What’s worse than a death in the family? How about a death that won’t go away?
Jodie (Christian Slater!) and his mother (Barbara Eda-Young) were upset when Grandpa Titus (Eddie Bracken, Roy Walley from National Lampoon’s Vacation) died, but now that he’s up and about and rotting, well things are even more horrifying because the old man may be just too stubborn to stay dead. Not even Dr. Snodgrass (Bill McCutcheon, Droppo from Santa Claus Conquers the Martians) and Reverend Peabody (Brent Spiner) can convince him that he’s not living any longer.
Reverend Peabody tells Grandpa that once his body is in the grave, his soul will be free to go to Heaven. The old man replies that if Heaven is so great, the holy man should go there himself, which causes Peabody to condemn him.
It finally takes Jodie — and a pepper from a voodoo woman played by Tresa Hughes — to convince Grandpa that he’s not of this world any longer. It’s sad, but it takes love to say goodbye.
This episode was directed by Gerald Cotts and written by James Houghton from a Robert Bloch story. Slater would return for Tales from the Darkside: The Movie.
