Tales from the Darkside: The Movie
Encyclopedia
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie is a 1990 movie directed by John Harrison
based on the anthology television series Tales from the Darkside
. The film, shot in anthology style, depicts a kidnapped paperboy who tells three stories of horror to the suburban witch who is preparing to eat him, à la Hansel and Gretel
.
Paramount Pictures
' (which distributed this movie) television division
would later gain distribution rights to the Tales from the Darkside TV series.
The film is sometimes confused to have been intended as Creepshow 3
, a sequel to George A. Romero
and Stephen King's
popular horror anthology, Creepshow
. However, this is not supported by any real evidence. However, Tom Savini
has been quoted as saying that this film is the real "Creepshow 3" which may be the start of the rumor, though he may just be referring to the shared legacy of both properties and the involvement of both King and Romero.
) planning a dinner party. The main dish is to be Timmy (Matthew Lawrence
), a young boy whom she had captured earlier and chained up in her pantry. To stall her from stuffing and roasting him, the boy tells her three horror stories from the book "Tales from the Darkside".
adapts Arthur Conan Doyle
's short story, "Lot No. 249
". A graduate student, Bellingham (played by Steve Buscemi
), reanimates a mummy and uses it to take revenge on a pair of crooked college students, Susan (played by Julianne Moore
), and Lee (played by Robert Sedgwick
) who conspired to cheat Bellingham out of a scholarship. Their actions 'framed' him for theft from a museum, which results in his expulsion from the college. In vengeance for his master, the reanimated corpse kills both in rather gruesome ways, each by a step of mummification (Lee has his brain removed through his nose, and Susan is killed after her body is stuffed with fragrant flowers). After discovering the cause, Susan's brother Andy (played by Christian Slater
) kidnaps Bellingham, and burns the parchment and mummy that was the cause of it all. It is later discovered that Andy had burned the incorrect scroll, as the reanimated corpses of Susan and Lee, resurrected by Bellingham, close in on Andy in his dorm room.
adapts a Stephen King
short story (of the same name). It is the story of Drogan, a wealthy elderly man who uses a wheelchair, (played by William Hickey
), who hires a hitman, Halston (played by David Johansen
), for one of the strangest jobs of his career: 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 (played by Dolores Sutton
), her friend Carolyn (played by Alice Drummond
), and the family's butler, Richard Gage (played by Mark Margolis
). The cat was adopted by Carolyn and Amanda, who ignore Drogan's claim that he can sense that the cat is evil. Drogan claims that one by one, the cat killed the other three: first it tripped Amanda, causing her to fall down a flight of stairs; then it clamped on to Carolyn's face until she suffocated; and finally, after Gage managed to capture the beast and tried to drive it to the vet to have it put down, it scratched his face, causing Gage to get into a fatal car crash. And each death committed by the cat occurred at midnight.
Drogan believes that he is being punished because his pharmaceutical company
killed 5,000 cats while testing a new drug. Halston doesn't believe the story, but is more than willing to eliminate the cat since Drogan is offering $100,000. Halston soon discovers that the cat is extremely difficult to kill after he tries to kill it several times. Armed with a gun he tries shooting the cat, but instead shoots the clock when startled by the chime. Eventually the cat kills the hitman, forcing itself down his throat and into his stomach. Drogan returns and finds the hitman's body on the floor. The clock that was shot Halston was able to start ticking again, striking midnight. Awaken by the chime, the cat climbs out of the hitman's mouth and jumps at Drogan, which causes him to have a fatal heart attack.
and based on yuki-onna
, a spirit or yōkai in Japanese folklore or more specifically Lafcadio Hearn's version in Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things
. In the story, a despondent artist named Preston (played by James Remar
) witnesses a gruesome murder by a gargoyle
-like monster. The monster gets Preston to swear to never speak of what he saw in exchange for a promise to spare his life. After making the promise, Preston meets a beautiful woman named Carola (played by Rae Dawn Chong
). Preston marries Carola, they have two kids, and Preston has a revival of his art career. But Preston was still tormented by guilt about his silence, and started reconsidering the promise he made to the monster.
