Best tv shows like Garth Marenghi's Darkplace
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
In the 1980s horror writer Garth Marenghi wrote, produced, directed and starred in Darkplace, a groundbreaking series set in a hospital and exploring the depths of the author's imagination. At least that's what Marenghi and his publicist/co-star, Dean Learner, claim in modern-day interviews which both bookend and interrupt the episodes. In fact the show is cheap, clichéd, full of gaping plot holes and startlingly misogynist. Garth Marenghi is a creation of comedian Matthew Holness, who won a Perrier award with the character at the 2001 Edinburgh festival.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Comedy, Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: parody, sitcom, cynical, not serious, humorous, spoof, dark comedy, funny, surreal, absurd
Best tv shows and movies like Garth Marenghi's Darkplace (2004):
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The Mighty Boosh (2003)
Plot Summary:
The Mighty Boosh is a British comedy television show created by Julian Barratt, Noel Fielding and others. The Mighty Boosh is a comic fantasy containing humour and pop-culture references. Episodes often featured elaborate musical numbers in different genres, such as electro, heavy metal, funk, and rap. The show has been known for popularising a style called "crimping"; short a cappella songs which are present throughout all three series. Julian Barratt wrote the music within the show, and performs it with Noel Fielding. Fielding also designed many of the show's graphics and artwork. The TV series has many animated sequences, puppets and special effects. Barratt has said that he approached Fielding with the idea of doing a show like The Goodies, as if it were a complete "world" rather than simply a sketch show. Barratt and Fielding play many of the recurring and one-off characters themselves, with other characters being played by other Boosh members Rich Fulcher, Dave Brown, and Michael Fielding.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Comedy, Fantasy, Musical
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: surreal, humorous, sitcom, exciting, not serious, atmospheric, controversial, offbeat, absurd, sketch comedy
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Black Adder the Third (1987)
Plot Summary:
During the Regency period, the insane King George III's stark raving mad son, George, is the Prince Regent of Wales. Vulgar and staggeringly slow-and-dim-witted, George exhausts the country's money and would surely be dead by know were it not for his dry, angry, bitter, arrogant and cynical butler, Edmund Blackadder, Esq. Blackadder is an ex-aristocrat who has lost his family fortune and been reduced to servant-hood, and full of loathing knowing he should have a better position then serving a lunatic. Sod-Off Baldrick is his dirty, smelly peasant servant, and Mrs. Miggins is an annoying cheerful coffee-shoppe owner who is too stupid to understand most of Mr. Blackadder's insults.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 46000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: humorous, sitcom, funny, controversial, costume drama, hilarious, offbeat, witty, not serious, black comedy
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Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979)
Plot Summary:
Attention, comedy fans: NOT THE NINE O'CLOCK NEWS is the real thing. This is scathing, no-holds-barred Brit humor at its best. Rapid-fire skits starring Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) are as politically incorrect as they are side-bustingly funny, sparing no one as they take on the British Royal Family, Margaret Thatcher, Scotland Yard, country music, Christianity, devil worship, punk rock and bathroom etiquette. NOT THE NINE O'CLOCK NEWS is so irreverent that when the pilot was due to air in April 1979, the BBC cancelled it due to its incendiary political content. When at last it aired, the greatest comedy group to hit England since Monty Python's Flying Circus stormed the airwaves and revolutionized British and American television alike. Discover the show that set the standard for the anarchic cynicism that defined the alternative comedy of the 80's.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, humorous, political, sitcom, parody, realistic, witty, not serious, spoof, vintage
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Asylum (1996)
Plot Summary:
Asylum is a British comedy series which was shown on Paramount Comedy Channel in 1996. Set in a mental asylum, it ran for one series of six episodes. Unlike traditional sitcoms or comedy television shows, it was to some extent an opportunity for stand-up routines by various comedians, mixed with an overall story involving much black humour. It is significant for involving a large number of British comedians, many who have gone on to work on some of the most successful comedy programmes of the last decade. It marked the first collaboration of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, who would go on to make cult sitcom Spaced. Many of the characters names were the same as those of the actors who portrayed them. David Devant & His Spirit Wife were the "house band" for the series, performing segments in every episode, from their first album, Work, Lovelife, Miscellaneous. The lead-in track "Ginger" served as the programme's title music. The series has yet to be released on DVD; however, the full episodes are viewable on Norman Lovett's website.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 279
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 21 min
Plot tags: sitcom, dark comedy, offbeat, humorous, realistic, surreal, not serious, parody, black comedy, weird
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That Mitchell and Webb Look (2006)
Plot Summary:
