Apr 2020
Here's a recap of all episodes from season 1. This is my first time watching the show and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Can't wait to start season 2.
s1e01 - Trick or Treat (1983) - directed by Bob Balaban
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0717007/
This is a Halloween take on the old Scrooge story about a guy who collects debts and enjoys the suffering of others if he can come out on top. He has a haunted house rigged up with all kinds of spooky sound effects and fans behind curtains to scare the shit out of children. One of the men he's wronged sends his kid in there to look for those IOUs he's hidden about the place so he can clear his debt, but the old Scrooge doesn't let this one get by him. Instead of learning a valuable lesson at the end, this asshole goes straight to hell.
s1e02 - The New Man - directed by Frank De Palma
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716994/
After impressing his new boss with his good work ethic, Alan Coombs is offered a drink. Alan doesn't drink anymore, so boss man drinks both of the drinks and that's that... or is it? The next day, Alan's young son Jerry comes to see him, but wait a second... Alan doesn't have a son named Jerry?! Throughout the episode, he's driven mad by this ruse that everyone seems to be playing along with. He's been drinking again, hasn't he?
s1e03 - I'll Give You a Million - directed by John Harrison
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716950/
A couple of rich old bastards make a slew of bets against each other. One of the men offers his soul, because why not? He doesn't believe in any of that, so he's got nothing to lose. Right?
This story has echoes of many common anthology stories, primarily "Something to Tide You Over" from Creepshow. This episode was directed by John Harrison, who has directed 8 episodes in this series and has a knack for doing horror anthologies in general.
s1e04 - Pain Killer - directed by Armand Mastroianni
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716966/
A man with back pain finds no rational explanation for it from doctors until he meets a different kind of doctor... one who suggests that the man's wife is the reason he suffers so much. What's the remedy to this dilemma? Take a guess.
s1e05 - The Odds - directed by James Steven Sadwith
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0394938/
Danny Aiello never refuses a bet, because he never loses... until Tom Noonan walks into his neck of the woods and owns him.
s1e06 - Mookie and Pookie - directed by Timna Ranon
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716962/
A twin girl finishes her terminally ill brother's computer project, and it begins to disturb her parents when she gets too into this project. Tippi Hedren plays the mom. Not particularly a dark episode, but it has a weird charm to it.
s1e07 - Slippage - directed by Michael Gornick
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716974/
David Patrick Kelly is a graphic artist whose existence is put to the test when people seem to forget about him. Even his own mother doesn't recognize him! Maybe there's a rational explanation, but probably not.
s1e08 - Inside the Closet - directed by Tom Savini
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716953/
A girl rents a room in a fancy house from a guy I recognize from Creepshow and Twilight Zone. She thinks there's a rat in her room, but maybe it's something worse.
This was a bit more effects heavy than the other episodes. In this one, we get a couple drops of blood. Whoop-dee-doo. I understand this was regular tv back in the day and it had to be tame, so this isn't a criticism. It's a decent episode with an interesting monster.
s1e09 - Word Processor of the Gods - directed by Michael Gornick, written by Stephen King
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0717005/
Bruce Davison is a writer who inherits a new word processor. However, this word processor does more than write stories. It writes reality! Pretty good episode. Gotta love those retro computer effects.
s1e10 - A case of the Stubborns - directed by Gerald Cotts, written by Robert Bloch
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716919/
Christian Slater and his mom are mourning the death of old grandpa, but when he comes walking down the stairs for breakfast, they don't know what to make of it. He's dead all right... but that stubborn old fuck wont take dead for an answer!
I quite enjoyed this episode, particularly the ending. Something about it is sort of funny, but sort of haunting at the same time.
s1e11 - Djinn, No Chaser - directed by Shelley Levinson, written by Harlan Ellison
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716936/
A guy and his new wife (Colleen Camp) stumble upon a genie lamp. However, this fucker doesn't want to grant them any wishes. He's just being an asshole! Kareem Abdul-Jabbar plays the djinn. Not very dark, but more of a comedy episode.
s1e12 - All a Clone by the Telephone - directed by Frank De Palma
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716923/
Beep Beep Richie has been trying to get a job through his agent Dick Miller, but he's had a string of bad luck. He also has a faulty answering machine that's been telling people off. When the machine gives him attitude, he disconnects it, but then it starts to disconnect his life. This is some weird alternate dimension type stuff, but who's in what dimension?
s1e13 - In the Cards - directed by Theodore Gershuny
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716952/
A phony fortune teller comes across a deck of cards that gives everyone a bad reading. Sometimes deadly. This one ends abruptly and it seems off, like maybe the writers didn't know what to do and said fuck it.
