Tales from the Darkside: The Movie: Difference between revisions
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{{short description|1990 film by John Harrison}} |
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[[Image:Tales from the dark side film.jpg|thumb|DVD release of ''Tales from the Darkside: The Movie'']] |
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{{Infobox film |
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''[[Tales from the Darkside]]'' is a [[1990 in film|1990]] movie based on the anthology television series [[Tales from the Darkside|of the same name]]. The film, shot in anthologhy style, tells the story of a child who tells three stories of horror to keep from being eaten by a witch. |
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| name = Tales from the Darkside: The Movie |
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| image = Talesfromthedarkside.jpg |
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| caption = Theatrical release poster |
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| director = [[John Harrison (director)|John Harrison]] |
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| producer = {{Plainlist| |
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* [[Richard P. Rubinstein]] |
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* [[Mitchell Galin]] |
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}} |
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| screenplay = {{Plainlist| |
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* [[Michael McDowell (author)|Michael McDowell]] |
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* [[George A. Romero]] |
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}} |
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| based_on = {{Plainlist| |
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* {{based on|"[[Lot No. 249]]"|[[Arthur Conan Doyle]]}} |
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* {{based on|"[[The Cat from Hell]]"|[[Stephen King]]}} |
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* {{based on|"[[Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things|Yuki-Onna]]"|[[Lafcadio Hearn]]}} |
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}} |
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| starring = {{Plainlist| |
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* [[Debbie Harry|Deborah Harry]] |
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* [[Christian Slater]] |
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* [[David Johansen]] |
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* [[William Hickey (actor)|William Hickey]] |
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* [[James Remar]] |
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* [[Rae Dawn Chong]]}} |
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| music = {{Plainlist| |
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* [[Donald Rubinstein|Donald A. Rubinstein]] |
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* [[Jimmy Manzie|Jim Manzie]] |
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* Pat Regan |
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* [[Chaz Jankel]] |
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* John Harrison |
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}} |
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| cinematography = Robert Draper |
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| editing = Harry B. Miller III |
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| studio = [[Richard P. Rubinstein#Laurel Entertainment|Laurel Productions]] |
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| distributor = [[Paramount Pictures]] |
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| released = {{Film date|1990|05|04}} |
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| runtime = 93 minutes |
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| country = United States |
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| language = English |
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| budget = $6 million<ref>{{cite web |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58702-TALES-FROM-THE-DARKSIDE--THE-MOVIE |title=Catalog - Tales from the Darkside: The Movie |website=[[American Film Institute]]}}</ref> |
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| gross = $16.3 million |
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}} |
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'''''Tales from the Darkside: The Movie''''' is a 1990 American [[comedy horror]] [[anthology film]] directed by [[John Harrison (director)|John Harrison]], serving as a [[Spin-off (media)|spin-off]] of the anthology television series ''[[Tales from the Darkside]]''. The film depicts the [[frame story]] of a kidnapped paperboy who tells three stories of horror to the suburban witch who is preparing to eat him. |
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The film was a collection of short horror stories. Two were based on stories from notable authors. [[Arthur Conan Doyle]] wrote the story "Lot 249" and [[Stephen King]] wrote the short story for the segment "Cat From Hell". [[George A. Romero]] adapted the King story for the screen. |
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== |
==Plot== |
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===Prologue=== |
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Betty, an affluent suburban housewife and modern-day witch, plans a dinner party for her fellow witches. The main dish is to be Timmy, a young boy whom she has captured and chained up in her pantry. To stall her from cooking him, the boy tells her three stories from a book she gave him, titled ''Tales from the Darkside''. |