That Mitchell and Webb Look is a British television sketch show starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb. Shown on BBC Two since 2006, its first two series were directed by David Kerr, who also directed Mitchell and Webb's previous television sketch show The Mitchell and Webb Situation, whereas series 3 and 4 are directed by Ben Gosling Fuller. As well as Mitchell and Webb themselves, the writers include Jesse Armstrong, James Bachman, Sam Bain, Mark Evans, Olivia Colman, Toby Davies, Chris Pell, Jonathan Dryden Taylor, Joel Morris, Jason Hazeley, Simon Kane, John Finnemore and others. It is produced by Gareth Edwards. Colman, Bachman, and Evans were also members of the cast alongside Abigail Burdess, Gus Brown, Sarah Hadland and Paterson Joseph. Many of its characters and sketches are first featured in the duo's radio show That Mitchell and Webb Sound. First aired on 14 September 2006, a second series was commissioned later that same year and shown between 21 February 2008 and 27 March 2008. The third series began on 11 June 2009. Since series two, the production has also been broadcast on BBC HD. The first series won a BAFTA award in 2007. The third series started airing on BBC America on 14 April 2010. The fourth series premiered on BBC Two and BBC HD on 13 July 2010 with a total of 6 episodes commissioned by the BBC. In a November 2011 interview, Webb stated that there are "no plans, sadly, for another series of sketches" continuing to say that "you'd have to ask the BBC" about further series.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Comedy, Fantasy
Country: UK
Duration: 720 min
Plot tags: humorous, sketch comedy, not serious, clever, parody, surreal, controversial, sitcom, hilarious, offbeat
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The Larry Sanders Show (1992)
Plot Summary:
Comic Garry Shandling draws upon his own talk show experiences to create the character of Larry Sanders, a paranoid, insecure host of a late night talk show. Larry, along with his obsequious TV sidekick Hank Kingsley and his fiercely protective producer Artie, allows Garry Shandling and his talented writers to look behind the scenes and to show us a convincing slice of behind the camera life.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, parody, clever, humorous, realistic, witty, cynical, not serious, mockumentary, biting
Similar in 82%
Brass Eye (1997)
Plot Summary:
Controversial spoof of current-affairs TV and the role of celebrity in the UK.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: parody, controversial, humorous, sitcom, political, absurd, spoof, sketch comedy, surreal, dark comedy
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French and Saunders (1987)
Plot Summary:
French and Saunders is a British sketch comedy television series written by and starring comic duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. It is also the name by which the performers are known on the occasions when they appear elsewhere as a double act.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, sitcom, parody, mockumentary, clever, humorous, realistic, witty, cynical, not serious
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The Day Today (1994)
Plot Summary:
The Day Today is a surreal British parody of television current affairs programmes, broadcast in 1994, and created by the comedians Armando Iannucci and Chris Morris. It is an adaptation of the radio programme On the Hour, which was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 1991 and 1992. On the Hour was written by Morris, Iannucci, Steven Wells, Andrew Glover, Stewart Lee, Richard Herring, David Quantick, and the cast. For The Day Today, Peter Baynham joined the writing team, and Lee and Herring were replaced by Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews. The principal cast of On the Hour was retained for The Day Today. The Day Today is composed of six half-hour episodes and a selection of shorter, five-minute slots recorded as promotion trailers for the longer segments. The six half-hour episodes were originally broadcast from 19 January to 23 February 1994 on BBC2. The Day Today has won many awards, including Morris winning the 1994 British Comedy Award for Best Newcomer. All six episodes are available on BBC DVD, having previously been issued on VHS.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: parody, humorous, political, sketch comedy, sitcom, surreal, offbeat, realistic, cynical, not serious
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Da Ali G Show (2000)
Plot Summary:
BAFTA Award-winning Da Ali G Show is back, and this time Ali G gets to take on America. Ali G In Da USAiii, nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys, stars Sacha Baron-Cohen. The series, filmed in the USA for HBO and Channel 4, brings to life three unique characters: Ali G; Borat, the naive television reporter from Kazakhstan; and Bruno, a camp Austrian fashion reporter.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, witty, cynical, not serious, sitcom, funny, parody, controversial, sketch comedy, political
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Big Train (1998)
Plot Summary:
Big Train is a surreal British television comedy sketch show created by Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan, writers of the successful sitcom Father Ted. The first series was broadcast on BBC Two in 1998, while the second, in which Linehan was not involved, aired in 2002.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, sitcom, surreal, absurd, clever, offbeat, humorous, realistic, witty, not serious
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Getting On (2009)
Plot Summary:
Darkly comic series about life on a hospital ward and a nursing team who have to get on with the job despite challenges thrown up by the modern NHS.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, not serious, realistic, witty, dark comedy, light, feel good, offbeat, mockumentary
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Starlets (2000)
Plot Summary:
