Horror History: Tuesday, October 29, 1985: “The Hitchhiker” episode “Out of the Night” premiered

October 29, 1985September 7, 2025 4 Evil Eyes

Season 3 Episode 2

A young man on the run from the police takes refuge in a mysterious building where a bizarre woman, Angelica, torments him with visions of his past life while another woman tries to help him. Condemned by jeering circles of audience members, the young man is jeered on to give one final performance … only to wake up to find he is on the verge of death on an operating room table. He is at St. Angelica’s Hospital, and the statue of the woman looks strangely familiar.

Horror History: Sunday, October 27, 1985: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Halloween Candy” premiered

October 27, 1985September 6, 2025 4 Evil Eyes

Season 2 Episode 5

A misanthropic old man torments trick-or-treating children and is visited by a terrifying goblin demanding candy. Written by Michael McDowell, directed by Tom Savini. Guest-starring Roy Poole.

Horror History: Sunday, October 20, 1985: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Parlour Floor Front” premiered

October 20, 1985October 4, 2023 4 Evil Eyes

Season 2 Episode 4

A young couple learns that their tenant is a voodoo practitioner. The wife sees the tenant as a danger and attempts to drive him out of the building, blaming him for various mishaps. Written by Carole Lucia Satrina. Guest-starring Adolph Caesar.

Horror History: Sunday, October 13, 1985: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Ring Around the Redhead” premiered

October 13, 1985October 3, 2023 4 Evil Eyes

Season 2 Episode 3

A man sentenced to Death Row for a murder tells his story of a redhead… from another dimension. Based on the short story by John D. MacDonald, adapted by Ted Gershuny. Guest-starring Penelope Ann Miller and John Heard.

Horror History: Sunday, October 6, 1985: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Lifebomb” premiered

October 6, 1985September 30, 2023 4 Evil Eyes

Season 2 Episode 2

An unhealthy corporate executive is offered a life-saving medical device with a price.

Written by Michael P. Kube-McDowell, based on his own short story of the same name. Guest-starring Bill Macy.

Horror History: Sunday, September 29, 1985: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “The Impressionist” premiered

September 29, 1985September 3, 2023 4 Evil Eyes

Season 2 Episode 1

The government brings in a failing comedian to try to communicate with an alien. Based on the short story “Impersonations” by M. Coleman Easton, adapted by Haskell Barkin and guest-starring Chuck McCann.

Horror History: Sunday, September 15, 1985: “The Hitchhiker” episode “Nightshift” premiered

September 15, 1985August 25, 2023 4 Evil Eyes

Season 3 Episode 1

A ruthless nurse works at an old folks’ home and along with her boyfriend, she steals jewelry from the residents, who can do nothing to stop her. The couple gets an unpleasant surprise when her newest victim is an old man who is actually a supernatural creature that feeds on blood.

Horror History: Sunday, August 4, 1985: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “The False Prophet” premiered

August 4, 1985July 26, 2023 4 Evil Eyes

Season 1 Episode 23

Cassie Pines, a superstitious woman, travels by bus to Texas on the advice of a psychic machine. Before she reaches her destination, however, she comes across another machine that warns her against continuing on her way. Written by Jule Selbo and guest-starring Ronee Blakley.

Horror History: Sunday, June 16, 1985: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Grandma’s Last Wish” premiered

June 16, 1985June 1, 2023 4 Evil Eyes

An elderly woman makes one request of her unsympathetic family, who want to put her in a nursing home against her will.

Written by Jule Selbo.

Horror History: Sunday, June 9, 1985: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Bigalow’s Last Smoke” premiered

June 9, 1985May 24, 2023 4 Evil Eyes

Season 1 Episode 21

Mr. Bigalow wakes up in a replica of his apartment, overseen by an addiction counselor who will allow him to leave only if he quits smoking.

Written by Michael McDowell.