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===''Lot 249''=== |
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*[[Deborah Harry]] (in the wrap-around segments between stories as Betty, the witch) |
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Graduate student Edward Bellingham has been cheated by two classmates, Susan and Lee, who framed him for theft to ruin his chances of winning a scholarship for which they were competing. As revenge, Bellingham [[Necromancy|reanimates]] a [[mummy]] and uses it to murder them. |
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*[[Christian Slater]] |
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*[[James Remar]] |
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*[[Steve Buscemi]] |
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*[[Julianne Moore]] |
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*[[William Hickey]] |
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*[[Robert Klein]] |
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*[[Rae Dawn Chong]] |
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Susan's brother Andy kidnaps Bellingham, forces him to summon the mummy, then destroys it and burns its remains. He also burns what he believes to be the reanimation parchment. He considers killing Bellingham, but in the end cannot bring himself to commit real murder. |
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Deborah Harry, Christian Slater and William Hickey also appeared on the television program. |
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However, Bellingham resurrects Susan and Lee (having switched the reanimation parchment with a similar one) and dispatches them to Andy's dorm. They greet the terrified Andy by saying that Bellingham sends his regards. |
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===''The Cat from Hell''=== |
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Drogan, a wealthy old man who uses a wheelchair, brings in a hitman named Halston for a bizarre hire: kill a black cat, which Drogan believes is murderously evil. Drogan explains that there were three other occupants of his house before the cat arrived: his sister, Amanda, her friend Carolyn, and the family's butler, Richard Gage. Drogan claims that one by one, the cat killed the other three, and that he is next. Drogan's pharmaceutical company killed 5,000 cats while testing a new drug, and he is convinced that this black cat is here to [[Karma|exact cosmic revenge]]. |
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Halston does not believe the story, but is more than willing to eliminate the cat since Drogan is offering $100,000. But when Drogan returns to the house to see if the deed is done, he finds that the cat has killed Halston by climbing down his throat. The cat emerges from the hitman's corpse and jumps at Drogan, giving him a fatal heart attack. |
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===''Lover's Vow''=== |
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Preston is a struggling artist. He lives in a studio with a skylight, through which a large stone [[gargoyle]] on the neighboring building, peers down. Preston's agent calls, asking to meet with him at a bar a few blocks away. The agent tells Preston that his artwork is unpopular and not selling. Dejected, Preston drinks heavily and at the end of the night, the bar owner who is a friend of his, offers to walk him home. |
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Along the way, Preston stops to relieve himself in a back alley, when his friend sees and shoots at a gargoyle monster. The creature attacks, severing his hand and then decapitating him. Terrified, Preston tries to run away, but the creature corners him and speaks, agreeing to spare his life if he swears never to reveal what he has seen. The monster scratches Preston's chest, saying "Cross your heart?", then vanishes. |
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Preston runs into another alley where he bumps into a lone woman named Carola. She claims to have become lost while going to meet friends and was searching for a taxi. Preston convinces her to call a taxi from his apartment, where Carola cleans the gargoyle-inflicted wound on his chest, and they have sex. |
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Preston's life soon improves, and his struggling art career becomes wildly successful, mostly thanks to Carola's connections. They eventually marry and have two children. Preston is still tormented by memories of the gargoyle though, and his vow of silence weighs heavily on him. On the tenth anniversary of him first meeting Carola, Preston breaks down and tells her about the monster. Carola appears uncomfortable by his revelation and then emits a heartbroken wail, "You promised you'd never tell!", revealing herself as the creature that killed his friend. |
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With Preston's vow broken, Carola can no longer remain human and begins transforming back into a gargoyle. Their children are screaming in the bedroom as they also transform into gargoyles. Carola, now fully transformed, wraps her wings around Preston and the couple proclaim their love for each other, but with the vow broken, Carola is still reluctantly forced to kill him by ripping his throat out, before flying away with her gargoyle children. The final scene shows the three gargoyles now turned to stone and sitting upon the building ledge, staring down at the city with sorrowful expressions. |
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===Epilogue=== |