Grosse Pointe is an American television parody series which aired on the WB Network during the 2000–2001 television season. Created by Darren Star, it was a satire depicting the behind-the-scenes drama on the set of a television show, and was inspired in large part by Star's experiences as the creator and producer of the nighttime soap Beverly Hills, 90210.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 782
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: parody, sitcom, humorous, cynical, not serious, offbeat, realistic
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Jam (2000)
Plot Summary:
A collection of bleakly dark comedy sketches pushing the boundaries of taste, decency and television in general, shot using new and different techniques and fading slowly in and out of each other against a slow musical soundtrack. Regular themes include death, insanity and, most often of all, the medical profession.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: surreal, postmodern, atmospheric, humorous, cynical, not serious, sketch comedy, dark comedy, controversial, absurd
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Psychoville (2009)
Plot Summary:
Psychoville is a British dark comedy television serial written by and starring The League of Gentlemen members Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton. It debuted on BBC Two on 18 June 2009. Pemberton and Shearsmith each play numerous characters, with Dawn French and Jason Tompkins in additional starring roles. The first series was followed by a Halloween special, broadcast on 31 October 2010, which saw Imelda Staunton added to the main cast along with previously supporting actors Eileen Atkins and Daniel Kaluuya. The second series started broadcasting on 5 May 2011 and ended on 6 June. Reece Shearsmith has officially announced that there will not be a third series.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Comedy, Horror, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: surreal, dark comedy, suspenseful, semi serious, sitcom, hilarious, psychological thriller, funny, controversial, spooky
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The League of Gentlemen (1999)
Plot Summary:
The League of Gentlemen is a British comedy television series that premiered on BBC Two in 1999. The show is set in Royston Vasey, a fictional town in Northern England based on Bacup, Lancashire. It follows the lives of dozens of bizarre townspeople, most of whom are played by three of the show's four writers—Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton, and Reece Shearsmith—who, along with Jeremy Dyson, formed the League of Gentlemen comedy troupe in 1995. The series originally aired for three series from 1999 until 2002 followed by a film in 2005. A three-part revival mini-series was broadcast in December 2017 to celebrate the group's 20th anniversary.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Comedy, Horror
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: surreal, sitcom, dark comedy, slasher, controversial, sketch comedy, hilarious, offbeat, humorous, semi serious
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Snuff Box (2006)
Plot Summary:
Snuff Box is a BBC Three British dark comedy starring and written by Matt Berry and Rich Fulcher with additional material by Nick Gargano. It first aired on Monday 27 February 2006. Both actors use their real names for their main characters. Berry plays a hangman, and Fulcher his assistant. The majority of the programme is set in a "gentlemen's club for hangmen", although the show is also interspersed with sequences of sketches, often featuring different characters. Berry and Fulcher met whilst working together on another BBC Three comedy, The Mighty Boosh. The series 1 DVD was released on 16 June 2008. On 11 October 2011, Severin Films released the series on DVD with a bonus CD of music and other exclusive extra features in the North American market.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: surreal, humorous, semi serious, light, intellectual, feel good, sitcom, mysterious, absurd, sketch comedy
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Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988)
Plot Summary:
A stranded spaceship pilot captured by mad scientists survives a blitz of cheesy B movies by riffing on them with his funny robot pals.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 26000
Genere: Comedy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: anthology, dark comedy, black and white, skit, parody, futuristic, offbeat, humorous, surreal, witty
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Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969)
Plot Summary:
Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a British sketch comedy series created by the comedy group Monty Python and broadcast by the BBC from 1969 to 1974. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines. It also featured animations by Terry Gilliam, often sequenced or merged with live action. The first episode was recorded on 7 September and broadcast on 5 October 1969 on BBC One, with 45 episodes airing over four series from 1969 to 1974, plus two episodes for German TV. The show often targets the idiosyncrasies of British life, especially that of professionals, and is at times politically charged. The members of Monty Python were highly educated. Terry Jones and Michael Palin are Oxford University graduates; Eric Idle, John Cleese, and Graham Chapman attended Cambridge University; and American-born member Terry Gilliam is an Occidental College graduate. Their comedy is often pointedly intellectual, with numerous erudite references to philosophers and literary figures. The series followed and elaborated upon the style used by Spike Milligan in his ground breaking series Q5, rather than the traditional sketch show format. The team intended their humour to be impossible to categorise, and succeeded so completely that the adjective "Pythonesque" was invented to define it and, later, similar material.