Horror History: Sunday, May 26, 1985: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “It All Comes Out in the Wash” premiered

May 26, 1985May 26, 2024 4 Evil Eyes

Season 1 Episode 20

A laundromat offers to wash away the sins of its clients.

Written by Harvey Jacobs.

Horror History: Sunday, May 19, 1985: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Levitation” premiered

May 19, 1985May 19, 2024 4 Evil Eyes

Season 1 Episode 19

A teenager goads a once-famous magician into performing his greatest feat of levitation, with disastrous results.

Based on a short story by Joseph Payne Brennan and adapted by David Gerrold.

Horror History: Sunday, May 12, 1985: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “If the Shoes Fit…” premiered

May 12, 1985May 12, 2024 4 Evil Eyes

Season 1 Episode 18

Politician Bo Gumbs checks into a hotel to prepare for a speech. After he tells the hotel wait staff that politics is all showmanship, they help him prepare for his best show ever.

Co-Written by Armand Mastoianni and David Gerrold, directed by Mastroianni, starring Dick Shawn.

Horror History: Sunday, May 5, 1985: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Madness Room” premiered

May 5, 1985May 4, 2024 4 Evil Eyes

Season 1 Episode 17

A wife and her friend plot to scare a rich man to death in the cursed “Madness Room.”

Written by Thomas Epperson and guest-starring Stuart Whitman.

Horror History: Tuesday, April 9, 1985: “The Hitchhiker” episode “Murderous Feelings” premiered

April 9, 1985April 9, 2024 4 Evil Eyes

Season 2 Episode 10

Dr. Peter Milne, an unethical psychiatrist, abuses his position to manipulate a female patient. His mind-bending medical practices only intensify her psychosis as she can no longer distinguish reality from dreams. When he finally has her act out her dreams, Dr. Milne finds himself the victim of her murderous feelings.

Horror History: Tuesday, March 26, 1985: “The Hitchhiker” episode “Hired Help” premiered

March 26, 1985March 24, 2024 4 Evil Eyes

Season 2 Episode 9

Kay Mason is the abusive owner of a dressmaking sweatshop. One day she is cursed by an angry worker who exclaims that she will be paid back by the devil for her actions. When Kay hires a mysterious stranger to do some odd jobs around the house, she doesn’t realize that she has hired a devil in disguise.

Horror History: Tuesday, March 12, 1985: “The Hitchhiker” episode “Man at the Window” premiered

March 12, 1985March 12, 2024 4 Evil Eyes

Season 2 Episode 8

Ex-addict and screenwriter Arthur Brown steals the life and words of Diane Hampton. Diane is struggling to maintain her marriage with her abusive jealous husband John and to keep the affair with her female lover Catherine a secret. Arthur tips John off about Diane’s affair and soon finds himself the target of John’s anger.

Horror History: Saturday, March 2, 1985: “The Hitchhiker” episode “A Time For Rifles” premiered

March 2, 1985March 2, 2024 4 Evil Eyes

Season 2 Episode 7

Lew Bridgeman and Joe Caldwell are Vietnam vets and best friends. But when Joe has an affair with Rae, Lew finds out and a night of deer hunting turns deadly.

Horror History: Sunday, February 24, 1985: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “The Tear Collector” premiered

February 24, 1985February 24, 2024 4 Evil Eyes

Season 1 Episode 16

A young woman who can’t stop crying meets a man who collects tears.

Written by Geoffrey Loftus and John Drimmer and guest-starring Jessica Harper and Victor Garber.

Horror History: Sunday, February 17, 1985: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Answer Me” premiered

February 17, 1985February 17, 2024 4 Evil Eyes

Season 1 Episode 15

A ringing telephone with a life of its own bothers a woman in the room next door.

Written by Michael McDowell.

