The Best Episodes of Tales from the Darkside

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
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   7.9/10(485 votes)

   #1 - Seasons of Belief

   S3:E1112/29/1986

   On Christmas Eve, a couple decide to preoccupy their restless children by telling them a fable concerning a massive, winged creature called "The Grither". The children initially balk at the story, which describes the creature as a proud, hateful beast who becomes enraged when it hears its name being spoken aloud. Although it lives at the North Pole, its humongous ears allow it to hear its name being spoken from anywhere in the world, and the parents assure the children that The Grither is well on its way to their house to kill them. The children become progressively more frightened as the story continues, eventually to the point of utter hysteria. Finally, in an effort to calm their children, the parents reveal that the story is make believe. At that moment, the huge arms of The Grither smash through the windows of the house and break the necks of the parents as the children look on in horror.

   Director:Michael McDowell

   Writer:Michael McDowell

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   Director:Michael McDowell

   Writer:Michael McDowell
2. 

   7.8/10(813 votes)

   #2 - Inside the Closet

   S1:E711/18/1984

   A student takes a room with an abrupt, somewhat rude anthropology professor. He instructs her never to open the small door in the back of her closet. Hearing strange noises, she eventually opens the door and finds the chamber beyond occupied by a small, hairless-monkey sort of a creature. It kills her and goes after the professor...only to reveal that it is his deformed daughter, which he lovingly dotes on.

   Director:Tom Savini

   Writer:Michael McDowell

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   Director:Tom Savini

   Writer:Michael McDowell
3. 

   7.7/10(563 votes)

   #3 - Halloween Candy

   S2:E510/27/1985

   A mean old man harboring an intense hatred for the celebration of Halloween is left alone by his son to hand out candy to the neighborhood children. The old man initially ignores the trick-or-treaters, but later cruelly fills their bags with a mixture of syrup and cleaning fluid. Satisfied, the old man retreats to his armchair to watch television, when a goblin-like creature pays him a visit. The creature relentlessly asks the old man for candy and he eventually shuts himself inside the house to avoid it. He suddenly realizes that he is unable to make phone calls as the goblin continues to stalk him from outside the house. Finally deciding to confront the creature, the old man walks out to the porch, only to discover that the goblin has vanished. He goes back into the house and looks out the window one last time. As he closes the curtain, he is confronted face-to-face by the creature inside the house, who again asks him for candy. Shocked and frightened, he falls to the floor and passe

   Director:Tom Savini

   Writer:Michael McDowell

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   Director:Tom Savini

   Writer:Michael McDowell
4. 

   7.6/10(489 votes)

   #4 - The Last Car

   S2:E192/23/1986

   Stacey is on her way home from college and rides the last car on a train. She is soon perplexed by the bizarre behavior of her fellow passengers, including a woman who knows her name despite the fact they've never met. Stacey soon discovers that she, and everyone else, are dead and on a one-way trip from which there is no escape.

   Director:John Strysik

   Writer:Michael McDowell

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   Director:John Strysik

   Writer:Michael McDowell
5. 

   7.5/10(373 votes)

   #5 - The Geezenstacks

   S3:E510/26/1986

   A little girl, Audrey, discovers she can control her family by manipulating her doll family, the Geezenstacks, within her dollhouse.

   Director:Bill Travis

   Writer:Unknown

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   Director:Bill Travis

   Writer:Unknown
6. 

   7.3/10(674 votes)

   #6 - A Case of the Stubborns

   S1:E912/2/1984

   In the backwoods, a family patriarch dies...only to come back, unaware that he's dead. The townspeople are up in arms, but the old man is too stubborn to admit he's dead, despite his rigor mortis, lack of appetite, and bad smell. His grandson Jody eventually goes to an old voodoo woman for a solution. Rather than magic, she provides him with a simple solution: pepper. Jody puts it in his grandpa's handkerchief. When the old man sneezes, his nose falls off, which finally convinces him to go lie down and give up life for good.