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Betty remarks that Timmy saved the best story for last, but he says that the next one is best, and has a happy ending. She replies that none of the stories in the book have happy endings and it is too late as she has to start cooking him. As Betty advances on Timmy, he narrates his own actions: throwing some marbles on the floor, causing her to slip and fall on her butcher's block and impaling her on her own tools. Timmy releases himself and pushes her into her own oven. The film ends with Timmy helping himself to a cookie and breaking the fourth wall by saying "Don't you just love happy endings?" |
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==Cast== |
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{{Col-begin}} |
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{{Col-break}} |
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;Wraparound Story |
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* [[Debbie Harry|Deborah Harry]] as Betty |
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* [[Matthew Lawrence]] as Timmy |
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* David Forrester as The Priest |
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* Bryan Thomas Norton as Boy On Bicycle |
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{{Col-break}} |
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;Lot 249 |
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* [[Steve Buscemi]] as Edward Bellingham |
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* [[Julianne Moore]] as Susan Smith |
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* [[Christian Slater]] as Andy Smith |
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* [[Robert Sedgwick (actor)|Robert Sedgwick]] as Lee Monckton |
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* Donald Van Horn as Moving Man |
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* Michael Deak as The Mummy |
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* [[George Guidall]] as Museum Director |
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* [[Kathleen Chalfant]] as Dean |
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* [[Ralph Marrero]] as The Cabbie |
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{{Col-break}} |
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;Cat from Hell |
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* [[William Hickey (actor)|William Hickey]] as Drogan |
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* [[David Johansen]] as Halston |
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* Paul Greeno as The Cabbie |
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* [[Alice Drummond]] as Carolyn |
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* [[Dolores Sutton]] as Amanda |
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* [[Mark Margolis]] as Gage |
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{{Col-break}} |
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;Lover's Vow |
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* [[James Remar]] as Preston |
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* [[Rae Dawn Chong]] as Carola |
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* [[Robert Klein]] as Wyatt |
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* Ashton Wise as Jer |
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* Philip Lenkowsky as Maddox |
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* Joe Dabenigno as Cop No. 1 |
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* Larry Silvestri as Cop No. 2 |
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* Donna Davidge as Gallery Patron |
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* [[Nicole Leach|Nicole Rochelle]] as Margaret |
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* Daniel Harrison as John |
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{{col-end}} |
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==Production== |
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''Tales from the Darkside: The Movie'' was a film adaptation of the [[Tales From the Darkside|TV series of the same name]], a horror anthology series created by [[George A. Romero]] in the wake of his success with the anthology film ''[[Creepshow]]'' (1982).<ref name="Screen Rant">{{cite web |url=https://screenrant.com/creepshow-3-tales-darkside-real-sequel/ |last=Cotter |first=Padraig |title=The Real Creepshow 3 Is Tales From The Darkside: The Movie |website=[[Screen Rant]] |date=April 11, 2019 |access-date=November 29, 2023}}</ref> Romero and author [[Stephen King]] had previously collaborated on both ''Creepshow'' and ''[[Creepshow 2]]'' (1987), but did not return for the third installment, ''[[Creepshow 3]]'' (2006).<ref name="Screen Rant"/> Subsequently, some, including ''Creepshow'' series effects artist [[Tom Savini]], have referred to ''Tales From the Darkside: The Movie'' as the true ''Creepshow 3'', due to its similar tone, feel and production ties to the first two films.<ref name="Screen Rant"/> Director [[John Harrison (director)|John Harrison]] had previously worked with Romero on many projects, including the ''Tales from the Darkside'' TV series<ref name="TV Guide">{{cite web |url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/tales-from-the-darkside-the-movie/review/2000113480/ |website=[[TV Guide]] |title=Tales from the Darkside: The Movie Reviews}}</ref> and ''Creepshow'', providing the musical score for the latter.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lalalandrecords.com/creepshow-limited-edition/ |title=CREEPSHOW: LIMITED EDITION |website=La-La Land Records |access-date=November 29, 2023}}</ref> |
