Season 3 Episode 12
A woman who has no memory of her past befriends a saxophone player and slowly uncovers the truth behind the deaths she’s accidentally caused everywhere she’s been. Written and directed by Richard Blackburn.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, January 18, 1987: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Miss May Dusa” premiered”Season 3 Episode 11
Two rowdy kids who don’t believe in Santa Claus demand a story during Christmas, and their mean parents decide to tell them a different kind of Christmas story, a horrific tale of the monstrous “Grither.”
Written and directed by Michael McDowell, story by Michael Bishop and guest-starring E.G. Marshall and Jenna Von Oy.
Read more “Horror History: Monday, December 29, 1986: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Seasons of Belief” premiered”Season 3 Episode 10
A saintly woman tires of her goodness and seeks a fall from grace. Story by Suzette Haden Elgin, written by Jule Selbo.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, November 30, 1986: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Deliver Us From Goodness” premiered”Season 3 Episode 9
A voodoo witch opens a bakery, sells magic cookies and partners up with an unscrupulous advertising agent. Written by George A. Romero and guest-starring Mabel King.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, November 23, 1986: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Baker’s Dozen” premiered”Season 3 Episode 8
A controlling mother is given the title item by a friend, causing her warnings and metaphors to come true. This forces her children to obey her; her son studies to be a dentist, while her daughter is forced to dress in outdated and feminine styled clothes. After she accidentally turns her daughter’s boyfriend into a slice of bread, her children snap at her. The episode ends with the mother now a pilar of salt after saying to be turned into one if she was a terrible mother. Written by Edithe Swensen and guest-starring Renee Taylor.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, November 16, 1986: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “A Serpent’s Tooth” premiered”Season 3 Episode 7
A thief sells a stolen painting from the Spanish Inquisition to a wealthy art collector, who soon regrets his purchase when he discovers the world within the painting. Written by Edithe Swensen.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, November 9, 1986: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Heretic” premiered”Season 3 Episode 6
On her wedding night, a young woman discovers the reason for her mother’s mysterious reclusiveness and a dark family secret.
Written by Michael McDowell and guest-starring Theresa Saldana.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, November 2, 1986: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Black Widows” premiered”Season 3 Episode 5
A little girl is given a dollhouse by her uncle, who tells her that he found it when the previous owners suddenly abandoned their home, leaving only the dollhouse behind. The girl’s father soon notices that whatever happens to the new dolls happens to their family. The ending displays a unique variation on the Droste effect. Based on the short story by Frederic Brown and adapted by Nancy Doyne.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, October 26, 1986: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “The Geezenstacks” premiered”Season 3 Episode 4
A couple moves into an old house in which a woman murdered her cheating husband. The spirit of the woman has been seeking company to ease her loneliness, so she decides to recreate the events by having the female real estate agent feel weak, forcing the husband to take her home. Pressured by the ghost, the wife overhears her husband talking to the woman the next day, mistaking their conversation as one about cheating on her; in reality, he decided the house is giving the wife’s imagination too much to work with. When he tries explaining things to her, she is now fully under the ghost’s sway and kills him in exactly the same spot as the ghost’s husband. Written by Edithe Swensen.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, October 19, 1986: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Florence Bravo” premiered”Season 3 Episode 3
The uncle of a mistreated boy develops a miraculous pill which increases brain power and memory, and comes to the boy’s parents for financing; the boy takes the prototype and finally gets power over his parents. Based on the short story “The Richest Man in Levittown” by Frederik Pohl, adapted by Michael P. Kube-McDowell.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, October 12, 1986: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “The Bitterest Pill” premiered”Season 3 Episode 2
Libby and her fiance Max notice that people keep dying after Libby’s little sister Karen says goodbye to them; apparently, she can sense the impending death. In anger, they tell her not to say good-bye to anyone ever again. Written by Jule Selbo, guest-starring Alison Sweeney and Brian Benben.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, October 5, 1986: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “I Can’t Help Saying Goodbye” premiered”Season 3 Episode 1
An investigative journalist who enjoys debunking tales of the strange and bizarre investigates a circus that offers monsters on display. Written by George A. Romero and guest-starring William Hickey.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, September 28, 1986: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “The Circus” premiered”Season 2 Episode 24
A family learns that their great-grandfather murdered his wife, resulting in a curse upon the family line. Written by Edith Swensen.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, July 13, 1986: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “The Casavin Curse” premiered”Season 2 Episode 23
A man who levitates whenever he lies tries to enlist in the Army, while hotly pursued by a young pregnant girl and her angry father.