s1e14 - Anniversary Dinner - directed by John Strysik
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716924/
A lonely older couple dwell on their anniversary and how much they miss their children. When a few hikers stumble across their home, they think nothing of it... until it happens again. Then, they offer room and board for the pretty polite girl, and well... I don't want to say much else. The ending to this one is actually pretty good.
s1e15 - Snip, Snip - directed by Terence Cahalan
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716975/
Bud Cort plays a loser satanist who wants to win the lottery with his magic number: 666666. Why he feels so lame is beyond me, because this dude is sitting around in a robe drinking booze in a fancy looking place, but he still seeks his due. However, his super ultra satanic magic lottery number... doesn't win. Carol Kane's magic number, 666667 does. How can this be!? A pretty decent episode. Entertaining at the very least.
s1e16 - Answer Me - directed by Richard Friedman
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716925/
An actress in a New York apartment is harrassed by a serial phone caller... in the next apartment. Apparently, weird shit happened there before, and it's likely to happen again when you're just another tale from the darkside! The lead actress was in a great episode of Twilight Zone, too.
s1e17 - The Tear Collector - directed by John Drimmer
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0717002/
Jessica Harper is so sad. So sad that a man notices and wants to give her therapy sessions so she can cry, and so he can collect her tears. Huh... what a weirdo, but somehow, he's charming her enough that she wants him, but he only seems to want her tears.
This one ends up not being much of a darkside story so much as it is a consolation tale. Not bad, but different.
s1e18 - The Madness Room - directed by John Hayes
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716991/
An older man with heart problems has a young attractive wife that he feels unfit for. When another man comes along to talk business with the guy, they decide it's a good idea to bust out the old ouija board, learning about "the madness room" inside the house and trying to find it. This one had a good ending.
On a strange side note, I looked up the main actor Stuart Whitman, who was supposed to be playing an "old" character in this episode from 1985, and strangely enough, he died on March 16, 2020, only days before I watched this episode...
s1e19 - If the Shoes Fit - directed by Armand Mastroianni
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716951/
A politician gradually becomes a circus clown. Perhaps a metaphor for the democratic party?
s1e20 - Levitation - directed by John Harrison
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716956/
Joe Turkel plays a circus magician whose greatest trick was a levitation act with no strings attached. Two young men seek the secret to his act, but he doesn't want to reveal the dark magic that allowed it, but when push comes to shove, he just might...
I liked the ending of this one. It's kind of funny, but rather bleak at the same time.
s1e21 - It All Comes Out in the Wash - directed by Frank De Palma
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716954/
James Hong is a laundry man who can wash away people's sins. One businessman takes advantage of it his esoteric process by breaking the rules laid out for him, so take a guess what happens? Something bad, obviously.
This one was kind of stupid. In all honesty, I didn't quite understand the correlation between this man's conscience and his excessive need for clean laundry, as he seems to be changing his shirt far too often.
s1e22 - Bigalow's Last Smoke - directed by Timna Ranon
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716931/
Bigalow wakes up and boy, does he need a smoke. He could have sworn he left one in the dresser drawer, but it's not there. He searches all over his apartment, but they're nowhere to be found. Furthermore, nothing seems to be working. TV static, no dial-tone, and the windows and doors are barred!? A man on the tv tells him he's free to go, but only when he stops smoking. How hard could it be for a man who's been smoking several packs a day since he was fifteen?
This one was pretty good. The main dude has been in some mafia stuff and he kinda looks like Jean-Claude Van Damme. You can somewhat sympathize with him, but you know he needs to take things more seriously. You can spot the twist coming, but it's still a fun one.
s1e23 - Grandma's Last Wish - directed by Warner Shook (the gay dude in Creepshow and Knightriders)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716945/
Grandma, is a nuisance for her family. She doesn't want to be, but her inability to hear things and her fuck ups annoy the shit out of them and they want her gone. In comes the talk of sending her to the old folk's home, which doesn't sound like any fun to her. The family says they'll make her last week at home a good one, working to grant whatever wish she has. She only wishes they could understand her plight a bit more, and they do. Oh yes they do... This episode was pretty amusing with a fun ending.
s1e24 - The False Prophet - directed by Gerald Cotts
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716986/
Ronee Blakely from Elm Street fame is a southern gal who stops in an Oklahoma cafe for all beef dogs, because she likes all beef dogs and astrology and machines. She takes them too seriously, and this place has an astrology machine that tells her to beware of false prophets. When the strange stuff happens, she listens to the machine whether she ought to or not, and if it's something from the darkside... perhaps you shouldn't listen to it.