Preston then tells Carola about that night ten years ago when they met after he had witnessed the killing of a man by a monster which he sculpted to show her. After releasing a heartbroken screech, Carola reveals herself to be the very same creature he made the promise with, lamenting that the promise Preston made to the monster had been broken. As such, she reverts to her previous form, and their children transform into similar monsters as well. Within the shock and despair of such revelations, Preston is killed at 'her' hands, and she escapes through a skylight with their children. The final scene shows that the gargoyle and children have turned to stone upon a building ledge, staring down at Preston's body in remorse.
by asking us: "Don't you just love happy endings?"
Lot 249
Cat from Hell
Lover's Vow
The film was given a rating of 38% on the ratings aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes
, while receiving an overall grade of "C" at Box Office Mojo
.
John Harrison (filmmaker)
John Harrison is a writer, director, producer and composer.Harrison was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. He graduated from Emerson College in Boston with a BS in Theater Arts. For several years after that, he performed on the road with his band Homebrew before moving back to Pittsburgh to take a...
based on the anthology television series Tales from the Darkside
Tales from the Darkside
Tales from the Darkside is an anthology horror TV series produced by George A. Romero; it originally aired from 1983 to 1988. Similar to Amazing Stories, The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, The Outer Limits, and Tales From The Crypt, each episode was an individual short story that ended with a plot...
. The film, shot in anthology style, depicts a kidnapped paperboy who tells three stories of horror to the suburban witch who is preparing to eat him, à la Hansel and Gretel
Hansel and Gretel
"Hansel and Gretel" is a well-known fairy tale of German origin, recorded by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812. Hansel and Gretel are a young brother and sister threatened by a cannibalistic hag living deep in the forest in a house constructed of cake and confectionery. The two children...
.
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
' (which distributed this movie) television division
CBS Paramount Television
CBS Television Studios is an American television production/distribution company that was formed on January 17, 2006 by CBS Corporation merging Paramount Television and CBS Productions...
would later gain distribution rights to the Tales from the Darkside TV series.
The film is sometimes confused to have been intended as Creepshow 3
Creepshow 3
Creepshow III is an unofficial sequel to the 1982 horror anthology classic, Creepshow, by Stephen King and George A. Romero. The film, like the original, consists of five tales of light-hearted horror: "Alice", "The Radio", "Call Girl", "The Professor's Wife" and "Haunted Dog", although there is no...
, a sequel to George A. Romero
George A. Romero
George Andrew Romero is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and editor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed "Godfather of all Zombies." -Life and career:...
and Stephen King's
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
popular horror anthology, Creepshow
Creepshow
Creepshow is a 1982 American horror anthology film directed by George A. Romero and written by Stephen King. The film's ensemble cast included Ted Danson, Leslie Nielsen, Hal Holbrook, E.G...
. However, this is not supported by any real evidence. However, Tom Savini
Tom Savini
Thomas Vincent "Tom" Savini is an American actor, stuntman, director, award-winning special effects and makeup artist. He is known for his work on the Living Dead films directed by George A. Romero, as well as Creepshow, The Burning, Friday the 13th, The Prowler, and Maniac. He directed the 1990...
has been quoted as saying that this film is the real "Creepshow 3" which may be the start of the rumor, though he may just be referring to the shared legacy of both properties and the involvement of both King and Romero.
Plot
The movie opens with Betty, a housewife (Deborah HarryDebbie Harry
Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
) planning a dinner party. The main dish is to be Timmy (Matthew Lawrence
Matthew Lawrence
Matthew William Lawrence is an American actor known for his leading role in the movie Cheats with Trevor Fehrman and his role of Jack Hunter on the ABC sitcom Boy Meets World from 1997 to 2000, and his roles in movies such as The Hot Chick, The Comebacks, and Mrs...
), a young boy whom she had captured earlier and chained up in her pantry. To stall her from stuffing and roasting him, the boy tells her three horror stories from the book "Tales from the Darkside".
Lot 249
In the first segment, Michael McDowellMichael McDowell (author)
Michael McEachern McDowell was an American novelist and screenwriter. He received a B.A. and an M.A. from Harvard College and a Ph.D in English from Brandeis University in 1978...
adapts Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
's short story, "Lot No. 249
Lot No. 249
"Lot No. 249" is a short story written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The story tells of an Oxford college student who, through the use of Egyptian magic, manages to reanimate an ancient Egyptian mummy , which he then sends to attack all the people against whom he holds a grudge...
