Tales from the Darkside Episode 35: Monsters in My Room

General Information

Director: James Sadwith

Writer: James Sadwith

Cast: Greg Mullavey, Seth Green, Beth McDonald, Elia Braca, Paula Trueman, Leona Cyphers, George Kyle, and Paul Sparer

Composer: Ken Mazur

Air Date: 12/22/1985

 

Overview

tales-from-the-darkside-monsters-in-my-closetWhile enduring the taunts of a stepfather named Biff (Greg Mullavey), Timmy (Seth Green) must also confront the demonic creatures residing in his bedroom. When Helen (Beth McDonald)—Timmy’s overprotective mother—goes out one evening to deliver Christmas presents, Timmy and Biff are left alone to settle their differences once and for all.

“Monsters in My Room” benefits from the performance of a young Seth Green. Viewers may nevertheless wish to avoid this episode, which relies too heavily on one-dimensional characters while building and sustaining conflict.

 

Pros

By employing traditional horror devices (e.g. witches, goblins, and a killer octopus), “Monsters in My Room” generates and maintains a delightfully ghoulish atmosphere that will appeal to Tales from the Darkside enthusiasts.

 

Cons

A ridiculous caricature, Biff embodies every stereotype that one would associate with a mean, overbearing stepfather. Especially awful are the clichés tales-from-the-darkside-monsters-in-my-closet(e.g. “I’m gonna make a man out of you yet” and “Don’t be such a wussy”) whereby Biff attempts to motivate Timmy, whose interactions with both parents already border on cartoonish.

Also worth criticizing, a compelling reason is never offered to explain why Timmy’s bedroom creepers exist in the first place. Though seemingly a product of Timmy’s imagination, the titular monsters are shown to physically attack Biff just prior to his “heart failure”—a logical inconsistency that serves to undermine the thesis (i.e. confronting boogeymen by exposing the absurdity thereof) upon which “Monsters in My Room” operates.

 

Analysis

tales-from-the-darkside-monsters-in-my-closet“Monsters in My Room” contains an obvious message on the importance of conquering one’s fears.

 

Concluding Comments

An overrated episode, “Monsters in My Room” fails to compensate for the lack of realism that plagues nearly every line of dialogue. For this reason, fright fans would be wise to search elsewhere for a spooky holiday tale.

 

Overall Quality: 3/10

 

If you enjoyed this post, please enter your email address in the subscription box to stay tuned for more updates.

Posted on
Categories: Season Two, Tales from the Darkside

Please note: Comments that are malicious, offensive, or excessively profane will be removed. Off-topic messages belong in the About section.

2 thoughts on “Tales from the Darkside Episode 35: Monsters in My Room”

  1. I was the effects artist on this episode, as well as 9 others. ( I was also the Formaldehyde Man in Geek Maggot Bingo, just don’t tell anyone) Regardless of the monster motivation, I didn’t write it but I had a great time creating and performing the effects on this. Seth was a real trooper. #tksmithart , #bombtz , #the_formaldehydeman

    • Hi Tyler,
      Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I’m always interested to hear from someone who was involved in the production of a show that I’ve reviewed. Even though I wasn’t too keen on the execution for this one, I thought the creature effects were very creative and enhanced the “nightmare” aspect of Timmy’s situation.

Comments are closed.