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:

Brace yourself for some KILLER stories.

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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

Three cast members of this movie also appeared on the Tales from the Darkside (1983) television series: 'Deborah Harry', Christian Slater and 'William Hickey'.

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Goofs

Obvious fake cat as it attacks Carolyn's face.

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Quotes

Preston: There's Van Gogh. Degas. Rodin. They didn't have agents. How'd they get so successful?
Maddox: They died.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Anthology Horror Films (2016)

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Soundtracks

Tales from the Darkside (Original Theme)
Composed by Donald Rubinstein (as Donald A. Rubinstein) and Erica Lindsay

User Reviews

Don't You Just Love Happy Endings?

Little Timmy (Matthew Lawrence) is arrested in the kitchen of Betty (Deborah Harry) that is preparing a dinner party for eight guests where Timmy is the main dish. Timmy tells three horror stories to buy time and try to escape:

"Lot 249" – The riches Andy (Christian Slater) and his best friend Lee (Robert Sedgwick) use Andy's sister Susan (Julianne Moore) to trick the nerd Bellingham (Steve Buscemi) and get his place in the university. Bellingham brings a Mummy (Michael Deak) to his room and uses a scroll to revive him and to take revenge against Lee and Susan and later against Andy.

"Cat from Hell" – The millionaire Drogan (William Hickey) hires the hit- man Halston (David Johansen) to kill a cat that has murdered the three other people that lived with him in his mansion. But soon Halston learns that the cat is from hell.

"Lover's Vow" – The washed up artist Preston (James Remar) goes to the bar of his friend Jer to meet his agent Wyatt (Robert Klein) that tells him that does not want to be his agent anymore. Preston drinks booze until Jer closes the bar and they walk through a dark alley. Out of the blue, Jer is attacked and decapitated by a gargoyle and when Preston is going to be attacked, he promises to the gargoyle that he will never tell what has happened that night in the alley. The gargoyle flies away and when Preston is walking back home, he sees a woman, Carola (Rae Dawn Chong), near to the place where Jer was murdered. Preston invites Carola to go to his flat to call a cab and they begin a romance. Ten years later, they are happily married with two children and Preston decides to disclose his secret to his wife with tragic consequences for his family and him.

"Tales from the Darkside: The Movie" follows the format of "Creepshow", with a wraparound story and three segments. The wraparound story is funny with the fate of Timmy. "Lot 249" and "Cat from Hell" are good segments with the debut of Julianne Moore in a feature. But the unforgettable and heartbreaking "Lover's Vow" is among the best horror stories that I have ever seen with the surprising conclusion. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Contos da Escuridão" ("Tales from the Darkside")