Tales From the Darkside Volume 1

by Mitchell Galin, Tom Allen (Editor)

Includes 16 stories that either served as the basis for the show’s episodes or were adapted from the teleplays expressly for this edition.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies

248 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 1988

Reviews

[Jack Tripper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Featuring original stories that inspired episodes of the Twilight Zone-esque anthology series as well as adaptations of selected teleplays, the main reason to read this one, imo, is for the five Michael McDowell-penned tales, two of which are based on his own scripts; three based on others' including one of George Romero's called "The Devil's Advocate." McDowell was not known for writing many shorts, and these are very well done and rather chilling, especially the genuinely freaky "Halloween Candy: (a McDowell original), which made for one of the most memorable episodes of the show, about an evil creature-thing stalking a grumpy old man who's basically the Halloween version of Scrooge or The Grinch.

King's "Word Processor of the Gods" is excellent, and the tripped-out premise would have made Philip K. Dick proud, I'm sure, but I'd bet most horror fans digging this deep into the genre are already familiar with it thanks to Skeleton Crew. Also included are entries by Robert Bloch, Carl Jacobi, Pamela Sargent, Andrew Weiner, Walter Payne Brennan, Zenna Henderson, Frederik Pohl, Sydney J. Bounds, and Ron Goulart, but other than Brennan's effectively creepy story of malevolent mesmerism, "Levitation," these are mostly pretty standard horror fare, imo. Still, I feel the good outweighs the bad so I'm sticking with my 4 star rating.

Now I'm in the mood to revisit the show, as I haven't watched it in 30 years or so, but I have good childhood memories of it. Too bad the DVD releases contain entirely altered versions of the music score. I guess someone didn't want to pay the original composers? Oh well.

[Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this from ILL specifically so I could read "Hush." I wasn't allowed to watch TFDS when I was a kid, but I remember seeing the commercial for this episode & it has haunted me ever since. The story is a bit of a letdown, but nothing could possibly live up to what I've built up in my head over the past 20 years (jeez, does that date me or what?) . . . or could it? Season 3 of TFDS comes out this month, so perhaps the actual tv episode will finally bring some closure.

[Strawberry Witch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was a kid and never saw it again. I almost thought I’d made it up. This is such a fantastic anthology. Perfect for Spooky season. With the exception of “The Satanic Piano,” which was so dull I skimmed it and just read the last page, every story in here is good. “The Devils Advocate” sucks you in with a tale of a shock jock who gets exactly what he bargained for. “In the Cards” has made me suspicious of tarot my whole life. “The Odds” is oddly wholesome and a fantastic end to the book.

[Dez Nemec · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being familiar with and a fan of the tv show, I was curious about this book. It was not disappointed. Essentially, it was the show in book form. And I was totally okay with that. Great authors and interesting stories. Lots of fun!