Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)

A young boy tells three stories of horror to distract a witch who plans to eat him.

Director:

John Harrison

Writers:

Michael McDowell, Arthur Conan Doyle (short story "Lot 249")

Stars:

Debbie Harry, Matthew Lawrence, Christian Slater

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Debbie Harry	...	Betty (wraparound story) (as Deborah Harry)
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")

Storyline

This is really three shorter movies, bound together by a fourth tale in which the other three stories are read. The first segment features an animated mummy stalking selected student victims; the second tale tells the story of a "cat from Hell" who cannot be killed and leaves a trail of victims behind it; the third story is about a man who witnesses a bizarre killing and promises never to tell what he saw, and the "in-between" bit is the story of a woman preparing to cook her newspaper boy for supper.

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Plot Keywords:

hitman | based on tv series | secret | gargoyle | mummy | 

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Taglines:

Four Ghoulish Fables in One Modern Nightmare

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 May 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tales from the Darkside: The Movie

Filming Locations:

Bronxville, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$16,324,573

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Laurel Productions, Darkside Movie

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During a scene in "Lot 249", Dawn of the Dead (1978) can be heard playing from the TV. Its writer/director, 'George A. Romero', wrote the screenplay for the segment "Cat From Hell".

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Goofs

The amount of whiskey in Halston's glass as he notices the gash on his shoulder.

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Quotes

Halston: [preparing to asassinate a cat] The rest of your nine lives are going in one lump-sum.

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Connections

References Kwaidan (1964)

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Soundtracks

The Way of All Flesh
Composed and Performed by Jim Manzie
Produced by David J. Holman (as D.J. Holman) and Pat Regan (Manzie Music)

User Reviews

"All the Better to Eat You With My Dear"

Tales From the Darkside: the Movie was a very entertaining film. It has four stories in it. The first is a wrap-around story about a woman going to cook a ten year old boy for dinner, yet the child reads stories to her to try and delay his death. In a way, this is related to tales of the Arabian Nights. The three other stories are the ones told by the young boy. All of them are actually very interesting, have elements of fright, are generally well-acted, and have some kind of message. One deals with an ancient mummy out to avenge a smart yet socially outcast student at a college. Another story deals with a malevolent cat out to duel with a hitman paid $100,000 to kill a cat. Gruesome but great story with some real good acting, especially by William Hickey. Love that voice! The final story deals with a relationship between a gargoyle and an artist. An intriguing tale and has Rae Dawn Chong in it(a nice asset). All the stories are well-made and well-written, the wrap-around story being the weakest due to its resolution. Nonetheless, Tales From the Darkside is a fun horror film in the vein of Tales From the Crypt and Creepshow.