DVD Review: Tales From The Darkside: The Third Season

Tales From The Darkside is a television show that was produced by famed horror director George A. Romero. It originally ran from 1983 to 1988 and was done in an anthology style much in the same way that The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, and Night Gallery were. The shows were based on short stories and covered the genres of horror, science fiction, and fantasy.

Due to the success of Romero's anthology film Creepshow, which was based on five short stories and was released in 1982, there was interest in spinning off a television series along the same line. Because of some conflicts with Warner Brothers owning aspects of the film, the producers of Creepshow, Laurel Productions, decided on a new title. In keeping with the comic book feel, they used Tales From The Darkside instead.

Tales From The Darkside: The Third Season consists of 22 episodes (#48 through #69 in the series) that originally aired beginning on September 28, 1986 and ending on May 17, 1987. Season three consists of stories by George A. Romero, Fredrick Pohl, Edithe Swensen, Suzette Haden Elgin, Michael McDowell, Robert Bloch, Scott Edelman, Dick Benner, and more.

The production quality of the shows contained in Tales From The Darkside: The Third Season is typical for a show produced in the mid-1980s and the reproduction has a bit of graininess, but overall is quite good given the original material. The sound quality is good as well. Keep in mind that the music has changed from the original scores and some of the episodes have been edited as well.

Overall, season three is very good and there are no episodes that I would classify as bad. Some of my favorites include "The Circus" where a reporter who is trying to debunk a circus of monsters finds it's more than he can handle; "I Can't Help Saying Goodbye," which is about a little girl who sees the impending death of people; "Geezenstacks" where what happens to the dolls in a new doll house happens to the family; "Seasons of Belief" in which two people who don't believe in Santa Claus get a totally different Christmas story; and "Everybody Needs a Little Love" where a lonely man begins to talk to and dote on a mannequin.

There are no bonus features that come along with Tales From The Darkside: The Third Season which is a bit disappointing, but the number of episodes and the quality of the stories along with providing well over seven hours worth of entertainment, makes this a collection a good value.

For those who are into anthology science fiction and horror, Tales From The Darkside: The Third Season is well worth your time. The one nice thing about this kind of series is that if you have never seen Tales From The Darkside, the third season as good a place as any to start. If you want to have your spine tingled then I recommend Tales From The Darkside: The Third Season.