe the kid and drops him off at the police station, only to have the cops drop him off at the Coombs estate… because that is his home. Which in turn leads to some uncomfortable moments as Alan tries to kick the kid out, simply because he is convinced that this kid is some kind of a monster that is trying to muscle its way into his family. Which in turns pushes Alan to drink again and he ends up alone and destitute while this cycle, with the same kid, begins again at Alan’s old workplace. Which is a twist that doesn’t seem grounded at all in something nontraditional. Since this kid could be a variation on a Skinwalker, or perhaps some kind of shapeshifting creature grounded in gothic horror of old.

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But when you watch this one a second time around, it becomes apparent that there really is something more real-world and different at play here monster wise, and in reality, the monster in this tale, is addiction. Specifically, alcoholism. Because Alan is clearly a functional alcoholic. Because despite his claims that he's off the sauce and living his best life, there's a lot here that speaks to otherwise. Such as his wanton disdain of Jerry and the context clues from his wife about bad drinking related behaviors from Alan, that she recognizes as returning to the forefront of their lives. Plus, days go missing for Alan and all of that makes it one-hundred percent clear that he never quit the booze, he just set the bottle down for a hot minute to feel value and worth, and goodwill. All because he has a genuine monster within that craves alcohol and without treatment, he will never escape it.

However, this was 1983 and this kind of stuff wasn’t handled by a therapist back then. It was just… willed to its end, and men like Alan wouldn’t dare seek out further treatment because that made them weak and that makes this tale quite stunning in nature. Since it really is examining a real-world problem that we are only now talking about, and it truly puts the horrors of living with an alcoholic on display and that’s scary stuff on screen for certain. As it is in real life. And it is equally as impressive that it points out the toxic nature of not seeking care for issues such as these, since that too still runs rampant in our modern world. But while that solves one mystery, that doesn’t answer how Jerry pops up again at the end of this tale. As though he's some kind of monster grounded in temptation. But there is a solid explanation for that as well.

In that, little Jerry represents the countless faceless children out there, that have grown up or will grow up, in a household where addiction runs rampant. Who in turn might propagate the cycle themselves since addiction has genetic merit and abusive childhoods tend to motivate the abused to become abusers. Which in the end, makes this a poignant and powerful tale, one that was ahead of its time in its commentary and stays with you for quite some time. Because this is a monster, we’ve all known in some capacity or another, and has genuine staying power, and the show deserves serious credit for going this hard with the writing this early in its first season, but it makes sense as to why. After all, there were no guarantees of more seasons back in the early days of this show, so why not go for broke and scare us right and proper and well, now that we’ve reached the end of this realistic nightmare, it will be interesting to see what other real-world horrors awaits us... in the Darkside. Until next time, try to enjoy the daylight.

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