Horror History: Saturday, February 16, 1985: “The Hitchhiker” episode “Videodate” premiered

February 16, 1985January 4, 2026 4 Evil Eyes

Season 2 Episode 6

Jack Rhodes is a salesman who wears many disguises to get what he wants: women. One day, he gets a video letter from a mysterious woman, Barbara, who challenges him to meet her. She plays him like a fiddle and takes advantage of him. Now the tables are turned and he can’t escape, not even with his life.

Horror History: Sunday, February 10, 1985: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Snip, Snip” premiered

February 10, 1985February 9, 2026 4 Evil Eyes

Season 1 Episode 14

Confident that he is about to win the lottery, a man studying the black arts quits his job, only to find out that he has lost to a woman.

Written by Howard Smith and Tom Allan. Guest starring Carol Kane.

Horror History: Sunday, February 3, 1985: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Anniversary Dinner” premiered

February 3, 1985February 2, 2026 4 Evil Eyes

Season 1 Episode 13

An elderly couple take in a girl escaping from her boyfriend, just in time for their 25th anniversary dinner. Unfortunately, the couple plans on serving a very specific-and revolting-dish…

Story by D.J. Pass, adapted by James Houghton. Guest starring Alice Ghostley.

Horror History: Tuesday, January 29, 1985: “The Hitchhiker” episode “Petty Thieves” premiered

January 29, 1985January 28, 2026 4 Evil Eyes

Season 2 Episode 5

Mickey is a con artist only willing to commit to one way of thinking: making the quick buck. In exchange for his life, Mickey is willing to sell his soul by giving Pearl, his girlfriend, away to drug lord Joey Stregga. What Mickey doesn’t realize is that he will have to pay for selling off part of his soul.

Horror History: Sunday, January 27, 1985: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “In the Cards” premiered

January 27, 1985January 19, 2026 4 Evil Eyes

Season 1 Episode 12

Catherine is a tarot reader who attracts business by giving out only good predictions, but she soon finds herself stuck with a new deck of cards – one which makes terrible predictions come true.

Written and directed by Ted Gershuny.

Horror History: Sunday, January 20, 1985: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “All a Clone by the Telephone” premiered

January 20, 1985January 19, 2026 4 Evil Eyes

Season 1 Episode 11

An answering machine with a will of its own helps out a television writer and gradually begins to take over his life. Written by Haskell Barkin and guest-starring Harry Anderson.

Horror History: Tuesday, January 15, 1985: “The Hitchhiker” episode “And If We Dream” premiered

January 15, 1985January 19, 2026 4 Evil Eyes

Season 2 Episode 4

Todd Fields is a married high school photography teacher and one of his students, Roseanne Lucas, develops a mad and obsessive crush on him. When Todd steps over the line and sleeps with her, he finds more than he ever bargained for.

Horror History: Sunday, January 13, 1985: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Djinn, No Chaser” premiered

January 13, 1985January 19, 2026 4 Evil Eyes

Season 1 Episode 10

A comedic story in which a couple finds a lamp which turns out to hold a genie, who is extremely annoyed at being trapped for thousands of years. He punishes them with plagues and problems, but the wife offers a simple solution to his problem. Based on a story by Harlan Ellison and adapted by Haskell Barkin and guest-starring Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the genie.

Horror History: Tuesday, December 4, 1984: “The Hitchhiker” episode “Face To Face” premiered

December 4, 1984September 10, 2025 4 Evil Eyes

Season 2 Episode 3

Dr. Christopher Hamilton, an ambitious and pompous plastic surgeon, meets his challenge in Nina Russell, a patient in the process of a gender change. But when he shows up to surgery the next day unprepared, he completely botches up the procedure.

Horror History: Sunday, December 2, 1984: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “A Case of the Stubborns” premiered

December 2, 1984December 1, 2025 4 Evil Eyes

Season 1 Episode 9

Grandpa refuses to believe that he is dead. Written by James Houghton, based on a short story by Robert Bloch and guest-starring Christian Slater as Jody, Brent Spiner as the Reverend and Eddie Bracken as Grandpa.