Written by Donald Wollner from a story by Scott Edelman and guest-starring Yeardley Smith and Howard Sherman.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, May 25, 1986: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Fear of Floating” premiered”Season 2 Episode 22
A recently deceased preacher leaves a video-taped will which tells his family that he will send them a sign.
Written by Edithe Swensen. Guest-starring Connie Stevens.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, May 18, 1986: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “The Unhappy Medium” premiered”Season 2 Episode 21
A doctor makes a late-night house call to fix a woman’s leg and discovers that his patient and her husband are vampires.
Written by Edithe Swensen and guest-starring Marcia Cross.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, May 11, 1986: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Strange Love” premiered”Season 2 Episode 20
A mob boss with a terminal illness is offered the chance to experience his dreams after death.
Written by James Houghton from a story by Edward F. Shaver. Guest-starring Abe Vigoda.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, May 4, 1986: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “A Choice of Dreams” premiered”Season 2 Episode 19
A young woman on her way home from college rides the last car of a train and discovers bizarre passengers.
Written by Michael McDowell.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, February 23, 1986: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “The Last Car””Season 2 Episode 18
A salesman hits on an attractive woman at a motel and is subsequently pursued by another angry, jealous woman.
Written by Art Monterastelli and guest-starring Paul Dooley.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, February 16, 1986: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “The Old Soft Shoe” premiered”Season 2 Episode 17
A woman competes against a little girl for the affection and attention of her own mother.
Written by Jule Selbo from a story by Pamela Sargent and guest-starring Lorna Luft.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, February 9, 1986: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “The Shrine” premiered”Season 2 Episode 16
A writer learns that his new agent can make his novels succeed, and all he needs is a small sacrifice involving animals.
Written and directed by John Harrison, based on a story by Ron Goulart and guest-starring Larry Manetti.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, February 2, 1986: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Printer’s Devil” premiered”Season 2 Episode 15
A man gets the modern, fully equipped apartment of his dreams in exchange for providing his new landlady with lots of garbage.
Written by Harvey Jacobs and Michael McDowell. Guest-starring Marie Windsor.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, January 26, 1986: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “A New Lease on Life” premiered”Season 2 Episode 14
A theatrical director finds herself acting out the dreams of a meek stagehand along with her co-workers. Written and directed by Timna Ramon, based on a short story by Barbara Paul.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, January 19, 1986: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Dream Girl” premiered”Season 2 Episode 3
A man and his henpecking wife gets unexpected guests when Sir Edmond Halley and a young lady from the long-ago past on the night Halley’s Comet appears. Written by Harvey Jacobs and Jule Selbo. Guest-starring Fritz Weaver and Anthony Heald.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, January 12, 1986: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Comet Watch” premiered”Season 2 Episode 12
A little boy who fears an octopus, a living buzz saw, and a demon are in his room finds they are all too real.
Written and directed by James Sadwith and guest-starring Seth Green.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, December 22, 1985: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Monsters in My Room” premiered”Season 2 Episode 11
A woman learns she can change the world around her at random, but soon loses control of events. Written by Michael P. Kube-McDowell.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, December 8, 1985: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Effect and Cause” premiered”Season 2 Episode 10
A little girl blames her new teddy bear for various pranks in her parents’ house. They do not believe her-until giant claw marks on the walls and lumbering sounds at night convince them. The mother destroys the teddy, but forgets one of the most basic rules of the wild-harm the child, and you must meet the mother… Written and directed by Ted Gershuny, based on a story by John Sladek.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, December 1, 1985: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Ursa Minor” premiered”Season 2 Episode 9
A family offers $50,000 to whoever can rid young Mary Jane of the demons possessing her. Guest starring – Phyllis Diller and Lawrence Tierney, written by Edithe Swensen.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, November 24, 1985: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “The Trouble with Mary Jane” premiered”Season 2 Episode 8
A director is approached by a mysterious investor who asks him to complete a previous short-run and unpopular detective series called “Max Paradise”, which was canceled 20 years ago before the final episodes were shown. The investor and his mysterious backers will pay any price to see the series finished, complete with bringing the original actor out of retirement. After the filming is complete, it is discovered that the investor is an alien from a planet that gets TV signals from Earth 20 years after they air. Max Paradise was popular there so he came to Earth to finish the show. Story by Andrew Weiner, adapted by Ted Gershuny and guest-starring Darren McGavin.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, November 17, 1985: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “Distant Signals” premiered”Season 2 Episode 7
The rude host of a late-night radio show, “The Devil’s Advocate,” finds out where his anger and cynicism will eventually lead. Written by George A. Romero and guest-starring Jerry Stiller.
Read more “Horror History: Sunday, November 10, 1985: “Tales From The Darkside” episode “The Devil’s Advocate” premiered”