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The first segment is an adaptation of [[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]]'s 1892 short story "[[Lot No. 249]]", written by [[Michael McDowell (author)|Michael McDowell]]. The second segment is an adaptation of [[Stephen King]]'s 1977 short story "[[The Cat from Hell]]", written by [[George A. Romero]]. The third and final segment is a loose adaptation of the legend of the [[Yuki-onna]] from [[Lafcadio Hearn]]'s 1904 book ''[[Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things]]'', also written by McDowell. |
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"The Cat from Hell"—as well as another King story, ''[[Pinfall (short story)|Pinfall]]''—was originally going to appear in ''Creepshow 2'' but was scrapped, due to budgetary reasons.<ref name="Screen Rant"/> |
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==Reception== |
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''Tales from the Darkside: The Movie'' was a modest box office success for [[Paramount Pictures]]. The film was released on May 4, 1990 in the United States, opening in third place that weekend.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=1990&wknd=18&p=.htm |title=Weekend Box Office May 3-5, 1990 |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=November 7, 2011}}</ref> It grossed a total of $16,324,573 domestically.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=talesfromthedarkside.htm |title=Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990) |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=November 7, 2011}}</ref> |
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The film has a rating of 46% on the ratings aggregation site [[Rotten Tomatoes]], based on 24 reviews, and an overall grade of "C" at [[Box Office Mojo]]. On [[Metacritic]], the film has a rating of 54 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".<ref>{{cite web |title=Tales from the Darkside: The Movie Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/tales-from-the-darkside-the-movie/ |access-date=September 28, 2023 |website=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref> |
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''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' writer Michael Wilmington criticized Harrison's directing choices ("too much ritzy film noir styling and self-conscious comic book frames") but said "there's more brain than usual beneath the blood and guts".<ref>{{cite web |last=Wilmington |first=Michael |title=Movie Review: 'Darkside' a Clever Cut Above Horror Fare |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-07-ca-68-story.html |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=May 7, 1990 |access-date=June 13, 2021}}</ref> ''[[The Washington Post]]'' panned the film, calling it a "lame effort".<ref>{{cite news |last=Harrington |first=Richard |title='Tales From the Darkside: The Movie' (R) |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/talesfromthedarksidethemovierharrington_a0aae6.htm |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=May 5, 1990 |access-date=June 13, 2021}}</ref> ''[[TV Guide]]'' deemed the film a "Dull, derivative horror anthology", finding it to be "overrun with flashy camerawork and film noir stylistic flourishes that pad, rather than propel, the already weak stories offered."<ref name="TV Guide"/> |
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In retrospective reviews, Odie Henderson of ''[[Slant Magazine]]'' observed that "Each mini-movie has the same tally of moments of greatness, grossness, and dullness, giving ''Tales from the Darkside: The Movie'' an even-handed feel", adding, "Wraparound story notwithstanding, they want you to root for the underdog, even if the underdog represents evil."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/summer-of-90-mummies-and-gargoyles-and-cats-oh-my-tales-from-the-darkside-the-movie/ |last=Henderson |first=Odie |title=Summer of '90: John Harrison's Tales from the Darkside: The Movie |website=[[Slant Magazine]] |date=May 4, 2015 |access-date=November 29, 2023}}</ref> Padraig Cotter of ''[[Screen Rant]]'' noted that, while the film "wasn't a huge hit, it was an effective, entertaining anthology", and agreed with the notion that it was the true successor to ''Creepshow 2''.<ref name="Screen Rant"/> |
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==Aborted sequel== |
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[[Laurel Productions]] initially announced a sequel to the film in October 1990. A screenplay was written by the first film's screenwriters, Michael McDowell and George Romero, along with [[Gahan Wilson]].<ref>{{cite web |date=October 15, 1990 |title=Laurel Productions presents TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE THE MOVIE 2 |url=http://www.varietyultimate.com/archive/issue/WV-10-15-1990-23 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date=November 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115113137/http://www.varietyultimate.com/archive/issue/WV-10-15-1990-23 |archive-date=January 15, 2023}}</ref> Segments planned included an adaptation of [[Robert Bloch]]'s "Almost Human", alongside adaptations of King's short stories "[[Pinfall (short story)|Pinfall]]" (originally planned for ''Creepshow 2'') and "[[Rainy Season (short story)|Rainy Season]]".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Gingold |first=Michael |date=May 1993 |title=Shocker Sequel Checklist |magazine=[[Fangoria]] |page=71}}</ref> This sequel, however, never came to fruition.<ref name="Screen Rant"/> |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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*{{IMDb title|id=0100740|title=Tales from the Darkside: The Movie}} |