"The darkside is always there, waiting for us to enter. Waiting to enter us. Until next time, try to enjoy the daylight."
s1e01 - Trick or Treat (1983) - directed by Bob Balaban
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0717007/
This is a Halloween take on the old Scrooge story about a guy who collects debts and enjoys the suffering of others if he can come out on top. He has a haunted house rigged up with all kinds of spooky sound effects and fans behind curtains to scare the shit out of children. One of the men he's wronged sends his kid in there to look for those IOUs he's hidden about the place so he can clear his debt, but the old Scrooge doesn't let this one get by him. Instead of learning a valuable lesson at the end, this asshole goes straight to hell.
s1e02 - The New Man - directed by Frank De Palma
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716994/
After impressing his new boss with his good work ethic, Alan Coombs is offered a drink. Alan doesn't drink anymore, so boss man drinks both of the drinks and that's that... or is it? The next day, Alan's young son Jerry comes to see him, but wait a second... Alan doesn't have a son named Jerry?! Throughout the episode, he's driven mad by this ruse that everyone seems to be playing along with. He's been drinking again, hasn't he?
s1e03 - I'll Give You a Million - directed by John Harrison
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716950/
A couple of rich old bastards make a slew of bets against each other. One of the men offers his soul, because why not? He doesn't believe in any of that, so he's got nothing to lose. Right?
This story has echoes of many common anthology stories, primarily "Something to Tide You Over" from Creepshow. This episode was directed by John Harrison, who has directed 8 episodes in this series and has a knack for doing horror anthologies in general.
s1e04 - Pain Killer - directed by Armand Mastroianni
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716966/
A man with back pain finds no rational explanation for it from doctors until he meets a different kind of doctor... one who suggests that the man's wife is the reason he suffers so much. What's the remedy to this dilemma? Take a guess.
s1e05 - The Odds - directed by James Steven Sadwith
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0394938/
Danny Aiello never refuses a bet, because he never loses... until Tom Noonan walks into his neck of the woods and owns him.
s1e06 - Mookie and Pookie - directed by Timna Ranon
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716962/
A twin girl finishes her terminally ill brother's computer project, and it begins to disturb her parents when she gets too into this project. Tippi Hedren plays the mom. Not particularly a dark episode, but it has a weird charm to it.
s1e07 - Slippage - directed by Michael Gornick
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716974/
David Patrick Kelly is a graphic artist whose existence is put to the test when people seem to forget about him. Even his own mother doesn't recognize him! Maybe there's a rational explanation, but probably not.
s1e08 - Inside the Closet - directed by Tom Savini
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716953/
A girl rents a room in a fancy house from a guy I recognize from Creepshow and Twilight Zone. She thinks there's a rat in her room, but maybe it's something worse.
This was a bit more effects heavy than the other episodes. In this one, we get a couple drops of blood. Whoop-dee-doo. I understand this was regular tv back in the day and it had to be tame, so this isn't a criticism. It's a decent episode with an interesting monster.
s1e09 - Word Processor of the Gods - directed by Michael Gornick, written by Stephen King
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0717005/
Bruce Davison is a writer who inherits a new word processor. However, this word processor does more than write stories. It writes reality! Pretty good episode. Gotta love those retro computer effects.
s1e10 - A case of the Stubborns - directed by Gerald Cotts, written by Robert Bloch
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716919/
Christian Slater and his mom are mourning the death of old grandpa, but when he comes walking down the stairs for breakfast, they don't know what to make of it. He's dead all right... but that stubborn old fuck wont take dead for an answer!
I quite enjoyed this episode, particularly the ending. Something about it is sort of funny, but sort of haunting at the same time.
s1e11 - Djinn, No Chaser - directed by Shelley Levinson, written by Harlan Ellison
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716936/
A guy and his new wife (Colleen Camp) stumble upon a genie lamp. However, this fucker doesn't want to grant them any wishes. He's just being an asshole! Kareem Abdul-Jabbar plays the djinn. Not very dark, but more of a comedy episode.
s1e12 - All a Clone by the Telephone - directed by Frank De Palma
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716923/
Beep Beep Richie has been trying to get a job through his agent Dick Miller, but he's had a string of bad luck. He also has a faulty answering machine that's been telling people off. When the machine gives him attitude, he disconnects it, but then it starts to disconnect his life. This is some weird alternate dimension type stuff, but who's in what dimension?
s1e13 - In the Cards - directed by Theodore Gershuny
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716952/
A phony fortune teller comes across a deck of cards that gives everyone a bad reading. Sometimes deadly. This one ends abruptly and it seems off, like maybe the writers didn't know what to do and said fuck it.
