Tales from the Darkside
Each episode of this TV series depicts a short, strange tale...with a twist! With eerie stories vaguely reminiscent of 'The Twilight Zone,' viewers learn to appreciate that things are often not as they seem. The usual plot formula is comprised of an initial normal, mundane situation that gradually begins to get off-kilter, with suspense building up to the final, chilling, surprise conclusion.
- 1983-1988
- 4 seasons
- Paramount Television
- Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Suspense
- TV-14
Each episode of this TV series depicts a short, strange tale...with a twist! With eerie stories vaguely reminiscent of 'The Twilight Zone,' viewers learn to appreciate that things are often not as they seem. The usual plot formula is comprised of an initial normal, mundane situation that gradually begins to get off-kilter, with suspense building up to the final, chilling, surprise conclusion.
Season 3 Episode Guide
22 Episodes 1986 - 1987
Episode 1
The Circus
Sun, Sep 28, 1986 22 mins
Newspaperman Bragg debunks charlatans as a way of "staying sane." His latest quarry is the obscure circus of Dr. Nis. When Bragg visits, Dr. Nis tries to prove its authenticity.
Episode 2
I Can't Help Saying Goodbye
Sun, Oct 5, 1986 22 mins
Karen is a shy and slightly eccentric little girl living with her mom, her older sister Libby and Libby's new fiancée, Max. When Libby and Max discover that Karen was gifted (or rather cursed) with the terrible power of being able to predict the deaths of her loved ones, Libby's life spirals out of control and Karen becomes a frightening burden.
Episode 3
The Bitterest Pill
Sun, Oct 12, 1986 30 mins
Based on a story by renowned sci-fi writer Frederick Pohl. Twelve-year-old Jonathan Bender is mercilessly and cruelly dominated by his callous parents. After Mom wins the lottery in spite of her stupidity, they are assailed by money-seekers, including a very dubious old acquaintance who is now the miraculously clever inventor -- he baldly claims -- of pills that will transform anyone into an unthinkably powerful intellect. When Dad throws him out, scattering the pills on the floor, little Jonathan is assigned the task of cleaning up.
Episode 4
Florence Bravo
Sun, Oct 19, 1986 30 mins
Dr. David McCall is cheating on his emotionally unstable wife Emily, who is visited by the specter of Florence Bravo, who murdered her own adulterous husband.
Episode 5
The Geezenstacks
Sun, Oct 26, 1986 30 mins
Sam Hummel notices eerie parallels between events in the life of his own family, and events in the lives of his daughter Audrey's dolls, the Geezenstacks.
Episode 6
Black Widows
Sun, Nov 2, 1986 22 mins
On her wedding night, a young bride learns a secret about the women in her family.
Episode 7
Heretic
Sun, Nov 9, 1986 30 mins
Arrogant art "dealer" Harte buys an expensive 16th century tempera painting from an art fence, then lands in a Court of Inquisition to face judgment for his act.
Episode 8
A Serpent's Tooth
Sun, Nov 16, 1986 30 mins
Disappointed with her unappreciative children, Pearl King enlists the aid of a serpent's tooth talisman that has potent powers and produces instant results.
Episode 9
Baker's Dozen
Sun, Nov 23, 1986 23 mins
Elderly cookie baker Ruby Cuzzins teams up with ad exec Henry Hogan to profit from her baking skills with a plan that includes greed, spousal abuse, and voodoo.
Episode 10
Deliver Us from Goodness
Sun, Nov 30, 1986 30 mins
Julian Cantrell's bid for mayor in an Alabama town is undermined by his saintly wife Valeria's miraculous behavior. So she decides to change her ways and break the Ten Commandments in order to help Julian get elected.
Episode 11
Seasons of Belief
Mon, Dec 29, 1986 22 mins
On Christmas Eve, a father ends his two children's boredom by holding them spellbound with a scary story about a fearsome beast known as the Grither.
Episode 12
Miss May Dusa
Sun, Jan 18, 1987 30 mins
Jimmy James is playing his saxophone in the New York City subway when he meets an enigmatic woman named May Dusa, who claims to suffer amnesia and to have caused several accidental deaths.
Episode 13
The Milkman Cometh
Sun, Jan 25, 1987 22 mins
Ruth Cooley is curious as to the reason why her husband Garry leaves unusual written requests in their milk box for the milkman to fulfill.
Episode 14
My Ghostwriter - The Vampire
Sun, Feb 1, 1987 23 mins
Hack horror writer Peter Prentice receives an offer from Vampire Count Jeffrey Draco: nine hundred years of authentic vampire stories to use as material - in exchange for sanctuary in Peter's home.
Episode 15
My Own Place
Wed, Feb 18, 1987 30 mins
A young man gets a great deal on a New York apartment, then discovers he has a mysterious roommate.
Episode 16
Red Leader
Sun, Feb 15, 1987 30 mins
A corrupt business man is offered a top position in Hell by the devil.
Episode 17
Everybody Needs a Little Love
Sun, Feb 22, 1987 22 mins
A divorced man dotes upon a mannequin.
Episode 18
Auld Acquaintances
Sun, Mar 1, 1987 30 mins
Two accused witches covet a talisman for its powers but can't have it all the time. So they agree to take turns keeping it for one year at a time... through the centuries.
Episode 19
The Social Climber
Sun, Mar 8, 1987 30 mins
A shoemaker's assistant discovers that he can live other people's lives by putting on their shoes.
Episode 20
The Swap
Tue, Mar 3, 1987 30 mins
In the Louisiana bayou, loathsome-looking Bubba is the son of an infamous conjure woman. His wife Annabelle is cheating on him with their handsome handyman Claude. But Bubba has a solution to the problem.
Episode 21
Let the Games Begin
Sun, May 10, 1987 30 mins
Harry Carson suffers a heart attack and dies in a hotel room, prompting an angel and a devil to battle each other for possession of Harry's soul.
Episode 22
The Enormous Radio
Sun, May 17, 1987 30 mins
A new radio lets a couple overhear their neighbors' private conversations.