   Director:Gerald Cotts

   Writers:Harlan Ellison, Robert Bloch, James Houghton

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   Director:Gerald Cotts

   Writers:Harlan Ellison, Robert Bloch, James Houghton
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7. 

   7.3/10(431 votes)

   #7 - The Devil's Advocate

   S2:E711/10/1985

   A hate-style radio host, Mandrake, spews out venom at anyone who calls in. He soon discovers, however, after receiving calls across all of time that he is dead but that the "Boss," has kept him on since he discourages souls and make them more prone to the "Boss'" influence. Mandrake is unable to leave his broadcast booth and finds himself transforming into a demon as he has to continue broadcasting forever, and ever.

   Director:Michael Gornick

   Writer:George A. Romero

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   Director:Michael Gornick

   Writer:George A. Romero
8. 

   7.3/10(344 votes)

   #8 - The Cutty Black Sow

   S4:E145/8/1988

   On her deathbed, Jamie's great grandmother tells him the tale of a Celtic demon, the Cutty Black Sow, that comes to claim the soul of anyone dying that night, and Jamie vows to protect her soul from the beast.

   Director:Richard Glass

   Writer:Michael McDowell

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   Director:Richard Glass

   Writer:Michael McDowell
9. 

   7.3/10(319 votes)

   #9 - Family Reunion

   S4:E165/22/1988

   Janice, a young mother, swears to a social worker, Trudy, that her husband Robert kidnapped their son Bobby six months ago and she hasn't seen either of them since. Trudy agrees to find the father and son, but discovers that everything isn't what she was led to believe.

   Director:Tom Savini

   Writer:Edithe Swensen

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   Director:Tom Savini

   Writer:Edithe Swensen
10. 

    7.2/10(515 votes)

    #10 - Anniversary Dinner

    S1:E132/3/1985

    A young girl fleeing her boyfriend finds herself in a small country home with a genial older couple. They take pity on her and invite her in, and even invite her to their special anniversary dinner. After getting her set up in the hot tub with plenty of wine, they start pouring vegetables in. As she passes out, the girl realizes exactly how the couple will be having her for dinner.

    Director:John Strysik

    Writers:James Houghton, D.J. Pass

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    Director:John Strysik

    Writers:James Houghton, D.J. Pass
11. 

    7.1/10(615 votes)

    #11 - The Odds

    S1:E410/21/1984

    Tommy Vale, a barroom bookie finds himself in a curious predicament: a man comes in who can't lose. As the story unravels, he finds out that his opponent is Lacey, a man who went broke gambling with Vale in the past. Now Lacey is back from the dead, with tips from the other side, and is unbeatable. In a final ghoulish wager, Lacey bets that Vale will die at a particular time, and he's never been wrong. But the clock chimes and Vale is still alive. Lacey is forced to depart, and Vale reveals that he set the clock ahead five minutes, then dies right on time.

    Director:James Steven Sadwith

    Writer:James Steven Sadwith

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    Director:James Steven Sadwith

    Writer:James Steven Sadwith
12. 

    7.1/10(677 votes)

    #12 - The Word Processor of the Gods

    S1:E811/25/1984

    Richard Hagstrom is dismayed with the way life has treated him (a rude son, a shrewish wife). His nephew Jonathan gives him a birthday present: a homemade word processor. Hagstrom soon discovers that anything he types into the processor becomes real, and no one but him knows the difference. He begins with simple experiments, but then wipes out his son from existence. Even his wife is unaware of the changes. As the machine overheats into self-destruction, Hagstrom types in one last story: he makes sure that he and Jonathan's mother married and that Jonathan was his son. As the word processor destroys itself, Hagstrom's final wish becomes reality.

    Director:Michael Gornick

    Writer:Michael McDowell

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    Director:Michael Gornick

    Writer:Michael McDowell
13. 