s1e14 - Anniversary Dinner - directed by John Strysik
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716924/
A lonely older couple dwell on their anniversary and how much they miss their children. When a few hikers stumble across their home, they think nothing of it... until it happens again. Then, they offer room and board for the pretty polite girl, and well... I don't want to say much else. The ending to this one is actually pretty good.
s1e15 - Snip, Snip - directed by Terence Cahalan
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716975/
Bud Cort plays a loser satanist who wants to win the lottery with his magic number: 666666. Why he feels so lame is beyond me, because this dude is sitting around in a robe drinking booze in a fancy looking place, but he still seeks his due. However, his super ultra satanic magic lottery number... doesn't win. Carol Kane's magic number, 666667 does. How can this be!? A pretty decent episode. Entertaining at the very least.
s1e16 - Answer Me - directed by Richard Friedman
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716925/
An actress in a New York apartment is harrassed by a serial phone caller... in the next apartment. Apparently, weird shit happened there before, and it's likely to happen again when you're just another tale from the darkside! The lead actress was in a great episode of Twilight Zone, too.
s1e17 - The Tear Collector - directed by John Drimmer
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0717002/
Jessica Harper is so sad. So sad that a man notices and wants to give her therapy sessions so she can cry, and so he can collect her tears. Huh... what a weirdo, but somehow, he's charming her enough that she wants him, but he only seems to want her tears.
This one ends up not being much of a darkside story so much as it is a consolation tale. Not bad, but different.
s1e18 - The Madness Room - directed by John Hayes
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716991/
An older man with heart problems has a young attractive wife that he feels unfit for. When another man comes along to talk business with the guy, they decide it's a good idea to bust out the old ouija board, learning about "the madness room" inside the house and trying to find it. This one had a good ending.
On a strange side note, I looked up the main actor Stuart Whitman, who was supposed to be playing an "old" character in this episode from 1985, and strangely enough, he died on March 16, 2020, only days before I watched this episode...
s1e19 - If the Shoes Fit - directed by Armand Mastroianni
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716951/
A politician gradually becomes a circus clown. Perhaps a metaphor for the democratic party?
s1e20 - Levitation - directed by John Harrison
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716956/
Joe Turkel plays a circus magician whose greatest trick was a levitation act with no strings attached. Two young men seek the secret to his act, but he doesn't want to reveal the dark magic that allowed it, but when push comes to shove, he just might...
I liked the ending of this one. It's kind of funny, but rather bleak at the same time.
s1e21 - It All Comes Out in the Wash - directed by Frank De Palma
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716954/
James Hong is a laundry man who can wash away people's sins. One businessman takes advantage of it his esoteric process by breaking the rules laid out for him, so take a guess what happens? Something bad, obviously.
This one was kind of stupid. In all honesty, I didn't quite understand the correlation between this man's conscience and his excessive need for clean laundry, as he seems to be changing his shirt far too often.
s1e22 - Bigalow's Last Smoke - directed by Timna Ranon
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716931/
Bigalow wakes up and boy, does he need a smoke. He could have sworn he left one in the dresser drawer, but it's not there. He searches all over his apartment, but they're nowhere to be found. Furthermore, nothing seems to be working. TV static, no dial-tone, and the windows and doors are barred!? A man on the tv tells him he's free to go, but only when he stops smoking. How hard could it be for a man who's been smoking several packs a day since he was fifteen?
This one was pretty good. The main dude has been in some mafia stuff and he kinda looks like Jean-Claude Van Damme. You can somewhat sympathize with him, but you know he needs to take things more seriously. You can spot the twist coming, but it's still a fun one.
s1e23 - Grandma's Last Wish - directed by Warner Shook (the gay dude in Creepshow and Knightriders)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716945/
Grandma, is a nuisance for her family. She doesn't want to be, but her inability to hear things and her fuck ups annoy the shit out of them and they want her gone. In comes the talk of sending her to the old folk's home, which doesn't sound like any fun to her. The family says they'll make her last week at home a good one, working to grant whatever wish she has. She only wishes they could understand her plight a bit more, and they do. Oh yes they do... This episode was pretty amusing with a fun ending.
s1e24 - The False Prophet - directed by Gerald Cotts
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0716986/
Ronee Blakely from Elm Street fame is a southern gal who stops in an Oklahoma cafe for all beef dogs, because she likes all beef dogs and astrology and machines. She takes them too seriously, and this place has an astrology machine that tells her to beware of false prophets. When the strange stuff happens, she listens to the machine whether she ought to or not, and if it's something from the darkside... perhaps you shouldn't listen to it.
"The darkside is always there, waiting for us to enter. Waiting to enter us. Until next time, try to enjoy the daylight."
