Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)

Director:

John Harrison

Writers (WGA):

Michael McDowell (written by) (segment)
Arthur Conan Doyle (short story "Lot 249") (segment)

Release Date:

4 May 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Brace yourself for some KILLER stories.

Plot:

In anthology style, a child tells three stories of horror to keep from being eaten by a witch.

Plot Keywords:

Cat | Anthology | Mummy | Gargoyle | Wheelchair

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Deborah Harry	...	Betty (wraparound story)
David Forrester	...	Priest (wraparound story)
Matthew Lawrence	...	Timmy (wraparound story)
Christian Slater	...	Andy (segment "Lot 249")
Robert Sedgwick	...	Lee (segment "Lot 249")
Steve Buscemi	...	Bellingham (segment "Lot 249")
Donald Van Horn	...	Moving Man (segment "Lot 249")
Michael Deak	...	Mummy (segment "Lot 249")
Julianne Moore	...	Susan (segment "Lot 249")
George Guidall	...	Museum Director (segment "Lot 249")
Kathleen Chalfant	...	Dean (segment "Lot 249")
Ralph Marrero	...	Cabbie (segment "Lot 249")
David Johansen	...	Halston (segment "Cat From Hell")
Paul Greeno	...	Cabbie (segment "Cat From Hell")
William Hickey	...	Drogan (segment "Cat From Hell")

Also Known As:

Creepshow 3 (International: English title) (informal title)
Darkside Movie (USA) (informal English title)
Tales from the Darkside (International: English title) (informal English title)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (cut) (1991) | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:M | France:-12 | Germany:(Banned) | UK:18 | USA:R | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Bronxville, New York, USA

Company:

Darkside Movie

Trivia:

"Tales from the Darkside: The Movie" is considered by many fans and Tom Savini himself to be the 'official' "Creepshow 3". Following the success of Stephen King and George A. Romero's Creepshow, Laurel Entertainment (Creepshow & Creepshow 2's production company) toyed with the idea of a Creepshow television series. After several negotiations and changes (due to rights holders etc.), the decision was made to change the title for the series to "Tales from the Darkside" (to be helmed by none other than Creepshow director and Creepshow 2 screenwriter, George A. Romero). After the series' great success, just roughly three short years after Creepshow 2 hit theatres, Tales from the Darkside: The Movie came to fruition in 1990 as the successor to the original two Creepshow installments, sharing many of the same crew as the Creepshow installments.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Obvious fake cat as it attacks Carolyn's face.

Quotes:

Carola: [as she begins to change back into a monster] You broke your promise, you IDIOT! I loved you!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Nightmares in Foam Rubber (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE (Original Theme)

aka Creepshow 3

Okay, not officially, but basically this Romero/King joint effort is a successor to their Creepshow movies as much as a movie-length version of the TV series Tales from the Darkside. Maybe they avoided calling it Creepshow 3 due to the poor take from the second movie? Regardless, while the framing device is merely adequate, all three of the stories are chilling enough. The first two stories are in the fine old EC Comics/Creepshow tradition of bad people getting their comeuppance in memorable style. The third is a rather touching romance, all things considered. The best segment is probably the first, with performances from Christian Slater doing his best Jack Nicolson impression, and cult-fave Steve Buscemi as a murderous grad student. But it's all pretty enjoyable if you like that kind of thing.