". A graduate student, Bellingham (played by Steve Buscemi
Steve Buscemi
Steven Vincent "Steve" Buscemi is an American actor, writer and film director. An associate member of the renowned experimental theater company The Wooster Group, Buscemi has starred and supported in successful Hollywood and indie films including New York Stories, Mystery Train, Reservoir Dogs,...
), reanimates a mummy and uses it to take revenge on a pair of crooked college students, Susan (played by Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore is an American actress and a children's book author. Throughout her career, she has been nominated for four Oscars, six Golden Globes, three BAFTAs and nine Screen Actors Guild Awards....
), and Lee (played by Robert Sedgwick
Robert Sedgwick (actor)
Robert Sedgwick is an American actor. He is sometimes credited as Rob Sedgwick. He is the younger brother of award-winning actress Kyra Sedgwick....
) who conspired to cheat Bellingham out of a scholarship. Their actions 'framed' him for theft from a museum, which results in his expulsion from the college. In vengeance for his master, the reanimated corpse kills both in rather gruesome ways, each by a step of mummification (Lee has his brain removed through his nose, and Susan is killed after her body is stuffed with fragrant flowers). After discovering the cause, Susan's brother Andy (played by Christian Slater
Christian Slater
Christian Michael Leonard Slater is an American actor. He made his film debut with a small role in The Postman Always Rings Twice before playing a leading role in the 1985 film The Legend of Billie Jean...
) kidnaps Bellingham, and burns the parchment and mummy that was the cause of it all. It is later discovered that Andy had burned the incorrect scroll, as the reanimated corpses of Susan and Lee, resurrected by Bellingham, close in on Andy in his dorm room.
Cat from Hell
In the second tale, George A. RomeroGeorge A. Romero
George Andrew Romero is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and editor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed "Godfather of all Zombies." -Life and career:...
adapts a Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
short story (of the same name). It is the story of Drogan, a wealthy elderly man who uses a wheelchair, (played by William Hickey
William Hickey (actor)
William Edward Hickey was an American actor. He was best known for his Oscar-nominated role as Don Corrado Prizzi in the John Huston 1985 film Prizzi's Honor, as well as the voice of Dr...
), who hires a hitman, Halston (played by David Johansen
David Johansen
David Roger Johansen is an American rock, protopunk, blues, and pop singer, as well as a songwriter and actor. He is best known as a member of the seminal protopunk band The New York Dolls and also achieved commercial success under the pseudonym Buster Poindexter.-Early life:Johansen was born in...
), for one of the strangest jobs of his career: 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 (played by Dolores Sutton
Dolores Sutton
Dolores Sutton was an American actress, writer and playwright. Born in New York City as Dolores Lila Silverstein to Benjamin and Mary Silverstein, she graduated from New York University in 1948 with a B.A. in Philosophy. Her career spanned seven decades and encompassed television, stage and movie...
), her friend Carolyn (played by Alice Drummond
Alice Drummond
Alice Drummond is an American actress of stage and television.Drummond was born as Alice E. Ruyter in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, daughter of Sarah Irene , a secretary, and Arthur Ruyter, an auto mechanic. She graduated from Pembroke College in 1950.She played Nurse Jackson on the TV series Dark...
), and the family's butler, Richard Gage (played by Mark Margolis
Mark Margolis
Mark Margolis is an American actor who has been making films since 1976.Margolis went to Temple University briefly before moving to New York City, where he studied drama with Stella Adler and at the Actors Studio...
). The cat was adopted by Carolyn and Amanda, who ignore Drogan's claim that he can sense that the cat is evil. Drogan claims that one by one, the cat killed the other three: first it tripped Amanda, causing her to fall down a flight of stairs; then it clamped on to Carolyn's face until she suffocated; and finally, after Gage managed to capture the beast and tried to drive it to the vet to have it put down, it scratched his face, causing Gage to get into a fatal car crash. And each death committed by the cat occurred at midnight.