    7.1/10(451 votes)

    #13 - Levitation

    S1:E195/19/1985

    A teenager enraptured with magicians goes to a flee-bitten circus to seek out one of the greater: Kharma. However, Kharma now does cheap magic for the crowds, and none of the great illusions the teenager believes him capable of. When Kharma refuses to do them, the kid heckles him until Kharma relents and uses the boy as a subject for his greatest feat of levitation. However, Kharma dies of a heart attack, and the boy simply keeps on levitating...up into the sky and out of sight.

    Director:John Harrison

    Writer:David Gerrold

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    Director:John Harrison

    Writer:David Gerrold
14. 

    7.1/10(314 votes)

    #14 - Do Not Open This Box

    S4:E155/15/1988

    An aged inventor and his wife come into possession of a box marked "Do not open this box." The wife opens it and finds it empty. The next day a man comes to claim the box and the lady makes up a story about losing the box. The man begins giving them nice things in exchange for eventually getting the box back. The couple begin living the sweet life thanks to the stranger but when they finally give the box back, the man tells them that it contained a human soul - since the box was opened the soul has escaped and now the man needs a replacement.

    Director:Jodie Foster

    Writers:Franco Amurri, Bob Balaban

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    Director:Jodie Foster

    Writers:Franco Amurri, Bob Balaban
15. 

    7.0/10(327 votes)

    #15 - The Circus

    S3:E19/28/1986

    A skeptical journalist travels on assignment to a sideshow. Seated in a small theatre, he is greeted by a perverse caretaker/M.C. who promises (in seemingly generic fashion) to unearth strange, horrible, and presumably fake creatures. The journalist nevertheless feels disgusted when he sees a demonic vampire devour an actual lamb. He chastizes the caretaker for endorsing such horrific "entertainment". However, when fully realizing that these are actual CREATURES, the startled journalist attempts to flee the circus and unknowingly retreats into the arms of the vampire. The caretaker subsequently transforms him into a new exhibit, currently on display for the faithful flock of sideshow attendants who DELIGHT in being frightened.

    Director:Michael Gornick

    Writer:George A. Romero

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    Director:Michael Gornick

    Writer:George A. Romero
16. 

    7.0/10(396 votes)

    #16 - Sorry, Right Number

    S4:E911/22/1987

    Katie receives a mysterious phone call from a woman warning about her husband's death...but he isn't dead yet. Katie ignores the phone call, and her husband dies. At the funeral, a despairing Katie calls up herself...and finds herself talking to...herself. She tries to warn her past self, despite knowing that it won't do any good, then collapses in despair.

    Director:John Harrison

    Writer:Stephen King

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    Director:John Harrison

    Writer:Stephen King
17. 

    6.9/10(442 votes)

    #17 - Madness Room

    S1:E175/5/1985

    Cathy Osborne brings her husband up to a previously-unknown room in their house and along with her friend Michael, relates the tale of how the room is the "madness room" from which no one has ever stayed the night...and survived. In reality it's a set up and Cathy and Michael plan to kill Cathy's husband by scaring him to death. They succeed by faking some supernatural activities, but soon find that the curse of the room is all too real...

    Director:John Hayes

    Writer:Thomas Epperson

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    Director:John Hayes

    Writer:Thomas Epperson
18. 

    6.9/10(422 votes)

    #18 - Bigalow's Last Smoke

    S1:E216/9/1985

    Mr. Bigalow, a lifelong cigarette smoker, wakes up to find that his windows have bars on them and his door is sealed shut. A mysterious figure appears on Bigalow's television, informing him that he will quit smoking. Bigalow scoffs at this notion and reaches for a morning cigarette. As soon as he lights up, a deafening alarm sounds, demanding that he extinguish the cigarette immediately. Bigalow is subjected to various endurance tests and is further tempted to smoke when thousands of cigarettes materialize in the room, only to disappear. After being driven to the edge of sanity, he wakes up to find that he no longer has a desire to smoke. Believing that the whole ordeal was a dream, Bigalow reaches for a cup of coffee, at which time the mysterious figure reappears on the television screen, insisting that Bigalow now work on his caffeine addiction.