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*{{rotten-tomatoes|id=tales_from_the_darkside_the_movie|title=Tales from the Darkside: The Movie}} |
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*{{mojo title|id=talesfromthedarkside|title=Tales from the Darkside: The Movie}} |
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{{The Creepshow Trilogy}} |
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{{Media based on Stephen King works}} |
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{{George A. Romero}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tales From The Darkside The Movie}} |
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[[Category:1990 films]] |
[[Category:1990 films]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:1990s monster movies]] |
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[[Category:1990 comedy horror films]] |
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[[Category:1990s supernatural horror films]] |
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[[Category:Films based on television series]] |
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[[Category:Films based on works by Stephen King]] |
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[[Category:American supernatural horror films]] |
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[[Category:American monster movies]] |
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[[Category:Paramount Pictures films]] |
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[[Category:American sequel films]] |
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[[Category:American horror anthology films]] |
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[[Category:Films based on multiple works]] |
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[[Category:Films based on short fiction]] |
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[[Category:Gargoyles in popular culture]] |
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[[Category:Mummy films]] |
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[[Category:Films about witchcraft]] |
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[[Category:American films about revenge]] |
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[[Category:Films based on works by Arthur Conan Doyle]] |
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[[Category:Films scored by Jimmy Manzie]] |
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[[Category:Films scored by Chaz Jankel]] |
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[[Category:Films directed by John Harrison (director)]] |
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[[Category:Films with screenplays by George A. Romero]] |
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[[Category:1990s English-language films]] |
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[[Category:1990s American films]] |
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[[Category:Frame stories]] |
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[[Category:Films about child abduction]] |
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[[Category:Resurrection in film]] |
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[[Category:1990 science fiction films]] |
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[[Category:English-language comedy horror films]] |
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[[Category:English-language science fiction horror films]] |
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[[ja:フロム・ザ・ダークサイド#劇場版]] |
Latest revision as of 07:12, 22 December 2024
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie | |
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Directed by | John Harrison |
Screenplay by | |
Based on | |
Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Robert Draper |
Edited by | Harry B. Miller III |
Music by |
|
Production company | |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 93 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $6 million[1] |
Box office | $16.3 million |
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie is a 1990 American comedy horror anthology film directed by John Harrison, serving as a spin-off of the anthology television series Tales from the Darkside. The film depicts the frame story of a kidnapped paperboy who tells three stories of horror to the suburban witch who is preparing to eat him.
Plot
[edit]Prologue
[edit]Betty, an affluent suburban housewife and modern-day witch, plans a dinner party for her fellow witches. The main dish is to be Timmy, a young boy whom she has captured and chained up in her pantry. To stall her from cooking him, the boy tells her three stories from a book she gave him, titled Tales from the Darkside.
Lot 249
[edit]Graduate student Edward Bellingham has been cheated by two classmates, Susan and Lee, who framed him for theft to ruin his chances of winning a scholarship for which they were competing. As revenge, Bellingham reanimates a mummy and uses it to murder them.
Susan's brother Andy kidnaps Bellingham, forces him to summon the mummy, then destroys it and burns its remains. He also burns what he believes to be the reanimation parchment. He considers killing Bellingham, but in the end cannot bring himself to commit real murder.
However, Bellingham resurrects Susan and Lee (having switched the reanimation parchment with a similar one) and dispatches them to Andy's dorm. They greet the terrified Andy by saying that Bellingham sends his regards.
