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Tales From The Darkside: The Movie Blu-ray Review

“Tales From The Darkside: The Movie” finally hits Blu-ray.

In 1990 “Tales From The Darkside” made a jump from the small screen to the big screen with a horror anthology film aptly titled “Tales From The Darkside: The Movie.” The film is comprised of 3 stories (“Lot 249,” “Cat From Hell” and “Lover’s Vow”) with a wrap-around story involving a witch preparing a kid as a meal. The first tale (“Lot 249”) finds Edward exacting revenge against those who screwed him out of a scholarship. What kind of revenge? A killer resurrected mummy. The George A. Romero scripted “Cat From Hell” (which is based on a Stephen King story) finds an old wheelchair bound man (Drogan) bringing in a hitman (Halston) to take out…an allegedly evil black cat responsible for 3 previous deaths. Lastly, there’s “Lover’s Vow” which centers around a starving artist (Preston), a killer gargoyle, a promise, and a very weird turn in the end.

For anyone who treasured the underrated anthology television series “Tales From The Darkside,” “Tales From The Darkside: The Movie” is a worthy extension of it (with a bigger budget!). None of these stories are what one would consider horror classics mind you, but they don’t need to be. The movie is simply a quick, fun 93 minute collection of creature feature morality stories with some dark comedy thrown in for good measure. If you’re a longtime horror fan, how can you not be grabbed by a killer mummy, a killer cat, and a killer gargoyle with some solid special makeup effects work by the likes of Greg Nicotero and company?

The cast is stacked with talent like James Remar, Christian Slater, David Johansen, Deborah Harry, Rae Dawn Chong, and 2 before they were stars in Steve Buscemi and Julianne Moore! Everyone seems game for their parts here which makes the movie even more engaging. 

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.85:1 1080p. How does it look? I’m happy to say this long awaited disc delivers a really impressive transfer. The picture quality is nothing short of crisp.

Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? An all-around quality 5.1 track.

Extras:
* Theatrical trailer, TV spots and radio spots.
* Still gallery and behind-the-scenes still gallery
* An 11 minute compilation mostly consisting of behind-the-scenes footage of the gargoyle and the black cat.
* A new 6 part “Tales Behind The Darkside: The Making Of Four Ghoulish Fables” featuring interviews, discussions about Darkside’s leap from TV to film, behind-the-scenes stories about the 4 tales, the film’s release and reception. It’s nice to see such a lengthy brand new extra.
* 2 commentaries. One by co-producer David R. Kappes and the other by director George A. Romero and director John Harrison.

August 8, 2020 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | George A. Romero, Horror Anthology Film, Horror Movie, Julianne Moore, Scream Factory, Steve Buscemi, Tales From The Darkside, Tales From The Darkside: The Movie Blu-ray Review