    Director:Timna Ranon

    Writer:Michael McDowell

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    Director:Timna Ranon

    Writer:Michael McDowell
19. 

    6.9/10(396 votes)

    #19 - Distant Signals

    S2:E811/17/1985

    A famous director is surprised when he is approached by a mysterious investor who wants him to finish up a "Fugitive"-like series that he had done twenty years ago that was cancelled before the final episodes were shown. "Mr. Smith" wants the director to put together the old cast and finish it out, for his "foreign viewers". The star, Van Conway, is a drunk but Mr. Smith mysteriously manages to sober him up. They finish up the series, where the viewers find out that the amnesiac lead character was being hunted by his jealous brother. Mr. Smith, satisfied at the symmetry, departs. It's left to Conway to explain what he believes is the truth: Smith is from a planet twenty light-years away. The aliens, which were part of a dual-planet system, became enraptured by the show and so sent their emissary to Earth to finish it so they could see the conclusion.

    Director:Bill Travis

    Writer:Unknown

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    Director:Bill Travis

    Writer:Unknown
20. 

    6.9/10(405 votes)

    #20 - Monsters in My Room

    S2:E1212/22/1985

    A little boy, Timmy, tries to convince his skeptical parents that there is a horrible monster beneath his bed - they learn too late that he is telling the truth.

    Director:James Steven Sadwith

    Writer:James Steven Sadwith

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    Director:James Steven Sadwith

    Writer:James Steven Sadwith
21. 

    6.8/10(332 votes)

    #21 - A New Lease On Life

    S2:E151/26/1986

    A man is overjoyed to find a nice apartment with all the modern conveniences at an incredibly cheap price. The eccentric landlady asks nothing more than for the man to provide her with plenty of garbage for the disposal unit. The man is puzzled when the walls ooze blood after he attempts to hang a picture with a nail and hammer. He is further disturbed when the floor shakes as he hears an ominous roar bellow throughout the building complex. He soon realizes that the building itself is a living entity that survives on the trash created by the tenants. Angered by the situation, the man fills a garbage bag full of household cleaners with the intent of poisoning the entity. He throws the bag into the disposal unit and the creature begins to roar. Suddenly, the landlady confronts the man with her two sons and they throw the man into the disposal, providing the beast with a full course meal.

    Director:John Strysik

    Writer:Michael McDowell

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    Director:John Strysik

    Writer:Michael McDowell
22. 

    6.7/10(275 votes)

    #22 - Everybody Needs a Little Love

    S3:E172/22/1987

    Robert, a lonely divorced man, fixated on a mannequin, but the question soon becomes - is the mannequin alive?

    Director:John Harrison

    Writer:John Harrison

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    Director:John Harrison

    Writer:John Harrison
23. 

    6.6/10(365 votes)

    #23 - Ursa Minor

    S2:E1012/1/1985

    When Joan finds a new teddy bear in her son's room no one seems to know where it came from. Then night after night huge claw marks are found on the walls and the sounds of something very large can be heard moving through the house. It seems that this little bear has a murderous life all its own...

    Director:Theodore Gershuny

    Writers:John Sladek, Theodore Gershuny

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    Director:Theodore Gershuny

    Writers:John Sladek, Theodore Gershuny
24. 

    6.6/10(294 votes)

    #24 - Baker's Dozen

    S3:E911/23/1986

    Ruby Cuzzins, a New Orleans baker, sells "magic" cookies and gives unscrupulous Henry adman a sample of her wares. Convinced, Henry tries to get her to go into business with him but gets his comeuppance when she refuses.

    Director:John Harrison

    Writer:George A. Romero

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    Director:John Harrison

    Writer:George A. Romero
25. 

    6.6/10(273 votes)

    #25 - No Strings

    S4:E510/25/1987

    A mobster who has finally defeated his old rival hires a reluctant puppeteer to string up his rival and make it dance for him. The mobster is unaware that puppet and puppeteer both have agendas of their own...

    Director:David Odell

    Writer:David Odell

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    Director:David Odell

    Writer:David Odell