Drogan believes that he is being punished because his pharmaceutical company
Pharmaceutical company
The pharmaceutical industry develops, produces, and markets drugs licensed for use as medications. Pharmaceutical companies are allowed to deal in generic and/or brand medications and medical devices...
killed 5,000 cats while testing a new drug. Halston doesn't believe the story, but is more than willing to eliminate the cat since Drogan is offering $100,000. Halston soon discovers that the cat is extremely difficult to kill after he tries to kill it several times. Armed with a gun he tries shooting the cat, but instead shoots the clock when startled by the chime. Eventually the cat kills the hitman, forcing itself down his throat and into his stomach. Drogan returns and finds the hitman's body on the floor. The clock that was shot Halston was able to start ticking again, striking midnight. Awaken by the chime, the cat climbs out of the hitman's mouth and jumps at Drogan, which causes him to have a fatal heart attack.
Lover's Vow
The third and final segment is written by Michael McDowellMichael McDowell (author)
Michael McEachern McDowell was an American novelist and screenwriter. He received a B.A. and an M.A. from Harvard College and a Ph.D in English from Brandeis University in 1978...
and based on yuki-onna
Yuki-onna
is a spirit or yōkai in Japanese folklore. She is a popular figure in Japanese literature, manga, and animation. Yuki-onna is sometimes confused with Yama-uba , but they are not the same.-Appearance:...
, a spirit or yōkai in Japanese folklore or more specifically Lafcadio Hearn's version in Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things
Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things
, often shortened to Kwaidan, is a book by Lafcadio Hearn that features several Japanese ghost stories and a brief non-fiction study on insects...
. In the story, a despondent artist named Preston (played by James Remar
James Remar
James Remar is an American actor and voice artist. He has appeared in movies, video games, and TV shows. He is perhaps best known as Richard, the on-off tycoon boyfriend of Kim Cattrall's character in Sex and the City, as Ajax in The Warriors, as the homicidal maniac Albert Ganz in the 1982...
) witnesses a gruesome murder by a gargoyle
Gargoyle
In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque, usually made of granite, with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between...
-like monster. The monster gets Preston to swear to never speak of what he saw in exchange for a promise to spare his life. After making the promise, Preston meets a beautiful woman named Carola (played by Rae Dawn Chong
Rae Dawn Chong
Rae Dawn Chong is a Canadian-American actress.-Life and career:Chong was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the daughter of Maxine Sneed and Tommy Chong. She and her sister Robbi were raised by her grandmother, Tommy Chong's mother. Chong's father is of Chinese and Scottish-Irish ancestry and her...
). Preston marries Carola, they have two kids, and Preston has a revival of his art career. But Preston was still tormented by guilt about his silence, and started reconsidering the promise he made to the monster.
Preston then tells Carola about that night ten years ago when they met after he had witnessed the killing of a man by a monster which he sculpted to show her. After releasing a heartbroken screech, Carola reveals herself to be the very same creature he made the promise with, lamenting that the promise Preston made to the monster had been broken. As such, she reverts to her previous form, and their children transform into similar monsters as well. Within the shock and despair of such revelations, Preston is killed at 'her' hands, and she escapes through a skylight with their children. The final scene shows that the gargoyle and children have turned to stone upon a building ledge, staring down at Preston's body in remorse.
The Epilogue
As Betty makes preparations to cook Timmy he trips her by throwing some marbles on the floor. Betty slips and falls on her butcher's equipment, stabbing herself in the back. Timmy releases himself and pushes her into her own oven. The film ends with Timmy helping himself to a cookie and breaking the fourth wallFourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
by asking us: "Don't you just love happy endings?"
Cast
Wraparound Story- Deborah HarryDebbie HarryDeborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
as Betty - Matthew LawrenceMatthew LawrenceMatthew William Lawrence is an American actor known for his leading role in the movie Cheats with Trevor Fehrman and his role of Jack Hunter on the ABC sitcom Boy Meets World from 1997 to 2000, and his roles in movies such as The Hot Chick, The Comebacks, and Mrs...
as Timmy
Lot 249
- Steve BuscemiSteve BuscemiSteven Vincent "Steve" Buscemi is an American actor, writer and film director. An associate member of the renowned experimental theater company The Wooster Group, Buscemi has starred and supported in successful Hollywood and indie films including New York Stories, Mystery Train, Reservoir Dogs,...
as Bellingham - Julianne MooreJulianne MooreJulianne Moore is an American actress and a children's book author. Throughout her career, she has been nominated for four Oscars, six Golden Globes, three BAFTAs and nine Screen Actors Guild Awards....
