Tales From The Darkside on DVD

[JDFP]

I stopped by my local used bookstore/media store earlier tonight (cool place called McKay's here in Knoxville) and picked up the first season of "Tales From The Darkside" on DVD. It was on sale for $15.95 and I figured that was a pretty groovy price until I got home and saw Amazon.com has it on sale for $13.99 and cursed myself. Eh, at least I can comfort myself in knowing I didn't have to wait two freaking weeks on their "Super Saver Free Shipping".

Almost ALL the original music has been replaced in the series -- which is annoying as hell but doesn't completely destroy enjoying the episodes (as it would on something like "The Wonder Years" which we'll probably never see released, unfortunately, but we still have Youtube and other, ahem, places on the net for that). The stories are still the same -- and some of the episodes are actually fairly entertaining. The opening theme song and narration: "Man lives in the sunlit world...." etc. is still the same and still scares the shit out of me like it did when I was a kid staying up 'late' to watch the series when I was a kid with my dad.

Some of these episodes are fairly entertaining. If I can get the rest of the series (which is available on DVD for the whole series) at around the same price I'll probably do it. I know Romero "executive produced" the series but I don't know how much he really had a hand in it (for good or bad, imo). I just finished watching the episode "Mookie and Pookie" with the ever-so-freaking-hot Alex Keaton's sister Justine Bateman (oh, I so would have hit that back in the 80s!).

j.p.

[bassman]

I was a bit too young to catch the original broadcasts at the right age, but i've had the opportunity to catch up to the series through syndication. While it has it's positive moments, the series as a whole is severely lacking, imo. At times I like it, while at other times I feel like its nothing more than a rip off of Rod Serling's classics. Maybe not straight rip offs, but they certainly took the idea and ran with it...

[JDFP]

I was a bit too young to catch the original broadcasts at the right age, but i've had the opportunity to catch up to the series through syndication. While it has it's positive moments, the series as a whole is severely lacking, imo. At times I like it, while at other times I feel like its nothing more than a rip off of Rod Serling's classics. Maybe not straight rip offs, but they certainly took the idea and ran with it...

Oh, absolutely. I'd consider most of the stories to be 'average' but there are a few stories that are actually surprisingly really entertaining. If you can pick it up for around $20 for a season set I'd consider it worth the purchase. The picture quality is about SP quality on a VHS tape, which is to say in contemporary times about the same as watching standard definition on an HD TV (i.e. not very damn good) but the mono soundtrack is clear and for around $20 bucks I consider it a good viewing for 8+ hours of episodes because of the few really entertaining stories -- and the great nostalgia trip on a 12-pack of beer.

Don't get me wrong, it's not great by any standard (such as the very worthy addition to my highly limited blu ray collection with the first season of "The Twilight Zone" on blu ray which is simply AMAZING) but some of the stories are actually really entertaining. I'd say if you can find it for $20 or less it's a worthy investment just for the few good stories interspersed with the "eh" stories that are worthy of at least a one time watch.

j.p.

[Trancelikestate]

Very awesome series. The opening sepuence def sacred the piss put of me as a a kid. When i was a kid, i could swear that just before they show the title an object runs across the screen and not knowing what it was scared the shit outta me. You all have to catch Lori Cardille in "Florence Bravo" I beleive it was. Only other thing i have seen her in. Also i recommend the Savini epeisodes. dont remember them all but if anyone is interested i'll look em up. The one in the same house "Martin" was filmed in and the one where everyone is basically (a few kids) wearing "fluffy" masks from the "creepshow" monster on halloween.

[DubiousComforts]

I stopped by my local used bookstore/media store earlier tonight (cool place called McKay's here in Knoxville) and picked up the first season of "Tales From The Darkside" on DVD. It was on sale for $15.95 and I figured that was a pretty groovy price until I got home and saw Amazon.com has it on sale for $13.99 and cursed myself. Eh, at least I can comfort myself in knowing I didn't have to wait two freaking weeks on their "Super Saver Free Shipping".

Supposedly, Big Lots has been selling Darkside sets for $10 or less, though I can't confirm it since I wouldn't set foot in a Big Lots if it was the last store on the planet.


Also i recommend the Savini epeisodes. dont remember them all but if anyone is interested i'll look em up.

The Savini-directed episodes are Inside the Closet, Halloween Candy and Family Reunion. Inside the Closet is one of the few episodes released on DVD with the original music intact -- old Capitol Hi-Q tracks used in Creepshow and Night of the Living Dead.

[axlish]

Thanks for the heads up DC. I recently purchased the film Tales from the Darkside from big lots for $3, but I have yet to see any season sets in there.

About five years ago, I put the entire series together personally, based on laserdiscs and recorded TV airings. It was a fun project, and because I had done this, it was tough for me to buy the season sets, especially considering that the quality was not much better. I used to do reviews for a website and I got a review copy of the first season, but never intended to purchase the latter seasons. Big Lots, here I come!

[bassman]

Supposedly, Big Lots has been selling Darkside sets for $10 or less, though I can't confirm it since I wouldn't set foot in a Big Lots if it was the last store on the planet.

I had no idea Big Lots even sold dvds. Haven't been in one in years. I'll have to stop by and see if I can pick this up...

[DubiousComforts]

Thanks for the heads up DC. I recently purchased the film Tales from the Darkside from big lots for $3, but I have yet to see any season sets in there.
I've heard that Big Lots sells a lot of TV box sets for cheap and there were even problems with a liquidator supplying titles like Tales From The Crypt which had been slated to be destroyed. The sets blew out for $3 each and a lawsuit resulted.

But I just can't bring myself to shop at Big Lots because it's so damn depressing. If you use dvdpricesearch.com, you'll find the same titles for nearly the same price online:

Tales from the Darkside season 1 $11.28 (http://www.deepdiscount.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/productID/C7660972-DC55-4271-BEF9-F989DA0B692F)


About five years ago, I put the entire series together personally, based on laserdiscs and recorded TV airings. It was a fun project, and because I had done this, it was tough for me to buy the season sets, especially considering that the quality was not much better.
I had most if not all of both Tales from the Darkiside and Monsters taped from TV in the late 1980s. I also have about 30 episodes of Darkside on commercial VHS which were bought for about $5 total. When I have time, I'd like to dig out all those VHS tapes and restore the original audio as an alternate track on the DVDs.

[axlish]

I scored all but the last two seasons of Crypyt for $3. Big Lots is not the most inspiring place to visit, but I love the deals when I find them. I've scored so many amazing titles for $3.

[DjfunkmasterG]

Big Lots is great for DVD deals... the one in my neck of the woods now sells Blu-Ray and sometimes even older HD DVD's show up. :D