IMDB Rating: 8.8
IMDB Votes: 78000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, surreal, sitcom, humorous, parody, funny, psychedelic, political, absurd, avant garde
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The IT Crowd (2006)
Plot Summary:
UK Comedy series about two I.T. nerds and their clueless female manager, who work in the basement of a very successful company. When they are called on for help, they are never treated with any respect at all.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 162000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, witty, not serious, realistic, funny, controversial, dark comedy, hilarious, clever
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Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell (2013)
Plot Summary:
A live-action workplace comedy about Gary, an associate demon, as he attempts to capture souls on earth in order to climb the corporate ladder of the underworld. Gary hopes to advance in Hell, but he may be too stupid, lazy and kind-hearted to realize his dreams of promotion. Meanwhile, Gary's intern Claude is more talented, more devious and will do whatever it takes to impress Satan.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 11 min
Plot tags: humorous, not serious, surreal, funny, absurd, horror comedy, spooky, offbeat, demonic, dark comedy
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Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible (2001)
Plot Summary:
Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible is a British comedy-horror anthology series created by Graham Duff, who co-wrote the series with Steve Coogan. BBC Two broadcast the series in 2001. It spoofs the British horror films of Amicus Productions, Hammer Film Productions, and Tigon British Film Productions. The title parodies Amicus Productions' anthology film Dr. Terror's House of Horrors.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 590
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: parody, anthology, humorous, suspenseful, not serious, spooky, scary, realistic, biting, suspense
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What We Do in the Shadows (2019)
Plot Summary:
A documentary-style look into the daily (or rather, nightly) lives of three vampires in Staten Island who have “lived” together for hundreds and hundreds of years.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 97000
Genere: Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, mockumentary, sitcom, light, funny, absurd, bleak, dark comedy, captivating, gothic
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Repossessed (1990)
Plot Summary:
It's been some time since Father Jebedaiah Mayii exorcised the Devil from little Nancy Aglet, who is now grown up with a husband and two children of her own. But the prince of darkness wants to go a second round and has returned to repossess her! With Father Mayii unwilling to help, Father Luke Brophy tries his best to help Nancy, even when TV's Ernest Weller plans to air the exorcism live on TV.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: parody, spoof, humorous, satirical, slapstick, not serious, slapstick comedy, funny, hilarious, demonic
Similar in 78%
The Munsters (1964)
Plot Summary:
The Munsters is an American television sitcom depicting the home life of a family of benign monsters. It stars Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster and Yvonne De Carlo as his wife, Lily Munster. The series was a satire of both traditional monster movies and the wholesome family fare of the era, and was produced by the creators of Leave It to Beaver. It ran concurrently with The Addams Family. The series original aired on CBS from September 24, 1964 to May 12, 1966; 70 episodes were produced. It was broadcast weekly on BBC1 in the UK. It was canceled after ratings dropped to a low due to the premiere of ABC's Batman, which was in color. Though ratings were low during its initial two-year run, The Munsters found a large audience in syndication. This popularity warranted a spin-off series, as well as several films, including one with a theatrical release. On October 26, 2012, NBC aired a modern reimagining of The Munsters called Mockingbird Lane.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, gothic, spooky, scary, parody, retro, black and white, spoof, offbeat, humorous
Similar in 77%
John Dies at the End (2012)
Plot Summary:
A new drug promises out-of-body experiences, but users are coming back changed forever, and an otherworldly invasion of Earth is underway.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 40000
Genere: Comedy, Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: surreal, psychedelic, absurd, offbeat, not serious, dark comedy, atmospheric, enigmatic, horror comedy, cult classic
Similar in 75%
The Young Ones (1982)
Plot Summary:
The Young Ones is a British sitcom, broadcast in Great Britain from 1982 to 1984 in two six-part series. Shown on BBC2, it featured anarchic, offbeat humour which helped bring alternative comedy to television in the 1980s and made household names of its writers and performers. In 1985, it was shown on MTV, one of the first non-music television shows on the fledgling channel.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 35 min
Plot tags: sitcom, funny, psychedelic, absurd, dark comedy, hilarious, offbeat, humorous, realistic, witty
Similar in 87%
Tim and Eric's Bedtime Stories (2013)
Plot Summary:
Family man Dennis "Murph" Murphy moves next door to Brenner, a friendly bully who torments Murph for declining his offer to hang out. Short film from "Tim & Eric's Bedtime Stories".
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 11 min
Plot tags: surreal, parody, not serious, anthology, humorous, funny, captivating, entertaining, satirical, absurd
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Inside No. 9 (2014)
Plot Summary:
An anthology of darkly comic twisted tales, each one taking place behind a door marked 'number 9'.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: anthology, surreal, offbeat, semi serious, psychological thriller, tense, captivating, funny, surprise ending, intellectual
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Tales from the Darkside (1983)
Plot Summary:
Tales from the Darkside is an anthology horror TV series created by George A. Romero; it was released in 1984. Similar to Amazing Stories, The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, The Outer Limits, Tales From The Crypt, and Lee Martin's The Midnight Hour, each episode was an individual short story that ended with a plot twist. The series' episodes spanned the genres of horror, science fiction, and fantasy, and some episodes featured elements of black comedy or more lighthearted themes.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: anthology, scary, atmospheric, humorous, suspenseful, surreal, semi serious, spooky, psychological, dark