The Cat from Hell
[edit]Drogan, a wealthy old man who uses a wheelchair, brings in a hitman named Halston for a bizarre hire: kill a black cat, which Drogan believes is murderously evil. Drogan explains that there were three other occupants of his house before the cat arrived: his sister, Amanda, her friend Carolyn, and the family's butler, Richard Gage. Drogan claims that one by one, the cat killed the other three, and that he is next. Drogan's pharmaceutical company killed 5,000 cats while testing a new drug, and he is convinced that this black cat is here to exact cosmic revenge.
Halston does not believe the story, but is more than willing to eliminate the cat since Drogan is offering $100,000. But when Drogan returns to the house to see if the deed is done, he finds that the cat has killed Halston by climbing down his throat. The cat emerges from the hitman's corpse and jumps at Drogan, giving him a fatal heart attack.
Lover's Vow
[edit]Preston is a struggling artist. He lives in a studio with a skylight, through which a large stone gargoyle on the neighboring building, peers down. Preston's agent calls, asking to meet with him at a bar a few blocks away. The agent tells Preston that his artwork is unpopular and not selling. Dejected, Preston drinks heavily and at the end of the night, the bar owner who is a friend of his, offers to walk him home.
Along the way, Preston stops to relieve himself in a back alley, when his friend sees and shoots at a gargoyle monster. The creature attacks, severing his hand and then decapitating him. Terrified, Preston tries to run away, but the creature corners him and speaks, agreeing to spare his life if he swears never to reveal what he has seen. The monster scratches Preston's chest, saying "Cross your heart?", then vanishes.
Preston runs into another alley where he bumps into a lone woman named Carola. She claims to have become lost while going to meet friends and was searching for a taxi. Preston convinces her to call a taxi from his apartment, where Carola cleans the gargoyle-inflicted wound on his chest, and they have sex.
Preston's life soon improves, and his struggling art career becomes wildly successful, mostly thanks to Carola's connections. They eventually marry and have two children. Preston is still tormented by memories of the gargoyle though, and his vow of silence weighs heavily on him. On the tenth anniversary of him first meeting Carola, Preston breaks down and tells her about the monster. Carola appears uncomfortable by his revelation and then emits a heartbroken wail, "You promised you'd never tell!", revealing herself as the creature that killed his friend.
With Preston's vow broken, Carola can no longer remain human and begins transforming back into a gargoyle. Their children are screaming in the bedroom as they also transform into gargoyles. Carola, now fully transformed, wraps her wings around Preston and the couple proclaim their love for each other, but with the vow broken, Carola is still reluctantly forced to kill him by ripping his throat out, before flying away with her gargoyle children. The final scene shows the three gargoyles now turned to stone and sitting upon the building ledge, staring down at the city with sorrowful expressions.
Epilogue
[edit]Betty remarks that Timmy saved the best story for last, but he says that the next one is best, and has a happy ending. She replies that none of the stories in the book have happy endings and it is too late as she has to start cooking him. As Betty advances on Timmy, he narrates his own actions: throwing some marbles on the floor, causing her to slip and fall on her butcher's block and impaling her on her own tools. Timmy releases himself and pushes her into her own oven. The film ends with Timmy helping himself to a cookie and breaking the fourth wall by saying "Don't you just love happy endings?"
Cast
[edit]
|
|
|
|
Production
[edit]Tales from the Darkside: The Movie was a film adaptation of the TV series of the same name, a horror anthology series created by George A. Romero in the wake of his success with the anthology film Creepshow (1982).[2] Romero and author Stephen King had previously collaborated on both Creepshow and Creepshow 2 (1987), but did not return for the third installment, Creepshow 3 (2006).[2] Subsequently, some, including Creepshow series effects artist Tom Savini, have referred to Tales From the Darkside: The Movie as the true Creepshow 3, due to its similar tone, feel and production ties to the first two films.[2] Director John Harrison had previously worked with Romero on many projects, including the Tales from the Darkside TV series[3] and Creepshow, providing the musical score for the latter.[4]
The first segment is an adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 1892 short story "Lot No. 249", written by Michael McDowell. The second segment is an adaptation of Stephen King's 1977 short story "The Cat from Hell", written by George A. Romero. The third and final segment is a loose adaptation of the legend of the Yuki-onna from Lafcadio Hearn's 1904 book Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, also written by McDowell.
