Tales from the Darkside S2 E10: Ursa Minor (1985)
Will I ever get over the fact that Theodore Gershuny, who directed and wrote this episode, was married to Mary Woronov? Am I really that jealous of a person? Yes. Based on a story by John Sladek, a former tech writer who was also the author of The New Apocrypha: A Guide to Strange Science […]
Tales from the Darkside S2 E9: The Trouble with Mary Jane (1985)
Desperate to save her granddaughter, Mary Jane, from an encroaching supernatural rot, the wealthy Mrs. Nugent turns to the only experts she can find: Nora (Phyllis Diller) and Jack Mills (Lawrence Tierney). Nora is a wisecracking, flamboyant medium, while Jack is a hard-nosed cynic. They are career con artists used to fleecing pockets and putting […]
Tales from the Darkside S2 E8: Distant Signals (1985)
Lew Feldman (Joe Bova) is on the phone, being a Hollywood agent, when Mr. Smith (Lenny von Dohlen) appears in his office. He tells him that he wants to speak to Gil Hurn (David Margulies) and wants the agent to find him. Feldman says that Hurn is a big writer now and doesn’t want to […]
Tales from the Darkside S2 E7: The Devil’s Advocate (1985)
Three Pittsburgh-centric episodes in a row, starting with Tom Savini directing, then John Harrison and now Michael Gornick behind the camera. The director of Creepshow 2, as well as episodes of this show and Monsters, also has the pedigree of being written by George Romero. Luther Mandrake (Jerrt Stiller) is the kind of burned-out shock jock that […]
Tales from the Darkside S2 E6: The Satanic Piano (1985)
Directed and written by John Harrison (First Assistant Director on Creepshow and Day of the Dead — not to mention his stunning turn as the villain of Effects), this episode is all about composer Pete Bancroft (Michael Warren, Hill Street Blues), who is burned out on playing the piano, out of ideas and seemingly discourages his daughter Justine (Lisa […]
Tales from the Darkside S2 E5: Halloween Candy (1985)
Directed by Sex Machine himself, Tom Savini, and written by Michael McDowell (Thinner, Beetlejuice), “Halloween Candy” centers on Mr. Killup, played with skin-crawling bitterness by Roy Poole. Killup is the ultimate holiday bad guy, a mean man who doesn’t just dislike Halloween, but actively has disdain for the joy of children. His constant bickering with his […]
Jagged Edge (1985)
Man, Joe Eszterhas had the 80s neo-noir erotic thriller game all figured out. This is his first of the genre, but it’d be followed by Basic Instinct, Sliver, and Jade, which are three examples of this very American version of giallo. Jagged Edge was directed by Richard Marquand. Yes, the same man who directed Return of the Jedi. He […]
Tales from the Darkside S2 E4: Parlour Floor Front (1985)
After a few light entries in the series, “Parlour Floor Front” marks a welcome return to the grim, ironic horror that defined the show’s peak. The undisputed highlight here is Adolph Caesar as Mars. Caesar was a titan of the industry, legendary for his booming, authoritative baritone. While he is immortalized as the voice of […]
Cinematic Void January Giallo 2026: Nothing Underneath (1985)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Cinematic Void will be playing this on Monday, January 19 at 7:00 p.m. at the American Cinematheque Los Feliz 3 in Los Angeles (tickets here). For more information, visit Cinematic Void. Initially intended for Michelangelo Antonioni, this film had the potential to be another Blow-Up. However, Carlo Vanzina and Enrico Vanzina created it […]
Murder, She Wrote S3 E7: Deadline for Murder (1985)
A veteran reporter who suffered a heart attack says his best medicine would be the removal of his publisher. Jessica gets involved after the man ends up dead. A veteran reporter who suffered a heart attack says his best medicine would be the removal of his publisher. Jessica gets involved after the man ends up […]
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