as Susan - Christian SlaterChristian SlaterChristian Michael Leonard Slater is an American actor. He made his film debut with a small role in The Postman Always Rings Twice before playing a leading role in the 1985 film The Legend of Billie Jean...
as Andy - Robert SedgwickRobert Sedgwick (actor)Robert Sedgwick is an American actor. He is sometimes credited as Rob Sedgwick. He is the younger brother of award-winning actress Kyra Sedgwick....
as Lee - Donald Van Horn as Moving Man
- Michael Deak as Mummy
- George Guidall as Museum Director
- Kathleen ChalfantKathleen Chalfant-Life and career:Chalfant was born as in San Francisco, California and raised in her parents' boarding house in Oakland. Her father, William Bishop, was an officer in the Coast Guard...
as Dean - Ralph Marrero as Cabbie
Cat from Hell
- William HickeyWilliam Hickey (actor)William Edward Hickey was an American actor. He was best known for his Oscar-nominated role as Don Corrado Prizzi in the John Huston 1985 film Prizzi's Honor, as well as the voice of Dr...
as Drogan - David JohansenDavid JohansenDavid Roger Johansen is an American rock, protopunk, blues, and pop singer, as well as a songwriter and actor. He is best known as a member of the seminal protopunk band The New York Dolls and also achieved commercial success under the pseudonym Buster Poindexter.-Early life:Johansen was born in...
as Halston - Paul Greeno as Cabbie
- Alice DrummondAlice DrummondAlice Drummond is an American actress of stage and television.Drummond was born as Alice E. Ruyter in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, daughter of Sarah Irene , a secretary, and Arthur Ruyter, an auto mechanic. She graduated from Pembroke College in 1950.She played Nurse Jackson on the TV series Dark...
as Carolyn - Dolores SuttonDolores SuttonDolores Sutton was an American actress, writer and playwright. Born in New York City as Dolores Lila Silverstein to Benjamin and Mary Silverstein, she graduated from New York University in 1948 with a B.A. in Philosophy. Her career spanned seven decades and encompassed television, stage and movie...
as Amanda - Mark MargolisMark MargolisMark Margolis is an American actor who has been making films since 1976.Margolis went to Temple University briefly before moving to New York City, where he studied drama with Stella Adler and at the Actors Studio...
as Gage
Lover's Vow
- James RemarJames RemarJames Remar is an American actor and voice artist. He has appeared in movies, video games, and TV shows. He is perhaps best known as Richard, the on-off tycoon boyfriend of Kim Cattrall's character in Sex and the City, as Ajax in The Warriors, as the homicidal maniac Albert Ganz in the 1982...
as Preston - Rae Dawn ChongRae Dawn ChongRae Dawn Chong is a Canadian-American actress.-Life and career:Chong was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the daughter of Maxine Sneed and Tommy Chong. She and her sister Robbi were raised by her grandmother, Tommy Chong's mother. Chong's father is of Chinese and Scottish-Irish ancestry and her...
as Carola - Robert KleinRobert KleinRobert Klein is an American stand-up comedian, singer and actor.-Early life:Klein was born in the Bronx, the son of Frieda and Benjamin Klein, and was raised in a "prototypical 1950s Bronx Jewish" environment. After graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School, Klein planned to study medicine...
as Wyatt - Ashton Wise as Jer
- Philip Lenkowsky as Maddox
- Joe Dabenigno as Cop #1
- Larry Silvestri as Cop #2
- Donna Davidge as Gallery Patron
- Nicole Rochelle as Margaret
- Daniel HarrisonDaniel HarrisonDaniel Harrison is a music theorist, author, and current Chairman of the Department of Music at Yale University. Most interested in tonal theory, Harrison wrote his dissertation at Yale , which eventually became Harmonic Function in Chromatic Music: A Renewed Dualist Theory and an Account of Its...
as John
Reception
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie was a modest box office success for Paramount. The film was released May 3, 1990 in the United States, opening in third place that weekend. It grossed a total of $16,324,573 domestically.The film was given a rating of 38% on the ratings aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, while receiving an overall grade of "C" at Box Office Mojo
Box Office Mojo
Box Office Mojo is a website that tracks box office revenue in a systematic, algorithmic way. Brandon Gray started the site in 1999. In 2002, Gray partnered with Sean Saulsbury and they grew the site to nearly two million readers when, in July 2008, the company was purchased by Amazon.com through...
.