"The Cat from Hell"—as well as another King story, Pinfall—was originally going to appear in Creepshow 2 but was scrapped, due to budgetary reasons.[2]
Reception
[edit]Tales from the Darkside: The Movie was a modest box office success for Paramount Pictures. The film was released on May 4, 1990 in the United States, opening in third place that weekend.[5] It grossed a total of $16,324,573 domestically.[6]
The film has a rating of 46% on the ratings aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, based on 24 reviews, and an overall grade of "C" at Box Office Mojo. On Metacritic, the film has a rating of 54 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[7]
Los Angeles Times writer Michael Wilmington criticized Harrison's directing choices ("too much ritzy film noir styling and self-conscious comic book frames") but said "there's more brain than usual beneath the blood and guts".[8] The Washington Post panned the film, calling it a "lame effort".[9] TV Guide deemed the film a "Dull, derivative horror anthology", finding it to be "overrun with flashy camerawork and film noir stylistic flourishes that pad, rather than propel, the already weak stories offered."[3]
In retrospective reviews, Odie Henderson of Slant Magazine observed that "Each mini-movie has the same tally of moments of greatness, grossness, and dullness, giving Tales from the Darkside: The Movie an even-handed feel", adding, "Wraparound story notwithstanding, they want you to root for the underdog, even if the underdog represents evil."[10] Padraig Cotter of Screen Rant noted that, while the film "wasn't a huge hit, it was an effective, entertaining anthology", and agreed with the notion that it was the true successor to Creepshow 2.[2]
Aborted sequel
[edit]Laurel Productions initially announced a sequel to the film in October 1990. A screenplay was written by the first film's screenwriters, Michael McDowell and George Romero, along with Gahan Wilson.[11] Segments planned included an adaptation of Robert Bloch's "Almost Human", alongside adaptations of King's short stories "Pinfall" (originally planned for Creepshow 2) and "Rainy Season".[12] This sequel, however, never came to fruition.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ "Catalog - Tales from the Darkside: The Movie". American Film Institute.
- ^ a b c d e f Cotter, Padraig (April 11, 2019). "The Real Creepshow 3 Is Tales From The Darkside: The Movie". Screen Rant. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ^ a b "Tales from the Darkside: The Movie Reviews". TV Guide.
- ^ "CREEPSHOW: LIMITED EDITION". La-La Land Records. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ^ "Weekend Box Office May 3-5, 1990". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
- ^ "Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
- ^ "Tales from the Darkside: The Movie Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
- ^ Wilmington, Michael (May 7, 1990). "Movie Review: 'Darkside' a Clever Cut Above Horror Fare". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
- ^ Harrington, Richard (May 5, 1990). "'Tales From the Darkside: The Movie' (R)". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
- ^ Henderson, Odie (May 4, 2015). "Summer of '90: John Harrison's Tales from the Darkside: The Movie". Slant Magazine. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ^ "Laurel Productions presents TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE THE MOVIE 2". Variety. October 15, 1990. Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ^ Gingold, Michael (May 1993). "Shocker Sequel Checklist". Fangoria. p. 71.
External links
[edit]- 1990 films
- 1990s monster movies
- 1990 comedy horror films
- 1990s supernatural horror films
- Films based on television series
- Films based on works by Stephen King
- American supernatural horror films
- American monster movies
- Paramount Pictures films
- American sequel films
- American horror anthology films
- Films based on multiple works
- Films based on short fiction
- Gargoyles in popular culture
- Mummy films
- Films about witchcraft
- American films about revenge
- Films based on works by Arthur Conan Doyle
- Films scored by Jimmy Manzie
- Films scored by Chaz Jankel
- Films directed by John Harrison (director)
- Films with screenplays by George A. Romero
- 1990s English-language films
- 1990s American films
- Frame stories
- Films about child abduction
- Resurrection in film
- 1990 science fiction films
- English-language comedy horror films
- English-language science fiction horror films